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| Type of business | For-profitdomestic corporation |
|---|---|
| Available in | English(U.S.) |
| Headquarters | New York,New York, United States |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | October 1999; 26 years ago (1999-10)[1] (Incorporated in 2007) |
MuggleNet is the Internet's oldest and largest[citation needed]Harry Potter andWizarding Worldfansite. MuggleNet was founded in 1999. It has expanded over the years to include a handful of partnerpodcasts, a separate book blog, over half a dozen published works and live events. At one point, it also ran its own forums, social network and separatefan fiction website. Originally owned by founderEmerson Spartz, MuggleNet became an independently owned and operated brand in early 2020.
MuggleNet once benefitted from friendly relations withJ.K. Rowling, the author of theHarry Potter books, and the producers of the films. She has praised MuggleNet on her website and awarded it her Fan Site Award.[2] Rowling has recounted on her website that she visited the site and sometimes read comments left by visitors, although she never commented herself. The author stated in a 2004 post on her website that she visited the site's chat room and was snubbed when she anonymously joined a conversation aboutHarry Potter theories.[3]
In July 2005, Rowling invited Spartz andMelissa Anelli, of theLeaky Cauldron, to Edinburgh, Scotland, for an interview at her home on the release ofHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.[4] J.K. Rowling mentioned MuggleNet through the interactiveHarry Potter websitePottermore in September 2013, saying how proud she was to own thekey toLa Porte,Indiana, hometown of MuggleNet founder Emerson Spartz.[5]
Warner Bros., the producers of theHarry Potter movies, regularly sent MuggleNetstills taken from the upcoming movies before they were released. The studio also provided MuggleNet staff with advance views of the new official website designs, as well as included staff in a video conference to discuss theHarry Potter theme park atUniversal Orlando Resort.Universal has extended invitations to MuggleNet to attend the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter atUniversal Studios Hollywood in addition to the opening of Diagon Alley and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort.[6][7]
In July 2020, MuggleNet, together with theLeaky Cauldron, took several steps to distance themselves from Rowling due to comments she made the previous month that they perceived astransphobic. In a joint statement, the sites wrote that her views were "out of step with the message of acceptance and empowerment we find in her books and celebrated by the Harry Potter community". They announced that they would no longer use photos of the author, link to her website, or write about achievements unrelated to the Potterverse.[8] In January 2021, MuggleNet promised to no longer provide news coverage of J.K. Rowling's works set outside of the wizarding world. The next month, that policy was updated to state that MuggleNet would no longer provide editorial coverage of J.K. Rowling's works set outside of the wizarding world "unless related to works set within the wizarding world."[9]
MuggleCast launched in August 2005 when podcasts were still up and coming.[10] Inspired by the passion within theHarry Potter community, MuggleNet staff members Andrew Sims, Ben Schoen, and Kevin Steck created a short podcast to discuss some of the recentHarry Potter news and the just-releasedHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Following Sims's departure from the site in summer 2011,MuggleCast separated from MuggleNet to become an independent podcast.[11] The hosts now discuss theFantastic Beasts films, theWizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks, and fandom news, along with continued discussion of the originalHarry Potter series.
MuggleCast recorded what it announced would be its final regular episode on August 26, 2013.[12] However, on December 27, 2014, it was announced that they would be returning to regular episodes.[13]MuggleCast began posting weekly podcasts again in April 2017. It is currently hosted by Andrew Sims, Eric Scull, Micah Tannenbaum, and Laura Tee.[14] In September 2019,MuggleCast was featured in an article inThe Oprah Magazine: "26 of the Best Book Podcasts to Listen to When You're Not Reading".[15]
In 2006, in advance of the arrival ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, five MuggleNet staff members (Andy Gordon, Jamie Lawrence, Ben Schoen, Emerson Spartz, and Gretchen Stull) coauthored the reference bookWhat Will Happen in Harry Potter 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Falls in Love, and How Will the Adventure Finally End, which was a published collection of unofficial fan predictions. By July 21, 2007, the book had sold 335,000 copies and reached #2 on theNew York Times Children's Best Seller list, where it spent six months.[16] In 2009, Emerson Spartz and Ben Schoen penned another book, MuggleNet.com'sHarry Potter Should Have Died: Controversial Views from the #1 Fan Site.
In 2010, MuggleNet, along with several groups in theHarry Potter fandom, created a four-hour event called Helping Haiti Heal, with all proceeds going toPartners in Health to help provide health care to areas without reliable medical care following thedisastrous earthquake that hit the country that year.[17]
In October 2007,Jimmy Kimmel Live! did a parody of Emerson Spartz's recent interview on the "Geraldo" segment ofFox News. Both the original interview and the parody discussed J. K. Rowling's recentouting of Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore.[18]
In 2012, Mugglenet published anApril Fools' Day post suggesting that then British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron was declaring May 2 as "International Harry Potter Day" to commemorate theBattle of Hogwarts, a claim that in the years since has since been falsely cited as true by some media outlets.[19][20][21][22][23]
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