Lego Harry Potter (also called LEGO Harry Potter) is a Lego theme inspired by the Harry Potter movie series and the books written by British author J. K. Rowling. The theme is licensed by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles, and characters from the first six movies and all published books were created. The first Lego sets were released in 2001, the same year the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, came out. Additional sets were released with each new movie until the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The line was not active for three years, with new sets introduced in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, it was announced that new Lego sets based on the Harry Potter franchise (previously called Wizarding World) would be released, including sets inspired by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Overview
The main topic of the line is Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns he is a famous wizard and starts his education. Later, sets based on other stories and spin-offs were also created.
In October 2021, Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, re-enacted his favorite scenes to celebrate 20 Years of Movie Magic with Lego Harry Potter.
In July 2022, Lego Con hosts Joel McHale and Vick Hope used tips from Lego Harry Potter designer Marcos Bessa to build their own Lego Hogwarts castle. Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, visited Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter and learned how the tour inspired the current Lego Harry Potter sets.
Development
The Lego Harry Potter toy sets were created based on the Harry Potter movies. These sets were made in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The toys are designed to show the story and characters from the films using Lego pieces.
Launch
The first Lego Harry Potter sets were introduced in September 2001. In January 2004, Lego’s owner and CEO, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, stated that the company would change its focus due to financial difficulties, including a loss of DKK 1.4 billion. He said the company would prioritize its main products instead of creating sets based on popular movie characters like Harry Potter. A week later, Lego explained that this did not mean the Harry Potter theme would be stopped immediately, and the sets would continue to be made. However, the theme was paused for a time after 2007. Lego changed the skin tone of the Harry Potter minifigures from yellow to more realistic natural colors in April 2004.
In June 2009, The Lego Group announced a video game called Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4, which was released in June 2010. A second game, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7, was released in November 2011.
On February 12, 2010, Warner Bros. and Lego announced six new sets, including Hogwarts Castle (set number: 4842), Hagrid’s Hut (set number: 4738), The Burrow (set number: 4840), Hogwarts Express (set number: 4841), Dobby’s Release (set number: 4736), and Quidditch Match (set number: 4737). These sets were scheduled for release in October 2010 and included new minifigures and animals, such as Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange, as well as new owls. A Lego Harry Potter board game was also released in August 2010. In 2013, The Lego Group stopped producing Harry Potter sets. However, a Lego Dimensions add-on pack featuring Harry Potter and Voldemort was planned for release on September 27, 2016.
In 2018, it was announced that new Harry Potter sets would be released, starting with a set based on the Great Hall at Hogwarts. On April 28, 2020, more sets based on the Harry Potter universe were announced for release in August 2020. On August 31, 2020, The Lego Group introduced a new set called Diagon Alley (set number: 75978), which was released the following month.
During the post-2018 reboot, Lego released two series of Lego Harry Potter Collectible Minifigures under the Lego Minifigures theme. In 2021, the Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests set (set number: 31201) was announced. It was released on January 1, 2021, as part of the Lego Art theme. Additional sets were released in the summer of 2021 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lego Harry Potter. More sets were also released in 2022.
Construction sets
The first film had the most sets, with fourteen total made starting September 1, 2001. Eleven sets were produced in 2001, and three more were made the next year.
Ten sets were created for the second film. Two of these were released the year after the film came out. These sets were designed to work with sets from the first film, and they launched on January 1, 2002.
Eleven sets were released for the third film, starting April 1, 2004. This included the first Lego Harry Potter mini set. Also, the minifigures used skin tones similar to real people, as part of a universal change by Lego for licensed characters.
Only four sets were made for the fourth film, starting October 1, 2005. The Harry Potter minifigure headpiece was redesigned in this series.
One set was made for the fifth film, showing that the theme might not be used again. This was the last Harry Potter set until 2010, released on June 1, 2007.
Lego brought back the Harry Potter theme after a three-year break from the 2007 sets. New sets were released on October 1, 2010, in the UK. All sets were copies of earlier ones except for one new set, The Burrow, which was based on a scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
In 2011, Lego released four main sets. Diagon Alley was released in January, and three other sets were released on June 1, 2011, the same day as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. However, the Trolley, The Lab, and the Mini Hogwarts Express were promotional sets released at different times in different countries. These were given away with newspaper offers, included with purchases of Diagon Alley from the Lego Shop, or came with pre-orders of the game Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7.
A Harry Potter-themed Lego Dimensions "team pack" was released in the United States on September 27, 2016. This pack included Harry Potter and Voldemort minifigures similar to the 2010/2011 versions. Key differences were a new hairpiece for Harry and a brown wand for Voldemort instead of a white one. The pack also included smaller versions of the Weasleys' flying Ford Anglia and the Hogwarts Express engine. This "team pack" had the number 71247.
An additional "fun pack" with Hermione Granger and Buckbeak (71348) was released on May 9, 2017. Add-on packs based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were released alongside the film on November 18, 2016. These included a "story pack" with Newt Scamander, Teddy the Niffler, and a MACUSA model (71253), and a "fun pack" with Tina Goldstein and a Swooping Evil (71257).
Harry Potter sets were released on July 1, 2018, including a set based on the Great Hall from the first two movies. Sets based on the Fantastic Beasts movies were also released. On September 1, a 6000-piece microscale Hogwarts D2C set was released for purchase.
