A Quick Look at Ollivander’s Wand Shop

March 12, 2010

Today we have chose to show you a quick video that will open up your imagination, when you think of the Ollivander’s Wand shop. This shop is considered to be one of the premier shop destinations in the upcoming harry potter theme park. The theme park should be open by Memorial Day Week end 2010.

The Experience.

In this magical shop visitors will be able to choose magic wands, or if to be completely accurate the wand will “choose you”. Close sources told us that Universal hired professional actors to work as shop keepers. Those shop keepers will help the kids, with the wand choosing process thus providing exactly the same experience that Harry Potter had when it was his time to pick a wand.

When the guest enters the wand shop to speak with the wand keeper, he or she will be asked a series of questions to start the matching process. The questions that will be asked from the wand keeper to the wizard are very individual, very tailored to each person based on their birth date and other questions which will determine the kind of wood and kind of narrow down the choices of wands. From here, the wand keeper will offer the guest a series of wand options until the right match is found. And like in the “Harry Potter” story, a series of “magical mishaps” will occur before the right wand is found. Lightning, thunder and similar effects can occur when choosing a wand.

A very important thing to point here is that the visitors DO NOT have to purchase the wand. The shop is first and foremost an experience. The process should take 2 to 5 minutes, and to keep the experience intimate no more then 30 people would be allowed in the shop at a time.

To Each Their Own Wand

Sources tell us that there will be different kinds of wands to be purchased. Each wand will have it’s own characteristics.
Some will be longer some shorter, heavier and lighter . And they all will be made of different wood. But… and this is the most important part here, besides the differences in sizes of the wands. There will be a difference in what magical spells the wands can do.
We are being told that the top shelf wands will have the ability to turn on and of the TV, light up, and even move objects around(don’t ask how, that is what we heard).
The wands will range in price of $25-$120, and will be available for purchase in the shop.

Why Is the Shop in Hogsmeade Village?

Now if you are a devoted Harry Potter books-movies fan you will notice that Ollivanders shop is actually located in London’s Diagon Alley, and not in Hogsmeade Village. And you will be correct with that observation, but Thierry Coup, the vice president of creative development for Universal has said that “putting the Ollivander’s in Hogsmeade got J.K. Rowling’s stamp of approval.” So all is fine and dandy.

Oh by the way we have some great photos from the construction site.

So now that you have all this information at hand, are you excited about visiting Ollivander Shop?

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Attractions, Photos. You can follow responses to this entry using RSS feed.
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60 Responses

  1. The Array of Attractions | Harry Potter Wizarding World Theme Park in Orlando, Florida

    March 25th, 2010 at 8:45 am.

    [...] you always wanted to be chosen by a wand, here is your chance. When you visit Ollivander’s wand shop, you will be able to get yourself a magic wand. The wands are made in different sizes, of various types of wood, and will vary in weight. Each wand [...]

  2. Rachel

    May 10th, 2010 at 5:36 pm.

    Thank you for listing the wand prices. I plan to visit and I know that my boys will want one. I have to save for the vacation and I will have to save for that too so it’s nice to know how much to save.

  3. Jamie

    May 23rd, 2010 at 8:20 pm.

    I read somewhere that only one person out of the 30 will be able to try out the wands…is this true?

  4. Harry Potter Theme Park Tickets and Magical Items Prices (Make Sure To Bring Plenty) | Harry Potter Wizarding World Theme Park in Orlando, Florida

    May 24th, 2010 at 6:21 pm.

    [...] magic wand shop and by the way let us urge you to do so, it should be an amazing experience, please read our extended review of it. You can expect to leave from $25 to $120 depending on the quality of the wand. A very important [...]

  5. Samantha

    June 6th, 2010 at 9:06 pm.

    i so want to go im EXCITED

  6. Jennifer

    June 12th, 2010 at 10:25 am.

    Aloud is incorrect, it needs to be changed to allowed.

  7. admin

    June 12th, 2010 at 2:32 pm.

    Thanks Jeniffer!

  8. Emily

    June 20th, 2010 at 1:53 pm.

    I would really like to now i you could tell the sales man/women what wand you would like because I know that I would like a Pheonix Wand

  9. seth

    June 22nd, 2010 at 1:19 pm.

    *jamie* yes i think only one person will be chosen but i think you can go back again and be chosen, but im still trying to figure it out if you find anything out about it tell it here plz!

  10. Blaire

    June 25th, 2010 at 9:57 am.

    Im SO EXCITED!!!! But i don’t understand how you could possibly move objects around with certain wands, could someone maybe enlighten me on that?? And i still think it’s weird they put Ollivander’s in Hogsmeade, but i’d rather it be there than not at all!

