NYCC 2022: Magic Is Brewing at Hallmark
Hallmark is no stranger to creating enchanting ornaments and fandom products ranging in everything from home decor to plushies. So when Hallmark announced in its Pop Culture Connection panel that we were going to be given not only insights into what goes into creating ornaments and gift products but also a few sneak peeks of Potter merchandise, we knew we had to go.
Amy Abernathy, Christine Taylor, Nello Williams, and Simone Mariano are just some of the people behind the creation of our favorite magical Hallmark pieces. During the panel, they talked about what goes on behind the scenes, from the sculpting of pieces to deciding which properties and projects will be produced. As they spoke about their work, you could sense their enthusiasm for their jobs and the products they helped create. It is wonderful to know that many of the Hallmark pieces that we as fans cherish were created by people who are equally passionate about them.
Nello Williams, who is one of Hallmark’s artists, spoke about how his art has developed over the years and transitioned from physical wax sculpting into a digital art form, although he did say that for different projects like some of the Potter pieces he has worked on, he preferred to go back to using the wax method. Christine Taylor is the creative director of Popminded by Hallmark, and she explained that they are already working on products for 2024! And although she wasn’t able to share what was in the works for the distant future, she was able to tease us with a few new products coming out in the near future.
One of these previews was a Harry Potter and Hedwig Funko Pop! ornament set. Modeled in the same way as the original Harry and Hedwig Funko Pop!s, this set of two will be perfect to add a pop of magic to your tree.
Next up was the Harry Potter Keepsake Ornaments for 2022. The Borgin and Burkes ornament, modeled after the shop in Diagon Alley, has a hole in the back of it so you can attach it to a string of lights to make the shop appear to be lit from within.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is Hallmark’s latest in its line of Harry Potter book ornaments. It features the iconic cover by Mary GrandPré but in a raised three-dimensional interpretation by Hallmark artist Anita Marra Rogers.
LEGO fans will be thrilled to see a LEGO Harry Potter ornament coming out this year. Taylor made sure to remind everyone present that Harry is wearing gloves and that he does not have blue hands. Clearly, the gloves confounded a few Muggles who previously questioned the design.
Also, there is this adorable Luna Lovegood, complete with Spectrespecs and The Quibbler, which will only be available in limited quantities.
And the final Potter keepsake featured was a set of Dueling Club ornaments that depicts Harry and Draco poised for their duel, as we saw in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
But that wasn’t all Hallmark had in store for us. The panelists also showed off its next Harry Potter itty bitty, which is a mandrake. Not only is it cute and fuzzy, but it will also shriek when you try to remove it from its pot. It was mentioned that the designer of this mandrake is a huge fan of the wizarding world, and after seeing this, we can only hope they get to work on all of Hallmark’s magical merchandise from now on.
In their final Wizarding World reveal, Taylor announced that Hallmark will be releasing an animatronic Dobby! The preview picture of the design at Hallmark’s PopMinded booth showed Dobby seated on Harry’s trunk. And we cannot wait until we get to find out more information about this product and its release.
Hallmark also had two Harry Potter exclusives at its PopMinded booth. One was a three-piece ornament set containing Quidditch Harry, Luna, and Hagrid, and the other was a Boggart Snape itty bitty. According to Hallmark’s website, both of these exclusives were only available at San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con in limited quantities.
Do you have a favorite out of all the new Wizarding World merchandise Hallmark shared with us?
