I am so happy with the 2019 Funko Harry Potter advent calendar! May I make a confession? I was worried because I wasn't happy with the first one from last year (2018). There's nothing wrong with last year's set but I really wanted it to focus on Christmas since that's when you use an Advent calendar, and it didn't.
This year's calendar has every character dressed in what they wore to the Yule Ball, an event that was held at Hogwarts on Christmas night. Okay, I will admit that no one is dressed like Santa, an elf, or anything else Christmasy, but they are all dressed and ready for a holiday party, which means these will be perfect to use each year when decorating for the winter holiday.
I also appreciate that Funko ditched last year's box design, which had the front cover open by coming forward (see picture) to reveal a magical scene but which didn't stay flat so the figures easily fell over when using the box as part of the display.
Notice how the front cover on the 2018 advent calendar opens forward so you can place the figures on it. Problem is, the cardboard it is made from curved and none of my figures will stand, they all fall over.
This year, instead of the opening coming down, it opens in the middle to both sides, so that the sides stay at the sides and you can place the figures on whatever surface the box is on, ensuring that they are less likely to fall over as long as you don't bump what they are on.
The cover for the 2019 calendar opens to the side so figures can be placed on a flat surface and won't fall over.
Click here to see where you can buy the 2019 Harry Potter Funko advent calendar
Day 1
Harry Potter
Here we have Harry Potter in his Yule Ball dress robes, chosen by Mrs. Weasley. She did a fantastic job selecting an outfit that would look appropriate for the upcoming event, which she did before Harry even knew about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Molly purchased outfits for Harry, Ginny, and Ron, but Harry's is the nicest because (I'm guessing) she used Harry's money for his.
Day 2
Ginny Weasley
Ginny Weasley looks very sweet in her dress of green and pink. It's not a stylish choice but most likely Mrs. Weasley couldn't afford something more fashionable. I love that the back shows how Ginny's hair was braided and tied with a matching pink ribbon. I love the splash of freckles on Ginny's face!
Day 3
Fleur Delacour
Fleur Delacour looks stunning in her cream colored dress that I'm sure came from Paris. The back shows how her hair was done in a fancy bun and adorned with a silver hair comb, which also matches her earrings.
Day 4
Viktor Krum
Viktor Krum in the books wasn't particularly attractive but he sure was in the films, as you can see from this figure. He is wearing a red robe with brown fur, which might have come from the much colder country of Bulgaria, where Viktor comes from. The back shows how the robe drapes across one shoulder while covering the other.
Day 5
Minerva McGonagall
Green seems to be a favorite color of Minerva McGonagall, possibly because she has green eyes and it's a complimentary color. Whatever the reason, she looks stunning in this robe and hat combination. I especially like the feather atop the hat.
Day 6
Severus Snape
Severus Snape didn't usually look dashing but I dare say he did for the Yule Ball! He is wearing a dark blue outfit that looks great on him. I love how he's standing with one hand on his hip, just waiting for a student to give him a reason to hand out detention.
Day 7
Igor Karkaroff
Igor Karkaroff, teacher at Durmstrang's, chose an outfit that looks like it would be very much at home in Russia (where it probably comes from). He is one of the few figures to have a mouth because of his beard and mustache.
Day 8
Fred Weasley
You know, it never occurred to me until now but how is it that Fred and George were dressed nicely while Ron's outfit looked awful? Did they buy their robes themselves? If so, where did they get the money for it because they weren't trying out their Skiving Snackbox sweets yet. We may never know the answer to this question but they sure did look good. This is Fred (I think...) in his black dress robes.
Day 9
George Weasley
And this is George Weasley (I think...), in the same outfit as his twin. The both look dashing.
Day 10
Padma Patil
Padma Patil dressed in a gown that is very similar to her twin sister's, but hers is red with pink, the opposite of Parvati's. She might have hoped for a fun night as Ron Weasley's date but he barely noticed her. Fortunately she ended up having fun on her own. The back of the figure shows her intricately braided hair and it's silver holder, which match her silver earrings.
Day 11
Parvati Patil
Parvati Patil looks lovely in her pink and red gown, which is the opposite of Padma's. She no doubt had high hopes for the evening, which started to go downhill as soon as she and Harry Potter began their dance, which she ended up leading. In the end she ditched Harry and had fun with her sister and other boys at the Yule Ball. The back of this figure shows that her hair is in the same style as her sister's.
