Maybe the secret to its universal appeal isn't so secret, after all...

Jul 26, 2003

Parents, if you buy your children a new toy and they love it sooooooo much, then it’s obviously become an important part of your child’s life and learning experience. Talk with your children. Take an interest in their interests. By using their toys as surrogate babysitters, you never know what you’re missing.

Case in point: about a year ago, Amazon.com started selling a toy for kids: a replica of the Nimbus 2000 broom from the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As per their usual mode of operation, Amazon had customer reviews of the toy on the page. Here’s a sampling of the reviews (I saved the page to my hard drive.)

only for the littler HP fans, April 5, 2002
A toy enthusiast from New York, NY USA
I know it was a stretch to buy this for my seven year old—but he’s such a Harry Potter fan I thought he would find it amusing. He thought it was really dumb even before opening the package. My four year old son, though, thinks it’s great and he’s only starting to learn about Harry Potter.

GREAT TOY!, June 11, 2002
Ashley from TX
My 12 year old daughter is a big Harry Potter fan, and loved the part with the Nimbus 2000, so I decided to buy her this toy. I was afraid she would think it was too babyish, but she LOVES this toy. Even my daughter’s friends enjoy playing with this fun toy. I was surprised at how long they can just sit in her room and play with this magic broomstick! A great buy for any Harry Potter fan!

Excellent!, June 11, 2002
poola13 from Ohio
When my 12 year old daughter asked for this for her birthday, I kind of wondered if she was too old for it, but she seems to LOVE it. Her friends love it too! They play for hours in her bedroom with this great toy. They really seem to like the special effects it offers (the sound effects and vibrating). My oldest daughter (17) really likes it too! I recomend this for all children.

Harry Potter Toy Review, August 28, 2002
A toy enthusiast from Maine, USA
I recently bought this for my son, Vantro. He’s a HUGE Harry Potter fan. Seen the movie 32 times (in the theaters) and made the paper. This toy gives him the ability to fly around the house zapping things. My only problem I see with the toy is the batteries drain too fast and his sister fights him over it, so now I need to buy her one.

Wow. Isn’t that nice? A toy that kids enjoy again and again. Take an interest in your children’s interests. Talk with them. Share with them. You’ll be amazed and gratified. Very grafitied, if you know what I mean. NOTE: apparently, this toy has been discontinued. H’m. Wonder why? It’s also amusing to note that, according to the current content on Amazon.com’s page [here] that the manufacturer recommended this toy for children 8 years and older. Amazon added a note to suggest “8 to 12 years”. At which point they’re old enough to appreciate a proper vibrator, apparently. Update: 10/2006: apparently the toy was not discontinued, it’s just no longer available through Amazon.com. A search at Amazon’s UK site yields this page. Note that the product can be delivered to the UK and “most other countries in Europe”, but not to America.

Keywords: | sex toy | marketing | humor | Harry Potter |
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