The Top 10 Harry Potter Toys

With the recent release of the seventh Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1”, the mania surrounding the adolescent wizard is not likely to die away any time soon. There is an immense range of Harry Potter toys filling toy shop shelves, from Lego to games to costumes to figures, but which of them are worth buying?

#NEW Harry Potter Lego Sets

Harry Potter and Lego are both hugely popular so it was only natural when Harry Potter Lego sets were introduced. Unfortunately these sets became hard to come by and saw massive price increases in the marketplace. Thankfully Lego has recently come up with six new sets which are readily available and hence still good value for money.

Please click for prices on the full range in the UK or the US.

Here is some brief information on each set, all of which have received great reviews, from the smallest to the largest set:

• Lego Harry Potter Freeing Dobby – 73 pieces & 3 minifigs
• Lego Harry Potter Quidditch Match – 153 pieces & 5 minifigs
• Lego Harry Potter Hagrid’s Hut – 442 pieces & 4 minifigs
• Lego Harry Potter The Burrow – 568 pieces & 6 minifigs
• Lego Harry Potter Hogwart’s Express – 646 pieces & 5 minifigs
• Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle – 1290 pieces & 11 minifigs

Why not add one of these great Lego sets to your Christmas list this year?

#NEW Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Video Game

If you or your child is into Harry Potter toys, then the newly released Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 video game is a must have. Set in a huge and detailed version of Hogwarts Castle, players get to explore the mysteries it holds whilst attending the school of magic to learn their craft. You will go to lessons on casting spells and making potions as well as fly on a broomstick to complete the experience.

Whilst not action based, this game is full of puzzles and mysteries to solve. You will learn spells as you progress through each year which you will need to complete each section. You can play as many different characters, switching mid game as well as play as a team with family and friends. The game is available for all of the major consoles and is the ideal gift to keep your children busy this summer holiday. For more information please read our more detailed article: Lego Harry Potter Video Game Years 1-4 Review.

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#1 Lego Hogwarts Express

What is the Hogwarts Express Lego set?

The best Harry Potter toy is this 410 piece Lego set that you will use to build the Hogwarts train engine, carriage and platform 9¾. There is a 48 page instruction booklet to show you in detail how to build each item. You probably need about two hours to build it all. In the fantastically detailed red engine are three engine lids that open to reveal secret storage compartments. Here you can hide the little suitcase and two golden keys and if danger approaches you can flick the switch on the piston to shoot the suitcase out of the engine. The carriage has an opening lid, so you play inside it with the three main characters once built. These characters may be in Lego style but are perfectly detailed. Platform 9¾ comes with its own revolving door so Harry and friends can pass through it almost magically.

Why does the Hogwarts Express Lego set top our list of the best Harry Potter toys?

The set is visually attractive with its strong red colours and is the perfect combination of easy but challenging to put together. It will keep children amused for hours but they will not need your constant help. It includes the three main characters but does not need any track as the train can be pushed along. It is sturdy and the attention to detail is immense. Features are abundant and the inclusion of Platform 9 ¾ makes this a complete magical experience. On one side is the platform and on the other is the wall you must run through. It comes with all sorts of luggage carriers and trolleys as well as a potions book, a broom, a lamp, and a garbage container. Inside the carriage there are tables and seats to sit your mini figure on. You can modify the engine to run on Lego track if you have any – you just need three sets of wheels and a motor. As this set was one of the first made back in the beginnings of the Harry Potter craze, it is now harder to find so attracts a higher price tag.

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#2 Lego Hogwarts Castle

What is the Hogwarts Castle Lego set?

This Harry Potter Lego Castle is a replica of Hogwarts and is truly stunning once completed. The process of building it is challenging with its 682 pieces but is exciting and will take a few hours of concentration. All of the characters are there including Hagrid and Dumbledore. There are many unexpected details such as trap doors, secret stairways, spiral staircases that spin in different directions, moving portraits, treasure chests, a holographic sticker and glow in the dark characters. There is a detailed instruction guide included although the castle can be built in various ways so children can let their imaginations run wild. The rooms it includes are the dining hall, the Owlery, the library and the hall outside the Gryffindor quarters. The fat lady painting on the door is present and spins around. This would lead into the Gryffindor House Lego set, if you bought that too!

Why is the Hogwarts Castle Lego set in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

Of all the Harry Potter Lego sets, this is the largest. It is huge with many exciting features and is likely to take you close to three hours to build. It is unbelievable how much fun can be had from one box. The individual parts of the castle are separated into different bags within the box, so children are not overwhelmed when they start building. The architecture is expansive – there are arches, grated windows, stone texturing, a balcony and multiple towers. For any Harry Potter fan, this building really brings the story to life. You can lose yourself in a world of witchcraft and wizardry right in your own house. For children who have not read the books, the whole fun experience will probably encourage them to do so. You could even act out the chapters from the book using the castle and its characters.

