Apparently there is a building trend for interest in the fantastical and quasi-spiritual, supposedly driven by a loss of faith in our financial systems yadda yadda yadda. Evidence is provided in the form of hits like Twilight and in the form of Hasbro’s glow in the dark Ouija board, which has been selling out in U.S. target stores. Michael Bay is going to make a film version (can he get Billy Wilder to write the script via the board?). For my money Hasbro’s design is bizarrely mainstream, considering the idiosyncratic nature of the product and its “traditional” iconography (above right), but perhaps that’s key to its success.

Far more “2009” I think are Nicholas Saunders’ designs used as set dressing for the Weasley Brothers’ magic shop in the new Harry Potter film. The selection below are from the CR blog and I think they show the Weasleys have a canny grasp of the fashion for the hand drawn challenger brand look. I’d expect to see Weasley Ltd. being bought up by Hasbro or co-branding with Innocent drinks any day now.