The first Harry Potter book is now 20 years old... Here's some facts to make you feel old

How was it that long ago?

Words by Lexxi Davis

Believe it or not, the first ever Harry Potter book (yep, The Philosophers Stone) was release TWENTY YEARS ago.

And while true fans will know most HP facts, like why Peeves didn't feature in the films, the true houses the trio were meant to be sorted in and who J.K Rowling's favourite character is, we've decided to do some digging (with the help of Amazon), to find some facts even the biggest of Potterheads might not know...

Gryffindor is the nation's favourite house

Ok, so maybe an obvious one, but what you might not know is the scarlet and gold merchandise is ELEVEN times more popular than Hufflepuff products.

Dumbledore is everyone's favourite speaker

It's not just J.K Rowling whose favourite character is the headmaster of Hogwarts, Amazon has revealed that Albus is the only character to feature in the top five most highlighted passages on Kindle.

And here are the most favoured quotes from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ebook-

1. 'After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.' - Dumbledore

2. 'Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.' - Dumbledore

3. 'The trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them.' - Dumbledore

4. 'Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground.' - Dumbledore

5. 'Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.' – Narrator

The most popular Harry Potter costumes

No need for polyjuice potion here! Of course Harry Potter is the favourite (after all, the series is named after him). But the next most popular might surprise you...

Here are the most purchased fancy dress outfits on Amazon-

1. Harry Potter
2. Hermione Granger
3. Dobby (sorry, Ron)
4. Voldemort
5. Dementors

The most liked film in the series is...

Not what you might expect. According to sales figures since the films were first available to buy on Amazon: The final instalment of the film series - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, is the nation's favourite film.

Top purchased Harry Potter memorabilia

You might think Harry or Dumbledore's wands (AKA The Elder Wand), might be up there in the top of Potter fans shopping baskets, but these are the best-selling Harry Potter products from the last two decades on Amazon.

1. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Jelly Belly Beans
2. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit game
3. Lego Harry Potter: Hogwarts Castle
4. The Harry Potter Golden Snitch Sticker Kit
5. A Marauder’s Map Colour Changing Coffee Mug

So Potter fans, consider yourself enlightened...

*Mischief managed*