If you have to travel by air with any regularity then you’ve certainly had to have your bag reviewed by security now and then. In most cases it’s almost always nothing, but one TikToker recently had a bit of a scare when airport security thought he was carrying weapons in his bag. However, they were only weapons if you know actual magic, as he was actually in possession of Harry Potter wands.
It’s one thing when you have to have your bag searched because you forgot you were carrying a bottle of water or some other innocuous thing but a TikTok video from user RyanJonDunn has gone viral after he revealed that security thought he was in possession of something dangerous, but it was just a pair of magic wands. Check it out.
@ryanjondunn ♬ original sound - Ryan Jon
You can buy very realistic and high-quality Harry Potter wands from a variety of places. The various Wizarding World lands at Universal theme parks have some screen-accurate replicas that also have electronics in them that let them interact with points of interest in the land. You can also buy versions that are more like simple models, that look like the versions from the films, but don’t really do anything. There's also a Harry Potter retail store in New York.
It seems likely these wands had something going on inside them, which is why they set off airport security and caused somebody to think they could be dangerous. Of course, once the bag got opened up it became clear that there was nothing to worry about, unless somebody knew the killing curse, of course.
The Tiktokers were apparently going to a Hary Potter-themed event, and so had brought clothing and the wands in order to attend in character. The punchline of the story is that the guy who had his bag searched apparently isn’t even a Harry Potter fan, making the fact that he got busted for a concealed wand that much funnier.
Likey, because this was an airport in Australia, security really had no idea what they were dealing with. TSA in Orlando or Southern California has probably seen more than their share of Harry Potter wands and Star Wars lightsabers going through x-ray machines, so they know there’s nothing there to be concerned about. Although one can imagine when the wands first started to hit there were some confused x-ray techs. There have been security issues with some theme park items like the special Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Coke bottles.
This isn't the first and it won't be the last time that a prop or theme park item causes issues with airport security. We're seeing more and more specialty merchandise released when a new ride or land opens. It's becoming quite complex, with unique electronics. It will be interesting to see if any of Disney World's new Tron coaster merch sets off the x-ray machines,
