A Dissimulator was a wizarding musical instrument which first appeared at the 1974 Quidditch World Cup.[1] Taking the form of multicoloured tubes, these devices emitted loud cheers and puffs of smoke in national colours, and were used by audience members to show support for their preferred teams during matches.[1]
History[]
They started to be used during the 1974 Quidditch World Cup, after Royston Idlewind, International Director of the International Confederation of Wizards Quidditch Committee, passed a number of draconian regulations on crowd control, the worst of which was the ban of all wands from the stadium except those carried by ICWQC officials. When Royston Idlewind appeared in the Top Box during the final between Syria and Madagascar, the hundred-thousand witches and wizards in the audience made their Dissimulators produce loud raspberry noises and then turned them back into the wands from which they had secretly been Transfigured.[1] Idlewind resigned on the spot and the wizarding world rejoiced.[1]
As of 2014, leaving unattended wands in the form of Dissimulators in any house common room at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was sufficient grounds to have said Dissimulator confiscated.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
- The use of Dissimulators is reminiscent of the vouvouzela craze during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The latter was a plastic horn which produced a loud monotone note that was used heavily by spectators at football matches, before it was repeatedly banned from sporting events due to its incessant loud noise.
Appearances[]
- Pottermore (First appearance)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 History of the Quidditch World Cup from Pottermore (via The Internet Archive)
- ↑ Common Room: House Notices at Pottermore (see this image)