  11. E.Grave

    July 12th, 2010 at 1:26 pm.

    We just returned from WW of Harry Potter. We waited in line about 2 hours for Ollivanders, but it was totally worth it because our daughter was chosen! It was very, very cool. I know some people went back through the wait for the chance to be chosen, but it was not guaranteed anytime. It was a great experience for all!!!

  12. aileen

    July 13th, 2010 at 6:01 pm.

    all the wands cost $30.68 with tax included. By the way theres a back entrance into the shop if you dont want to wait like 3 hours for a 5 minute show at olivanders. its cool but he only picks 1 out of 20 people for a demonstration.

  13. Emily Aguilar

    July 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 pm.

    It’s very disappointing and misleading to wait in line for 2 hours and not be “chosen”!

  14. zeev

    July 25th, 2010 at 7:05 pm.

    So it does not cost over $150?

  15. Jeff Easley

    July 28th, 2010 at 7:51 am.

    Greetings,

    I would like to know who to contact about making a presentation of the wands that I handcraft. I use a variety of non-endangered woods and several types of minerals such as quartz, rose quartz, obsidian, snowflake obsidian, hematite.

    If you could allow me to send some images of the wands, that would be a good starting point.

    Thank you for yout attention, Jeff Easley

  16. Margie Goodrich

    August 5th, 2010 at 12:56 pm.

    Whoa…not exactly. What really happens is that you and about 30 other people who just stood in line for 90 minutes to get the “experience” are crammed into a very small replica of Olivanders to watch ONE person have the “experience.” It’s a duplicate of the Harry Potter scene where he gets his watch. You WILL NOT get a personalized wand experience or have ANYONE help you choose a wand. After the “experience” you will be summarily forced into the wand shop, also crowded with a hundred other shoppers. According to Universal store employee, JK Rowling wanted the shops to be small and intimate. I was about as intimate as one can get with one’s clothes on with several people surrounding me. We were litterally crammed into the space and workers kept telling us to move in farther so more people could get in. Be prepared to spend about 90 minutes in line waiting in the sun (no shade), another 5 minutes for the experience (no kidding), another 30 minutes getting to and looking at the wands, and another 30 minutes standing in line to pay for it. Don’t even get me started on the rest of the park!

  17. zeev

    August 5th, 2010 at 1:05 pm.

    Wow thank you for this info. Yeah I guess fantasy and reality are two different concepts…

    For sure that is one aspect they will have to change..

  18. Emma

    August 11th, 2010 at 9:01 am.

    Hi i want to go there now because i love harry potter stuff but i can only go when im 13 (i am 11 now) but i so want to go now rrrrrrrrrrrrr it looks so darn fun!!! hpoe u guys can go though! xx

  19. Sidney

    August 13th, 2010 at 6:33 pm.

    Why does only 1 person get “choosen” by a wand??? i would have expected that everybody in line who wants to will get choosen…..unfair :( on a scale of 1-10 this (and only this) is a -1….i didnt want to say that but i am honest….

  20. paige

    August 23rd, 2010 at 12:25 pm.

    Thank you so so much for listing the wand prices because me and my friend are crazy harry potter fans and we really want a wand of our own. So thank you again for reminding us ahead of time to save up! :) <~:)

  21. Lola

    September 7th, 2010 at 4:31 pm.

    *Margie Goodrich* I know how you feel. It was terrible. I was so very excited about having my own “experience” but after waiting over an hour and a half in the blistering sun, I got stuck in the back of the too crowded room and didn’t even really get to see what happened. Let me tell you.. horribly disappointed.

  22. meghan

    November 9th, 2010 at 5:44 pm.

    this is our frist time we are going to harry potter world and more we will have fun so much and more to harry potter world. My brotther is a big fan of harry potter world

  23. Michel

    November 13th, 2010 at 8:17 pm.

    We didn’t have a wand choose us, but we did spend the $30(each) for 2. The wand with the oversized skull broke off as we drove home. An expensive token. Can it be exchanged?

  24. dean g

    November 22nd, 2010 at 4:42 am.

    harry potter is class

  25. Chelsea

    November 28th, 2010 at 4:47 pm.

    I work at Universal Studios & have worked at Harry Potter and it really is amazing. People need to give breaks to Harry Potter world. As you need to remember its inside a theme park with very limited amount of space to work with. Yes, lines will be crazy but that should be expected by everyone. Just as much as you want to see what you read in the books so does all the other millions of fans. Olivanders wand shop is yes disappointing because not everyone gets their own personal experience. But if everyone was to get their own personal experience the line would not move for hours at a time. Now hopefully they find a way to change that and let everyone have a wand experience but unfortunately, that will be very challenging. I hope everyone who wants to go, gets a chance to!

