Barnes & Noble has announced a LEGO^® Harry Potter^™ Hogwarts^™ Train Build event at select stores nationwide Saturday, August 4! This event continues the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States. A new line of LEGO Harry Potter products will be available for purchase at the event and readers will get 25% off all Harry Potter paperback books, including Brian Selznick’s new artwork editions! More details on the event may be read below:

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest retail bookseller, today announced that it will be hosting a LEGO® Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Train build event at select stores nationwide on Saturday, August 4, at 2 PM, where customers will have the opportunity to build a mini Hogwarts train that they can take home with them. There are limited quantities available and select stores may require customers to sign up for the event in advance. Customers should contact their local store for details as soon as possible so they do not miss out on this exciting event!

A new line of LEGO® Harry Potter products will be available for purchase at the event, while supplies last, including LEGO® Fantastic Beasts™ Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures and LEGO® Harry Potter™ and Fantastic Beasts™ Minifigures. The full list of new LEGO® Harry Potter products that launch at Barnes & Noble on August 1 and will be available for purchase at the event, while supplies last, will include the following:

• Hogwarts™ Express
• Aragog’s Lair
• Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures
• LEGO® Harry Potter™ and Fantastic Beasts™ Minifigures
• Hogwarts™ Great Hall
• Grindelwald’s Escape
• Hogwarts™ Whomping Willow™

The event continues Barnes & Noble’s 20th anniversary celebration of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States, and also will include 20 Years of Magic event kits featuring cool giveaways.

In addition, customers will receive 25% off all Harry Potter paperbacks, including the new books featuring Brian Selznick’s artwork, in-store and online through August 6.

Customers are encouraged to share pictures of the event on their social media channels using the hashtags, #BNHarryPotter20 and #BNLEGOBuild.

For more information, customers should visit the Barnes & Noble Store Locator or speak with one of the knowledgeable booksellers at their local store.

This morning, LEGO has announced the release of the largest version of the Hogwarts Castle! This highly detailed set has 6,020 pieces and is built to microscale. Hogwarts Castle measures over 22” high, 27” wide and 16” deep. Available September 1st, LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle will be sold at shop.LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores nationwide for $399.99. See detailed photos of the set can be seen here!

The set includes:

• 4 minifigures: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw, with a buildable minifigure display stand.
• Also features 27 microfigures: Harry Potter™, Ron Weasley™, Hermione Granger™, Draco Malfoy™, Albus Dumbledore™, Professor Snape™, Professor McGonagall™, Remus Lupin, Professor Dolores Umbridge™, Argus Filch, Lord Voldemort™, Bellatrix Lestrange, 3 students from each of the 4 houses, 2 chess pieces and the Architect of Hogwarts™ statue and 5 Dementors, plus Aragog the spider and the Basilisk figures, and a buildable Hungarian Horntail dragon.
• Features a buildable microscale model of Hogwarts™ Castle, hut of Hagrid™, Whomping Willow™ tree and 5 boats.
• Hogwarts™ Castle features the Great Hall with buildable ‘stained glass windows’, house banners, benches, tables, flaming torches and moving staircases; potions classroom with racks of jar elements; Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with assorted potion jars, gramophone and a closet containing a boggart; Chessboard Chamber with chess piece elements; Room of Requirement with assorted elements, including the Goblet of Fire and the vanishing cabinet; Chamber of Secrets™ with the Basilisk and Tom Riddle’s Diary; hidden Devils Snare room with vine elements; Gryffindor™ common room with fireplace and seating; Professor Dolores Umbridge’s office with desk, chair and pink furnishings; library with bookcase and desks; and Professor Dumbledore’s office with the Griffin statue entrance and Memory cabinet.
• Hagrid’s hut features Aragog the spider and buildable pumpkins.
• The Whomping Willow™ includes the buildable blue Flying Ford Anglia car in its spinning branches.
• Also includes 5 buildable boats.
• Take a seat in the Great Hall and feast with the Hogwarts™ professors and students!
• Sneak your way into the Chamber of Secrets™ through the secret entrance and face the Basilisk!
• Attend a Defence Against the Dark Arts class to learn how to protect yourself from dark magic!
• Climb the moving staircase!
• Study for your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams in the library.
• Accessory elements include the Sword of Gryffindor™, Helga Hufflepuff´s cup, wands, potions, house banners, flames, a cauldron and 2 magnifying glasses.
• Microfigure accessories include 2 chess statues and the Architect of Hogwarts™ statue.

Twenty-two of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s most beloved characters star in an entirely new LEGO Minifigure series! The collection features characters from both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. Available August 1st, the collectible Wizarding World minifigures will be sold in toy stores, shop.LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores nationwide for $3.99 each.