Day 12
Cho Chang
Cho Chang is stunning in her traditional Asian gown, but her tradition didn't go as far as her hair. Instead of having what looks like chop sticks in her hair, Cho opted for a silver butterfly, which is very pretty. No wonder Harry had a crush on her, but at the Yule Ball she only had eyes for Cedric Diggory.
Day 13
Madame Maxime
Madame Maxime, teacher at Beauxbaton's Academy, chose a muted outfit that would not draw much attention to her, something she got a lot of anyway given how large she is. She looks very pretty in the pale pink gown. On a side note, this is the tallest of all the figures in this advent calendar, larger, even, than Hagrid, which is due to her being part giantess.
Day 14
Argus Filch
Argus Filch did his best to dress up but his dark outfit fits his brooding and angry personality. I love how he's shown holding his cat, Mrs. Norris, in this figure.
Day 15
Ron Weasley
Poor Ron Weasley (pun intended)... He can't catch a break. No doubt his mother tried to find something better than these moldy old rags that smell like his Great Aunt Tessie but this was the best she could do. No wonder he was riddled with teen angst all night long, but at least this figure doesn't smell like his Great Aunt Tessie.
Day 16
Mad-Eye Moody (aka Barty Crouch Jr.)
Barty Crouch Jr. had everyone fooled into believing he was Mad-Eye Moody for the entire school year, despite being an insane Death Eater. I can't help but wonder if he actually enjoyed himself during the Yule Ball?
Day 17
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore looks very regal in his purple dress robes, which don't really differ all that much from what he usually wore around Hogwarts. He is seen here standing casually, which is more evident when you look at the back of the figure and see that he is holding his hands comfortably behind his back as he watches his students dance the night away.
Day 18
Cedric Diggory
Cedric Diggory looks even more handsome than usual in his black dress robes. No wonder his date, Cho Chang, only had eyes for him.
Day 19
Neville Longbottom
Neville Longbottom is wearing black dress robes, similar to most of the others worn by the male students, which I think closely resemble Muggle tuxedos. He was so happy to have Ginny Weasley for a date, even if she was his second choice after Hermione Granger turned him down.
Day 20
Draco Malfoy
I have no doubt that Draco Malfoy's black dress robes were the most expensive and fashionable of all the Hogwarts students. He does look admittedly handsome in them, even if he is a prat.
Day 21
Rubeus Hagrid
Oh, Hagrid, you meant well but your suit is absolutely dreadful! He tried his best to impress Madame Maxime with this brown pinstripe suit, but I doubt she could see past the hideous orange polka dotted tie. You can see the stripes of the suit even better on the picture of his back.
Day 22
Ron Weasley
Here we see Ron Weasley without his robe, after he gave up on having a good time and gave in to his grumpiness. Hermione was right, he should have asked her before anyone else did!
Day 23
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger was the belle of the ball with her beautiful pink gown that did a great job of not making her look older than her 14 years. Sure, the book's version of this dress was blue but I love the pink one. Hermione spent several hours doing her hair, which you can see in the picture of her back. She succeeded wonderfully at taming her frizzy hair and turning it into curls.
Day 24
Harry Potter
This is Harry after he, like Ron, embraced his moodiness. He has taken off his robe and is just waiting for the night to end since he couldn't be with Cho Chang. Don't worry, Harry, she's not the right girl for you.
This set does a great job of keeping duplicates to a minimum. In fact, Harry and Ron are the only ones where there are two and their second figures make sense because it shows them before and after the Yule Ball.
Above I mentioned that the Madame Maxime figure is the tallest so I took a couple pictures to show you. There are actually four different heights. The students are the shortest, the teachers are taller than the students, Hagrid is taller than the teachers, and Madame Maxime is tallest of all.
Every character in this set of Funko figures is dressed for the December 25, 1994 Yule Ball. I love that this set (unlike the 2018 one) is themed for Christmas, and I can easily see myself using these every year for the holidays as I decorate my house. In fact, I think they would look fantastic with the Hallmark Hogwarts Castle that was released this year and will have to play around with that come holiday time.
It's hard for me to choose a favorite but if forced into it I think I would select Ginny because of how sweet she looks, and her freckles. Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