On the downsides some of the parts are very long and thin, so break off more easily. The interior space to play in once built is also quite small despite the set being so big. The largeness comes in its height rather than internal space. It is also a very expensive piece of kit, but for Harry Potter fans it can be the start of more. As more Lego sets are brought out they can be added on to create a monster Harry Potter experience. In an age where it is hard to drag your children away from the television or computer, at last there is something based around their favourite wizard that will encourage them to use their creativity and imagination building something magical. This truly is a unique and creative gift with something to offer everyone.

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#3 Mystery At Hogwarts Board Game

What is the Mystery At Hogwarts Board Game?

Based around the original Philosopher’s Stone book, this Harry Potter game places you as a student at Hogwarts. A crime has been committed and it is up to you to solve it. By rolling the dice and using the Hogwarts cards, you move your sorting hat playing piece around the board, eliminating the suspects one by one until you find the truth. The artwork on the board and gaming cards is very detailed and colourful and it really brings Hogwarts and its characters to life. This game is aimed at all the family and there are plenty of plot twists to keep you interested.

Why is the Mystery At Hogwarts Board Game in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

You do not need to know anything about Harry Potter to play this game, so it is ideal for parents to play with their children. Knowing Harry Potter trivia will not help you. It is similar to Cluedo in that you have to solve the mystery to win. You move about the school trying to figure out which three cards are contained in Fluffy’s folder, ie, who did it, where did they do it and which spell they used. You can try and use some of the secret passageways to move about faster. The game is fun, competitive and exciting. If you follow a logical process you will be racing to the end when you’ve found out ‘whodunit’. Make sure Peeves, the ghost doesn’t get you though as he will send you back to the start. You may get to ‘cheat’ along the way if you throw the Hogwarts emblem on the dice as this means you get a sneaky peak at opponents’ cards. This game, ideally for three or more players, may not be completely original in terms of game play but does have extra features over Cluedo, such as the ghost and game cards that help you or hurt you. It offers real family fun and is a cut above other board games.

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#4 Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone Trivia Game

What is the Philosopher’s Stone Trivia Game?

There are hundreds of Harry Potter questions in this superb Harry Potter trivia game. If you can answer “How many flights of stairs are there at Hogwarts?” and “What lies behind the ‘Leaky Cauldron’? ” you may be in with a chance. The questions, classified into five categories covering magic, wizards, beasts, places and muggles, are based on the bestselling first book of the same name. You follow the circular track on the board as you answer each question. Get a question wrong and you get a curse card. Get it right and you get one or two charm chards depending on whether you used the multiple choice option. Not only is the game one of trivia but it also has clever twists that make it better than similar games. To win, you need to be first to collect six different ‘Charm Cards’ by answering the trivia questions correctly. Make sure you avoid ‘Curses’ played by your opponents on the way. You then make your way to your chosen Hogwarts house as fast as you can to answer one last question to win. As with the Mystery At Hogwarts board game, the board is amazingly illustrated. The questions can be very tricky but can be altered according to the age and knowledge the players have of the Harry Potter world, so everyone can join in. Start your own collection of Harry Potter games and spend some quality time with your family enjoying the Harry Potter story.

Why is the Philosopher’s Stone Trivia Game in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

The game has some nice features that sets it above other trivia games. It also allows players with mixed knowledge of the Harry Potter story to play together. The various charms and spell cards make it more challenging – you can even “think like Hermione” and answer another player’s question. There are multiple-choice questions to help if you get stuck .

Some questions are very easy which you can answer just by looking at the board and others require you to have lived and breathed Harry Potter since it was written. If you have a child who is not that enthralled about reading but loves Harry Potter, this game could help you out. Get them to read the questions and answers on the card or even encourage them to read the book, so they can be the champion in your house. This game would be perfect if it had the option to buy cards relating to the later books. If you loved this first book though, you will love this game.

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#5 Harry Potter Scene It 2nd Edition DVD Game

What is the Scene It? Game – 2nd Edition?

Scene It Harry Potter 2nd Edition is an interactive board game with Harry Potter movie questions on an accompanying DVD. There are image quizzes, puzzles and questions from the Order of the Phoenix film as well as movie clips from the Goblet of Fire. A Flextime game board allows you to choose the length of time you have available for play. The box also includes four Harry Potter playing pieces, an oversized dice, 160 trivia cards, 30 points cards and a DVD that plays different questions every time.

The basic idea behind Scene It? Games is that you have two dice to roll. There is the usual numbered one and an extra one with symbols. These symbols tell you which challenges you have to complete in order to win this game. Some challenges are interactive, some are from question cards about magic or muggles and some involve picking a house point card and doing what it says. If you succeed at your challenge, you move the number of spaces you rolled on the number dice. You can also use the party play option if you don’t want to bother with the board, which just fires random questions at you and you have to be the first to answer.

Why is the Scene It? Game – 2nd Edition in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

This game offers hours of Harry Potter based fun. The questions are a little on the easy side but children do not seem to mind as there are plenty to get through. It also helps children with matching, spelling, reading, counting and more while having fun. The game is easy to set up and put away. This second edition now covers the first five films, whereas the first edition covered the first four, so it is probably not worth buying if you have the first game already. Overall it is another great family game but no good if you haven’t seen the films or read the books.