Harry Potter sets were released on June 1, 2019.
Harry Potter sets were released in Europe on June 1, 2020, and in North America on August 24, 2020.
On January 1, 2021, Lego released the Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests (31201) under the Lego Art theme.
On January 1, 2021, four sets were released under the Hogwarts Moment subtheme.
On April 16, 2021, Lego announced new Harry Potter sets to be released from June 1, 2021, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lego Harry Potter. Some sets included a golden minifigure as part of the celebration. Collectible Wizard Cards, similar to Chocolate Frog Cards, were also included in some sets.
On March 1, 2022, two additional sets were released under the Hogwarts Moment subtheme.
Throughout the year, more sets based on movies from the franchise were released. On August 31, a 5129-piece Hogwarts Express D2C display set was released for purchase.
The Hogwarts Castle line began in 2024. It is the most detailed Lego Hogwarts Castle set ever made and will continue for several years, becoming the largest and most detailed Hogwarts Castle set ever released.
The Hogwarts Castle line continues.
Since the 2018 return of the theme, Lego has released two sets of Harry Potter Collectible Minifigures Series, the first in 2018 and another in 2020.
Video games
Two sandbox games were released as part of the Lego Creator series: Lego Creator: Harry Potter (2001) and Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). These games let players build their own sets in a virtual world inspired by the Lego Harry Potter theme. Players can control minifigures and creatures they add to the world.
In June 2009, Lego officially announced the development of a video game called Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4. The game was released in June 2010. Another game, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7, was released in November 2011. Both games were later released for the PlayStation 4 on October 21, 2016, as part of the Lego Harry Potter Collection. They were also released for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on October 30, 2018.
The crossover toys-to-life game Lego Dimensions, created by Traveller's Tales, includes content from the original Harry Potter series and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. A "team pack" adds a level based on the original Harry Potter film and includes Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort as playable characters. A "story pack" includes a six-level story campaign that retells events from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, featuring Newt Scamander as a playable character. Additional "fun packs" add Tina Goldstein and Hermione Granger as playable characters.
Reception
In 2020, The Lego Group stated that the Lego Technic, Lego Star Wars, Lego Classic, Lego Disney, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Speed Champions themes helped increase revenue for the first half of 2020 by 7% to DKK 15.7 billion compared to the same period in 2019. The company credited its strong results to the hard work of its team.
In 2019, the Harry Potter and Hedwig set (set number: 41615) was among the top ten best-selling Harry Potter toys in the UK for the 12 months ending May 2019.
In 2019, the following sets were listed among the top ten best-selling Harry Potter toys in the UK for the 12 months ending May 2019: Hogwarts Great Hall (set number: 75954), Hogwarts Express (set number: 75955), Hogwarts Whomping Willow (set number: 75953), Quidditch Match (set number: 75956), and Harry Potter and Hedwig (set number: 41615).
In March 2022, The Lego Group reported that the Lego City, Lego Technic, Lego Creator Expert, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Star Wars themes contributed to revenue growth for the full year of 2021. Revenue for the year increased by 27% compared to 2020, reaching DKK 55.3 billion. Consumer sales grew by 22%, outpacing the toy industry and increasing market share globally and in major markets.
On 28 September 2022, The Lego Group reported that the Lego Star Wars, Lego Technic, Lego Icons (formerly Creator Expert), Lego City, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Friends themes contributed to revenue growth for the six months ending 30 June 2022. Revenue for the period increased by 17% to DKK 27.0 billion compared to the same period in 2021, driven by strong customer demand. Consumer sales grew by 13%, significantly faster than the toy industry, supporting global market share growth.
In February 2023, the Hogwarts Castle set (set number: 71043) was named one of the largest Lego sets ever created by the Lego fansite Brick Fanatics.
In March 2023, The Lego Group reported that the Lego City, Lego Technic, Lego Icons, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Star Wars themes contributed to revenue growth for the full year of 2022. Revenue for the year increased by 17% to DKK 64.6 billion. Consumer sales grew by 12%, with growth achieved in all major market groups, particularly in the Americas and Western Europe.
Awards and nominations
In 2001, Hogwarts Castle (set number: 4709) received the "Toy of the Year" and "Activity Toy of the Year" awards from the Toy Association.
In 2010, the Hogwarts Game was honored with the "DreamToys" award in the Games category by the Toy Retailers Association.
In 2018, Hogwarts Express and Great Hall Harry Potter were awarded "DreamToys" in the It's Showtime category by the Toy Retailers Association.
In 2019, Knight Bus was awarded "DreamToys" in the Movie Magic category by the Toy Retailers Association.
In 2019, Lego Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Minifigure Series received the "Toy of the Year" and "Collectible of the Year" awards from the Toy Association. Additionally, Hogwarts Castle (set number: 71043) was awarded "Toy of the Year" and "Specialty Toy of the Year" by the Toy Association.
In 2020, Hedwig (set number: 75979) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Licensed To Thrill category by the Toy Retailers Association.
In 2021, Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets (set number: 76389) received the "DreamToys" award in the Licensed To Thrill category by the Toy Retailers Association.
In 2022, The Ministry of Magic (set number: 76403) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Film & TV Favourites category by the Toy Retailers Association.