Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Pygmy Puff Naming Ceremony

One of the coolest things about visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter a Universal Orlando is being able to see (and buy) the items that are talked about in the Harry Potter books and movies.

Drink a Butterbeer, get candy from Honeydukes, get a wand from Ollivander’s, get fitted for your house robes at Madame Malkin’s, and so much more. The amount of detail put into making a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter much like stepping right into the books is astounding.

My boys’ favorite place to browse is Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley (this is in Universal Studios Florida, while Hogwarts is in Islands of Adventure). In this store, you’ll find many of the jokes that brothers Fred and George sold in their shop. The skiving snackboxes are popular (I considered getting these as teacher gifts, in case the teachers needed their own day off from class).

But, you can’t ignore the cuteness of the Pygmy Puffs. Pygmy Puffs first make their appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and the Weasley parents go into Fred and George’s new shop, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. They are pink and purple miniature Puffskeins that Fred and George were having trouble breeding fast enough to keep up with demand. Ginny adopted one as a pet, naming him Arnold. The smaller ones make a sort of purring type noise when you squeeze them.

You can buy adopt these in Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes and the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley(and a few other souvenir shops in the parks), but you’ll want to make sure you either buy it from Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes or at least take it there after you buy it because they do a really cute naming ceremony there.

The witches and wizards who work in the shop will make sure you know that you have to feed your pygmy puff boogers, ear wax, and spiders(crunchy spiders, so you should taste them first). And that you should never feed them chocolate (or you’ll have the Wizarding World equivalent of a Gremlin situation going on). They also tell you that someone from the Ministry of Magic will be coming to check up on your Pygmy Puff soon.

We already had a Flufflepuff and a Gryffinpuff Pygmy Puff in our family, but when my youngest went to adopt his pygmy puff, he wanted to name his after Voldemort. The problem being that no one can say that name in Diagon Alley (the shops and rides are set in the time before the final Battle of Hogwarts), so the witch in Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes had to get creative during the naming ceremony and say “The Dark Lord”. Even if later, my son decided to name his Pygmy Puff “Tom,” using Voldemort’s Muggle name instead. Yes, my kid finds it hilarious to name an adorable, pink fluffball after a dangerous wizard.

You can watch the Pygmy Puff naming ceremony here.

*As of our visit in August 2017, a Pygmy Puff was $18.95 to adopt a small one with sound or $34.95 to buy a large one. There are also keychains, t-shirts, and slippers(I really, really wanted the slippers!). If you don’t have a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter planned soon, you can buy some of these items on the Universal Orlando site. Take your pygmy puff with you when you go and they’ll do the ceremony for you then.

Planning Your Trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? These posts will help! 

For general tips about Universal with Kids, check out these posts: