A good friend of mine lives in central florida, and has, evidently, invested in annual passes so she can hang out in Hogsmeade regularly. this pleases me inordinately.
I'm a fan of Harry Potter, less so than I used to be, but still quite a fan. Even more, I'm a fan of immersive theme parks; even more still, I'm a fan of ephemera and mail (it's no coincidence that one of my favorite "grownup" books is The Crying of Lot 49).
I'm delighted that Owl Post is a thing one can do at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Hogwarts stamp, and a Hogsmeade/Owl Post postmark and everything. And the postmark design is, to my mind's eye, just about perfect.
The flip side of the envelope is almost as awesome. I love the ink-print that gives the effect of a wax seal; it's a clever touch and I love it. The stationery inside mimics school paper: it's got the multicolored Hogwarts coat of arms on it, and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry text, along with the image of the castle and what seems to be a hippogriff (only the head and neck are visible). It's pretty fantastic, and refrains from heaps of self-promotion or cheap jokeyness. The reverse of the stationery does say WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER Universal Orlando Florida, but it's in quite small print at the foot of the page. I appreciate this and approve of it; it's part of that immersive theming I mentioned earlier (which, in a nod to my dissertation, I must say originated with Disneyland, which celebrated its 55th birthday on 17 July).
Just receiving this bit of Owl Post has piqued my interest in seeing the park for myself; I was interested before, but in a very lazy sort of way: "I'd like to go sometime, I guess." Now, I feel more of an urgency: "I need to go see this, soon!" So Owl Post is perfect advertising, too.