  26. Madison

    December 6th, 2010 at 1:23 pm.

    Wow! I never expected the wands to be that pricey!!! Eeek! I’m going to have to save up!

  27. Wands are CRAP

    December 7th, 2010 at 7:40 pm.

    turns out the wands are too fragile. Kids will use these wands to cast their imaginary spells and guess what – they break. Searching for a way to replace my son’s dream…

  28. Gloria

    December 11th, 2010 at 4:01 pm.

    After waiting in line for next to forever, the only experience I had was someone asked me my birthdate, ran their finger over a shelf of wands, slammed it into my hands and then turned their back on me. How do I even know if I have the right wand? Loved the re-creation of the town and the ride through the school and playing field was spectaular, almost felt like you were riding a broom with them. In general the experience was well worth the money and after reading the books the town more than met my expectations. I felt as if I was truly there as I walk around sipping my butterbeer and waiting for the next adventure to begin.

  29. Lander

    December 26th, 2010 at 8:27 pm.

    I am going next month for my 21st birthday, and all I want is to have a wand “choose me”. I have been obsessed with Harry Potter since I was 8 years old, have a HP tattoo, and darn it I want a wand! I’ll get back in line ten times if I have to. I’m just hoping that since I’m going at the end of Januaury, the lines won’t be too bad.

  30. Anonymous

    December 27th, 2010 at 12:43 pm.

    can someone tell me the FULL list of wands and wood styles sold? please? ive been looking for weeks and can’t find it…

  31. lkuo80

    January 8th, 2011 at 11:41 am.

    just saying, but i went there and the wands all costed $30 not $25-$120

  32. erica buntain

    March 19th, 2011 at 11:16 am.

    how much are the wands online and can you buy them online

  33. liam beavis

    March 21st, 2011 at 6:40 pm.

    is there harry’s wand there

  34. Katie

    April 4th, 2011 at 5:48 pm.

    Does anyone know what the wand for December is? I really want to go, but want to find out my month wand first.

  35. ben

    April 13th, 2011 at 7:52 pm.

    the wands actually do all those effects?

  36. ben

    April 13th, 2011 at 7:54 pm.

    and plz do not lie to me

  37. skyler

    April 16th, 2011 at 11:25 am.

    I am NOT going to Universal Studios anytime soon, but i really want a wand. how can i get one?

  38. Hagrid's Biggest Fan

    April 23rd, 2011 at 2:31 pm.

    Look on the bright side, those whose wands broke, you get the full Ron Weasley experience. How exciting!

    I never buy souveneirs at theme parks because i know they always break. I’m more into taking pictures and videos of everything i can. They last longer and you don’t get the disappointment from the memory years later.

  39. andrew rosas

    April 26th, 2011 at 3:19 pm.

    how much is proffesor magonigalls wand?

  40. Laura Ruettiman

    May 20th, 2011 at 5:45 am.

    Read The comments from MARGIE GOODRICH, that is acurate. I took my son for his 6th Birthday. Dream for him , complete waste of time and money for me, most of all dissapointing for both. (the wands are a piece of plastic that you could find better quality at any “dollar Store”.) All shops were so crowned and small, people were waiting in lines for 45 to 90 minutes for everything from choc. frogs at the candy shop, to a butterbeer, and of course the wand shop. You could see nothing because it was so crowded and no where to move to look at anything. From the 2 days we spent there at Harry”s place, I noticed 4 rides and a few shops and the butterbeer.
    Was there something we missed??? Where was movie props , charaters, etc?
    I feel that I have no idea what was even there to attact people.

  41. liyla

    May 21st, 2011 at 9:43 am.

    dat is da bom

  42. Tyler

    June 14th, 2011 at 1:15 pm.

    This attraction is not at all worth the wait. The store is very small and crowded. “Olivander” picks a couple people from the crowded and talks to them a bit and tells them to try this wand. They wave the wand at a flower and it dies. Olivander ask the person to try another wand and the sound effects play as if this wand is the right one. He then tells you to go into another shop (where you actually buy the wand), and that his assistant will help you. The assistants are the cash register attendants that ring you up. You can pick whatever want you want. You can go into the shop that sell the wands with waiting to go to Olivanders.

  43. Hunter

    June 18th, 2011 at 9:00 am.