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#6 Harry Potter Cluedo Game

What is the Harry Potter Cluedo Game?

This is not just a standard Cluedo set up. Players do move their way around Hogwarts, trying to figure out who made a student disappear, with which weapon or spell and in which room the student was attacked. But new game play features have been added as Hogwarts comes to life when the board itself shifts from turn to turn. Secret passages also appear, along with hidden staircases and the Dark Mark. When you think you have the mystery solved, make your way to Dumbledore’s office to state your case and win the game.

Why is the Harry Potter Cluedo Board Game in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

The Cluedo style game has always been popular but mix that with the mystical world of Harry Potter and the new features and you are onto a winner. The third dice is a great addition, allowing the board to turn, although this does require a tad more assembly than a usual Cluedo game. Quite regularly someone will get to turn the dial under the game board, to open and close doors and secret passages in Hogwarts. This is a very fun twist. It also causes the Dark Mark to appear meaning players collect dark cards that cost them points. The Dark Mark makes this even a challenging game for adults as once your points drop to zero, you are out of the game. It is probably the only downside of the game as you can lose the game by just being unlucky on dice rolls or board shifts. The only way to counter dark cards to via help cards (allies, spells and items) so you need to ensure you collect as many of these as you can whilst you move around the board. The design is good and the cards cover quite a variety of Harry Potter characters. Although there is a certain element of luck involved in winning, you need to use your mental skills to make inferences and deductions. This is yet another fun game for all the family to enjoy.

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#7 Harry Potter Robe – Deluxe

What is the Harry Potter Deluxe Robe?

Turn your child into the great boy wizard himself with this Harry Potter costume, a Deluxe Gryffindor Robe. It is a black robe with attached hood, burgundy accents, front close clasp and an embroidered Gryffindor Crest patch on the front. This patch has a grey lion as the coat of arms. It is made of 100% polyester, excluding the trim, but has a felt-like feel. It is suitable for both boys and girls and is available in child sizes: small, medium, and large.

Why are the Harry Potter Robes in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

Children love dressing up and what better costume to send them off into a magical world than this Harry Potter school robe. It is made of high quality fabric, better than you usually find on dressing up costumes, but is still fairly light weight. Don’t forget the school tie, glasses and wand to complete the look though, which you will need to buy separately. On the downside, it does need hand washing.

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#8 Harry Potter Top Trumps Game

What is the Harry Potter Top Trumps Game?

There are a few sets of Top Trumps available in the Harry Potter range – those for Half Blood Prince, Order Of The Phoenix, Prisoner of Azcaban and Goblet Of Fire. All of the main Harry Potter characters are featured on the cards and you could mix all the sets together into a super set if you so desired. Harry and his friends and enemies are rated in categories including Magic, Cunning, Courage, Wisdom and Temper. The game play is no different to usual. Each player takes their cards and holds them so that they can see the top card only. The first player reads out a selected statistic, for example, Magic or Cunning. The other players then read out the same statistic from their own top cards. The player with the highest value wins and places all the top cards including their own to the bottom of their own pile. The winner then chooses the next statistic and so the game continues until all the cards are in one person’s hands. He or she is the overall winner.

Why is the Harry Potter Top Trumps Game in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

Even though it is only a card game, Top Trumps is well respected for its brilliantly detailed and attractive cards and for offering easily portable, competitive game play. With this set you can see how your favourite witches and wizards would fare up against the Dark Lord himself. You won’t be surprised that only Harry really has the power to defeat him, although Hermione comes a close second. The cards are not easily torn and come in a handy storage container. Top Trumps is an easy and compelling game to play.

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#9 Harry Potter Interactive Wand

What is the Harry Potter Interactive Wand?

Wave your own Harry Potter wand to practice your spells. Try:
• Avada Kedavra – The Killing Curse
• Expelliarmus – A disarming charm, or
• Wingardium Leviosa – A spell to make things fly.

There are single and multi-player modes. The wand’s tip lights up and makes spell conjuring sound effects. There is a spell energy light indicator and the wand is compatible with other Harry Potter wands so your children can play with their friends.

Why is the Harry Potter Interactive Wand in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

Harry Potters wand is the perfect role play accessory for any fan. They are a bit plastic but durable and easy to use. You probably need two of them in the family so you can duel with them. The light in the tip is very bright so doubles as a Harry Potter torch!

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#10 Harry Potter Figures

What are Harry Potter Figures?
To complement the other Harry Potter toys, there is a wide variety of magical action figures available. Each Harry Potter action figure comes in varying sizes and sets and all of the main characters are covered.

Why are Harry Potter Figures in our list of the top 10 Harry Potter toys?

Action figures are always popular with children. Whereas you expect to buy these type of figures for alien TV shows or films, such as Ben 10 or Transformers, they are just as playable in the magical world of Harry Potter. If you do fancy a Harry Potter figure, they are well detailed and come with many accessories but their articulation is not so hot.

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If your child has any Harry Potter toys I’d love to hear your thoughts on them. Please leave me a comment.

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Related Posts

1. Lego Harry Potter Video Game Years 1-4 Review

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