The full series includes:

• Fan favorites from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Harry Potter (in school robes), Ron Weasley (in school robes), Hermione Granger (in school robes), Draco Malfoy (in Quidditch robes), Harry Potter (in Pajamas), Albus Dumbledore, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, Dean Thomas,Lord Voldemort, Dobby, Cedric Diggory, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Trelawney.
• Additionally, from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Newt Scamander, Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, Credence Barebone, and Percival Graves.

Read all character descriptions in the full post.

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Following the premiere of the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer this morning, LEGO has revealed a first look of one of the construction sets inspired by the upcoming film – Grindelwald’s Escape. The set is retailing for $19.99 and has 132 pieces and will be available on August 1st. Fans can recreate iconic scenes from the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie, with Gellert Grindelwald and Seraphina Picquery minifigures – plus, a Thestral figure with posable wings.

• Includes Gellert Grindelwald and Seraphina Picquery™ minifigures, plus a Thestral figure with posable wings.
• Features a buildable articulated carriage with opening doors and a removable roof.
• Flap the Thestral’s wings to make a flying escape!
• Also includes shooting spell accessories on the hands of Seraphina and Grindelwald.
• Recreate iconic scenes from the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

LEGO Systems, Inc. has announced a collection of LEGO building sets and collectibles inspired by The Wizarding World, bringing the film worlds of both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts to life in LEGO form! More information on the sets can be read in this press release:

The LEGO Wizarding World-inspired building sets call on families’ creativity and imagination to recreate the action-packed storylines from the films and feature a cast of fan-favorite wizards, Muggles and magical creatures in LEGO form – from Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger to Newt Scamander and more. Fans of all ages will also be able to collect their favorite Wizarding World characters in new LEGO BrickHeadz building sets.

During the annual Toy Fair in New York, the LEGO Group will unveil a special sneak peek of the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts™ Great Hall ($99.99) building set, which will launch August 1st. Additional building sets and figures will launch in the second half of the year, with more details to come soon.

Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for the LEGO Group said, “When it first launched in 2001, LEGO Harry Potter was a global sellout due to its broad appeal and ability to spark imaginative play, so we’re thrilled to go deeper into the Wizarding World to bring even more magic and excitement to LEGO play. The Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts stories are perfectly suited to construction play, and our designers cannot wait for fans to see how the films are reimagined in our new collection of building sets and collectibles.”

Maryellen Zarakas, senior vice president of franchise management & marketing for WBCP said, “Together with our long-standing partners at the LEGO Group, we’re excited to bring Harry Potter back into LEGO form and expand the world with the addition of Fantastic Beasts sets. These new sets allow us to strengthen the emotional connection our fans have with the Wizarding World as they bring to life their favorite characters and memories from the films.”

The first of these sets, inspired by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is being revealed at the New York Toy Fair this weekend. LEGO have sent over a preview of the castle set. Photos May be seen below:

*click to enlarge

In need of a gift for any upcoming holiday? Valentine’s Day *hint hint* 

If your special someone loves Harry Potter, Magic Alley is the place for you! Magic Alley carries officially licensed Harry Potter products of all types. They offer watches, necklaces, scarves, wands, tote bags, sweets and much more at great prices! They launched in 2015 and wanted to create a space with Harry Potter pieces you can’t find just anywhere. The founders also attend various conventions to sell their products and mingle with fans.

Magic Alley very kindly sent over a Platform 9 3/4 watch and Golden Snitch necklace for us to review. They’re perfect everyday pieces for those who love the Harry Potter series and want everyone to know. Both pieces are also great for the fashion conscious girl (or guy!) who doesn’t want their Potter accessories to be too large and flashy.

As a fashion blogger as well as a huge Potterhead, this watch and necklace will definitely be making their way into my daily outfits without me having to feel embarrassed about them being “geeky.” Not to say that being geeky is a bad thing, I love to go all out with my Potter gear as well. But in my day to day life I like to keep it a bit more reserved.

The watch is very thin and has a burgundy faux leather strap and face showing the Platform 9 3/4 logo. The strap has a nice pebbled texture that really makes it look expensive. It’s the perfect understated piece for the fan who wants to show their Harry Potter love without screaming it.

The golden snitch necklace comes on a silver plated chain with a very small (8 mm tall and 37mm wide) golden snitch charm. It is a perfect replica of the snitch used in the films. In the photos below it is shown with a rare Golden Snitch replica from promotion for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. You can see how closely it resembles the real thing.

Even though they are in the United Kingdom, shipping to the United States only took a week. Always a plus to have quick shipping if you’re buying last minute gifts!

*I was gifted with the necklace and watch in exchange for reviewing them, but that in no way affected my review. My thoughts are my own. Thanks so much to Magic Alley for partnering with us on this post!