    Thanks for the info. I am going this summer and wanted to know the prices for the wands

  44. Cynthia Lindrebeck

    June 19th, 2011 at 1:41 pm.

    Me and my family all love Harry Potter! We are taking a road trip to Orlando, Flordia and we would love to go to Universal Studios instead of just swimming in the pool at the house were renting.

  45. zeev

    July 24th, 2011 at 10:30 pm.

    If you gauys want to buy Harry Potter Wands Online try this link good quality wands.

    Harry Potter Wands

  46. Savanna

    July 28th, 2011 at 3:13 pm.

    I agree with Sidney it is not fare that one persone gets picked! I think everyone should have a chanse if thay whant to!!!!!:) :( B)

  47. darian

    July 29th, 2011 at 4:06 am.

    now i have a question. can everyone get a customized wand? im going to florida for march break and i dont want a copy of a characters

  48. Connor Holmes

    August 3rd, 2011 at 4:13 am.

    Interesting! I’ll see if I can come! :)
    May I put your website as an add on my website: magic-cjh.webs.com

  49. fred collard

    August 8th, 2011 at 10:47 am.

    um in harry potter 1 what kind of wand does harry have i want to know what kind of wood it is made out of and every thing about it o by the way im thirteen i realy want to know

  50. Anonymous

    August 9th, 2011 at 5:52 am.

    @Darian – You can get other wands that aren’t the character wands, but they aren’t really personalized in the sense that you choose exactly how it looks. They are pre – made wands, actually quite cool looking. They aren’t the character’s wands, which might make some people feel as if this wand is really “theirs”. I LOVE Harry Potter, and I am such a huge fan. I have not been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter yet, but I have been on the Website, which has a lot of information, AND, you can buy the wands online, along with some of the Honeydukes Sweets, and some clothes and toys. I would much rather go to the theme park to get the actual experience, because like I have mention, I am hardcore. I hope this helps!

  51. Patricio

    August 10th, 2011 at 7:32 am.

    Well, this is awesome. I going to be here. i going to buy a wand. It going to be epic…

  52. Maria

    November 21st, 2011 at 7:01 pm.

    I am going this December I cant wait I have always liked Hermiones’s wand but I dont know which one I will get “The wand chooses the wizard” I’m a first year (11 years old) Love Harry Potter hope I’m in gryffindor.THANK YOU FOR EVERY THING!

  53. Maria

    November 21st, 2011 at 7:05 pm.

    WAIT ONE PERSON GETS CHOSEN BUT EVERYONE WHO PAYS FOR A WAND GETS ONE RIGHT

  54. jhaz

    November 29th, 2011 at 4:41 pm.

    How Do I Know The Perfect Wand For Me But Not Going To Olivanders Wand Shop ??

  55. Tracy Dickinson

    December 5th, 2011 at 6:38 pm.

    Can i get a personalized wand for my daughter on line? She has asked Santa for one and we will not be visiting the park before Christmas. Please help Thanks

  56. Joshua

    December 15th, 2011 at 12:23 pm.

    @ Tracy Dickinson

    You do not have to go to the park. If you go to the WWoHP website, they have an online store. You can get Chocolate Frogs, House Robes, Wands, even Pumpkin Juice all online! They have several hundred things for sale and all from many of the different shops from the series (Honeydukes, Olivander’s, Zonko’s, etc.) and some new shops like The Owl’s Post :) The wand won’t be personalized, but you can take an online quiz or something like that and pick the closest match.

  57. Tatiana

    February 21st, 2012 at 4:44 pm.

    do you have to be ten to get a wand?

  58. Matt

    March 9th, 2012 at 7:27 pm.

    Question: so i heard that you get your wand based on birth month, and they change the style of the wands every so often. but online i see people posting pictures of their wands and a lot of them look similiar and are based off of character wands. and i heard that you just browse the shop until you find find a wand you like. so if i walk into the shop (which i will in 3 weeks) do i wait in line to tell the shopkeeper my birthday so he can get mine, or do i just find a wand and wait in line to pay for it? lastly, do the wands seriously turn on tvs and lights and stuff?? if so, do they cost a lot more? if you just browse the shop do you get a wand from the top shelf or will the keeper give you one? i want a wand that can turn on lights but i dont want to pay more lol

  59. Daniel

    March 12th, 2012 at 12:52 pm.

    So can you have an appointment made to have the wand pick you or do you have to do something special or what. And for the ones that can turn on the TV will it just be their TV at the store or have it set up for your house?

  60. carlie

    March 12th, 2012 at 7:40 pm.

    So all wands will definitely light up in Ollivanders wand shop?