Unlike the canon Harry Potter series, Potter Puppet Pals used slapstick humor throughout. Some videos were live and others were animated, including the ones other people have made, using the Potter Puppet Pals scene creator (I don’t know if it exists anymore).
You could thank the creators, Neil and Emmy Cicierega, for this, especially since they were only teenagers when they began this franchise back in 2006. The videos (exclusively online) focus on the main trio: Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as well as Snape, Dumbledore, and even Voldemort. Other characters do come in occasionally, though.
Now let me get started with the Potter Puppet Pals videos I enjoy, with number 1 being my favorite.
“Get the Snitch” song
This music video features Harry flying on his broomstick singing the song, “Get the Snitch.” What differs this video from others is that it features an animated boy named Stevie Milo who introduces the viewers to the clip. This one belongs to a mini series called Potter Puppet Pals Adventures.
Some memorable moments in this video include not just the song, but also some of the characters piping in from time to time. The biggest one involves Draco Malfoy warning Harry not to insult his mom or else he will beat him till he twitches. And for some reason, Draco has a giant head, disproportionate to his body. I don’t know why.
The tune and lyrics catch me with their quick tempo and the concept of the song.
The “Soulja Boy” Clip
Remember when YouTube used to seem more relaxed with copyrighted music in their videos back in the 2000’s and possibly early 2010’s? Now they don’t allow it – unless you get written permission from the copyright holder.
But what people used to do was use the scene maker, use the puppets and props provided, copy and paste it into Paint, use words at the bottom, import into Windows’ Movie Maker, play audio, and then upload it to YouTube.
Many of these Potter Puppet Pals videos had the song titles as the titles, and the lyrics to tell stories.
But what makes this clip special is the animation of how the characters movie, dance and recycles previous videos made by the original Potter Puppet Pals creators. It even includes a Soulja Boy puppet. LOL.
Bothering Snape
This was the very first video the creators produced. It starts with Harry and Ron introducing themselves and then going to bother Snape. They go, “Bother, bother, bother…” twice. However, the second time, they cross the line and Snape murders them with the Avada Kadavra spell. Of course, since this isn’t part of the canon series, Snape doesn’t get arrested.
Rather, Dumbledore assumes that Harry and Ron are napping. This is also the introduction to Dumbledore’s signature “naked time” dance and moment.
I enjoy this video because it’s short and funny. I also admire Dumbledore’s naked dance.
Trouble at Hogwarts
The introduction here has Harry, Ron, and Hermione discuss their favorite parts about Hogwarts. But then Dumbledore warns them about Voldemort attacking the school.
The kids act silly around Voldemort, and Ron even bothers him with that word. They also come up with a plan to defeat the dark lord, but in an unexpected way.
Like Bothering Snape, this video also cracked me up. I also can’t help but imitate Ron’s line, “I’ve got a plan,” when I have to figure something out.
The Mysterious Ticking Noise
An all-time classic – hands down. No, I mean it. My classmates in high school used to sing this a lot.
Anyhow, the video starts with Snape hearing a ticking sound. He wonders where it is coming from, but then sings along with it. He uses his name as the lyrics (Snape, Snape, Severus Snape…). Then the rest of the characters join in, singing their names, too.
I don’t know what makes this video popular. But I would recommend checking it out.
Ron’s Disease
When Harry is talking about a great day at Hogwarts, Ron reveals that he has wizard lice. Dumbledore overhears it and tells the two since those lice are magical creatures, they must seek help from Hagrid.
The two go to Hagrid’s hut, where they spot him sleeping. He wakes up and learns about Ron’s issue. Harry explains it and then Hagrid sings a song about how to cure the lice–only for Ron to say that he can’t afford mayonnaise (since putting it in the hair is a step to curing the lice). So, Hagrid has Ron hang upside down and hits his head with a club.
Harry decides that with Hagrid’s “curing,” he can solve all his problems. He tells him about the others having lice, but Hagrid asks Harry to do it himself. After Harry prmises to leave fish outside of his hut if he helps, Hagrid agrees to “cure the others’ lice.” So, he hits those like Hermione, Snape, and even Voldemort.
This episode cracks me up a lot. The main reason is because Hagrid is so out of character. He has muffled speech and is very dopey–he’ll do what Harry tells him to, no matter how bad it is. He reminds me of stereotypical cavemen and how they’re commonly portrayed in pop culture.
Another aspect I admire about the video was how Hagrid’s hut interior had pencil drawings of his window and other items. I applaud the creators for coming up with this idea.
Naked Time
For anyone unfamiliar with Potter Puppet Pals, Dumbledore is really not like the way he is in J.K. Rowling’s novels or the Warner Brothers’ movies. He acts silly, naive, and loves to be nude. He calls it “naked time.”
Because of that, he has his own song called “Naked Time.” YouTube has a few videos with this song, but one of them that runs for 20 seconds makes me laugh like crazy.
Conclusion
While YouTube videos constantly come and go, I avoid posting links to them here for copyright reasons. Plus, there is always a chance that the video will be removed by the time someone clicks the link.
The Potter Puppet Pals videos will likely stay on YouTube forever, although I can’t promise that – neither can YouTube. So, I would suggest searching for these videos as soon as you can. If you do, I hope you enjoy the clips.