A sleuth over at the IOACentral message boards has unearthed a dozen recent trademark applications made by Warner Bros. Entertainment that appear to be for rides, shops and restaurants that will be part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
The most intriguing? "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." It is one of three trademark filings in the batch for an amusement park ride, and it has touched off a torrent of speculation that it is the name of the dark ride that will be housed inside Universal's version of Hogwarts Castle.
The other two trademarks for rides include "Flight of the Hippogriff," which has long been rumored to be the future name of the Flying Unicorn, the children's coaster that Universal has temporarily closed down as part of the Potter construction, and "Dragon Challenge," which could be the new name of the Dueling Dragons roller coaster, which will eventually be rethemed and incorporated into the Wizarding World.
The trademark applications also include five for retail locations: "Dervish and Banges," which in the Potter books is a store that sells and repairs magical equipment; "Honeydukes," a candy shop; "Ollivanders," which sells magic wands; "Zonko's," a joke shop; and "Owl Post," which will presumably be themed around the Potter character's owl-based mail system.
There are also trademark applications for restaurant services: "Three Broomsticks," "Magic Neep," and "Butterbeer." And there is one for "Hogsmeade Village," which is described as a "themed area" and will likely be the location of most of the shops and restaurants.
One thing to keep in mind: It's unlikely that these names are set in stone. After all, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter isn't scheduled to open until sometime next year (Universal says by summer 2010 at the latest), giving Warner Bros. and Universal ample time to change their minds and think up new ones, particularly for the rides.
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