CFR_2008-2009.pdf


Co-CREATl'.IIC IIARRY POTTER: LOC/\1. EXPRE 'SIO'I. OF A GLOBAL 

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Smee lhc first release of J.K. Ro" ling·s Han:r Potier um/ the Philosopher\ Stone. in 1997, 
Ro\\ 1mg ·c; popular series has sold in e,cess ofJ00 million copies in 63 languages ( .. Global
Pottcr"' 2005). I larry Potter hns been referred 10 as .. ,he biggest chtldn:n·s publishing and
merchandising phenomena or modcrn times·· ( Heilman 2003: I). Kno,, n popularly as 
.. Poucrman1a·· (Turner-Vorbcck 2003: 1-1 ). Ro,, ltng·s books h:l\ c prompted a massi, e global 
c.:ornmcrc1al and cultural mdustl') ( Whitc.:d 2002:2). Beyond the se, c1H olume series. I larry 
Poller has im,pircd numerou-. fcawre films produced by Worner Brothers and nvailable 011 VHS 
and DVD, a barrage of booi..-.. mo, ie soundtracks. ,, all calendars. trading cards. carr) ing cases. 
, ideo and board games, a I Jarry Poller I Pod, magic set!>, ,, atche,;, act ion figures, cand). 
cmbos�cd furniture. clothing and costumes. linens and home clccorations. and n huge variety or 
other merchandising paraphernalia (Turner-Vorbeck. 2003: 17). Corporate consumerism 
surrounding I Jarry Poller has mm cd beyond all pre, ious commcrciali/_ation or children's 
literature. tclc\ ision, and movie images, including Superman. Spidennan. Power Rangers und 
Pokt:mon (Teare 2002:331 ). all or\\ hieh ha, c prompted their o,, n massi, e merchandising 
campaign,. Spanning the " orld and dominating. the market. the Harry Poller ,cries has 4ui1e 
simpl) bc.:comc a global phenomenon. a global phenomenon that childrt:n's literary critic Jack 
Zipes describes a-. the --11arry Poller phenomcnn·· (2000: 170-89). He writes thul the \\Ord 
"phc.:nomcna 

.. 

... gcnemlly refers 10 some kind of ocrnrrence. change. or foci that is directly pcn:eived; 
quite olkn the e,ent is striking ... Whether an occurrc.:nce or a person. there is something 
rnercdibk about the phenomenon 1ha1 dr�I\\ s our aucntion. We hesitate.: 10 belie, c in the 
e,em or person \\C pcrcci,c, for a trarn:,formation has une,pcctedly taken place. One of 
the reason� ,, e cannot bclicv1:: our senses b because the phenomenon de lies rationul 
c.:,planation. There seems to be no logical cause or clear explanation for the sudden 
appearance or transformmion. Yet it is there., i�iblc.: and palpable. The ordmal') becomes 
extraordinary. and ,, e are tal-.en hy the phenomena that we admire," orship, and idoli/c it 
,, ithout grasping it fully why we regard it \\ ith so much re,crcnce and a\\C except to sa) 
that so many others regard it a� a phenomenon and, therefore. it must he a phenomenon. 
( 2000: 173) 

A number of scholar:; ha, c critiqued the corporate construction of children ·s popular 
culture arguing. m, does Douglas Kellner. that children·� traditional artifacts arc being replaced 
and manipulated by ··medio culture objects'' ( I 997:85). Tammy Turner-Vorbc.:ck ,,Tiles. 
··corporate con-.umc.:risrn ·s mass marketing of manufactured cullurnl products ... invoh cs
exercising control o, er the imaginations of children robb[ing them] or the !"rec use of their o,, n
minds" (2003: 19). The prolifer::nion of Poller commercial productions and mass marketing is. 
ho\\ c, er, only a small part orll,e Pottermania swry. While merchandising companies certainly 
target. exploit and manipulate children·� popular culture. it i�. howc,er. problematic 10 sec all