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"Round, furry creatures adored by wizard children."
— Description[src]

Puffskeins were small magical beasts covered in soft fur and spherical in shape with a long tongue. It was a popular wizarding pet found worldwide that did not object to being cuddled or thrown about.[2]

The collective noun used to refer to a group of Puffskeins was poffle.[9]

Nature[]

The Puffskein was a scavenger,[2] eating anything from leftovers to spiders[2] and moths,[8] but it particularly liked to use its long thin pink tongue to eat wizards' bogeys while they slept.[2]

The Puffskein was easy to care for, and they were known to emit a low humming sound when they were content.[2] Shaved (or trimmed with a clipper) Puffskein hair had magical properties, and was useful as a potion ingredient, such as in Zygmunt Budge's variation of the Laughing Potion, which required a few handfuls.[3]

History[]

Duncan Hobhouse's Boggart form was a Puffskein, for which he was ridiculed by his classmates and called "Puffskein Dunkein".[10]

The Magical Menagerie sold Puffskeins.[11][1] According to Albus Dumbledore, a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them resided in almost every wizarding household in the country,[12] used by generations of wizards, in search of the best way to cure their pet Puffskeins of drinking out of the toilet.[13] Zygmunt Budge considered Puffskeins as largely pointless creatures, although invaluable for potioneers, and the fact that anyone would want such a tedious beast as a pet was quite beyond him.[14]

They were the favourite creature of the Gryffindor student Ben Copper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who attended the school in the 1980s.[15]

On Boxing Day in 1986, Rubeus Hagrid showed Jacob's sibling a group of Puffskeins attracted by scraps from the Christmas Feast. He said they appeared on every Boxing Day after he accidentally discovered them while holding some food many years ago.[16]

Prior to the 1988–1989 school year, the Haywood family had a pet Puffskein which they shaved once a week on a Sunday. This made the sisters argue over how the hair should be used with Penny wanting to use it in potions and Beatrice wanting to use it to make works of art.[8] Penny once tried to teach it to roll over in place of a dog when she told Jacob's sibling they could not keep a crup.[17] Beatrce made a toy Puffskein out of its hair to give to Jacob's sibling as a gift when she first met them at the start of her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[8]

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn taught his fifth-year Care of Magical Creatures students about how to handle Puffskeins.[18]

MerulaSnydePuffskein1HM

Merula Snyde having been transformed into a Puffskein

During the 1989–1990 school year, Merula Snyde accidentally transfigured herself into a Flobberworm while attempting to become a Thunderbird to impress her school mates in the Sphinx Club. When Jacob's sibling attempted to help her undo the transformation, they instead transformed her into a Puffskein.[19]

Ron Weasley owned a Puffskein at one point. Its demise was attributed to Fred, who supposedly used it for Bludger practice.[2]

George Weasley reported that a nest of dead Puffskeins was discovered by Molly Weasley at 12 Grimmauld Place under the sofa in the drawing room in August 1995.[20]

Magical Menagerie

A basket full of Puffskeins at the Magical Menagerie

They were modified by Fred and George to create Pygmy Puffs.[4]

During the Calamity in the 2010s, several Puffskeins were turned into Foundables which were appeared throughout the Wizarding world, guarded by Confoundables. Volunteer wizards and witches who worked for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force had to retrieve these Confoundables using various spells, to return them to their rightful places.[21]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Inspiration for the Puffskein may have come from the original 1960s television series Star Trek's Tribbles, as they share many of the same characteristics, such as emitting a purring or humming sound when content, and that they are both balls of fur.
  • Fanged Puffskeins are mentioned as a possible answer to a question on the W.O.M.B.A.T., letting us know that normal Puffskeins don't have fangs.[22]
Puffskein COSG PS1

A Puffskein as seen in the PS1 video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

  • The Puffskeins seen in the PlayStation version of the video games based on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are completely different from their book counterparts in appearance and behaviour. Lacking any fur, they are dark yellow skinned with flexible three-point spike-like brown slender hair on their head/nose and tiny visible feet, feminine-looking orange eyes, a wide smiling mouth, no tongue, and are relatively larger. They move by hopping (heard by a splatting sound), have an extreme appetite for bushes as food and give Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in return after burping loudly, and tend to enjoy jumping into warmers (not knowing they're actually traps).[23] The species also appear to be affectionate toward Harry as they immediately and constantly follow him on sight with a friendly response of humming or squeakily purring (they also make those sounds when attacked by the player). They can even grow to a massive size after eating certain bushes, though hitting them with the Knockback Jinx reverses the effect. During the "Blue Bertie Botts bean" quest in the first game, several of the creatures inside Hogwarts's patch are required to plug air vents which lets Harry Potter reach other places to continue (which consequently makes them stuck and helpless) and acquire the fire seeds requested by Rubeus Hagrid, and in the very beginning of the second game, Ginny Weasley asks Harry to feed their pet Puffskein in the Weasleys' patch in return for a Famous Witches and Wizards card.[24]
  • Following the above note, the first two books/films never shown or mentioned any Puffskeins, however, as they make their first canonical appearance in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book, released in 1999. Ironically, the PS1 video games, released in 2001/2002 respectively, with the rather odd and unique depiction of the Puffskein, are the creature's first on-screen appearance in all Harry Potter media, before they are seen (in their proper appearance/behaviour) in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film, released in 2009. Though rarely found in any video game media of the franchise, some of the more recent titles like Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery and Hogwarts Legacy were to feature the Puffskeins in their original novel depiction.
  • In Wonderbook: Book of Potions, the Bronze trophy named 'Fur-ther learning' can be won after discovering everything about Puffskeins, to achieve this you will need to find all 3 notes on the Puffskein on Page 7 of the 'Laughing Potion' chapter (the areas you need to investigate with the the magnifying glass are the body, hair and the tongue).[14]
  • The cover of the Bloomsbury edition of the 2017 edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was designed by Jonny Duddle and feature a Puffskein on its back cover.
  • Because Pygmy Puffs were created from Puffskeins, it is likely that they inherited the scavenger trait, meaning they eat everything from leftovers to bogies.

Appearances[]

Wiki
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Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 (The Leaky Cauldron) - "...a basket of funny custard-coloured furballs that were humming loudly..."
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, (An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts), Puffskein - "Puffskein M.O.M. Classification: XX The Puffskein is found worldwide. Spherical in shape and covered in soft, custard-coloured fur, it is a docile creature that has no objection to being cuddled or thrown about. Easy to care for, it emits a low humming noise when contented. From time to time a very long, thin, pink tongue will emerge from the depths of the Puffskein and snake through the house searching for food. The Puffskein is a scavenger that will eat anything from leftovers to spiders, but it has a particular preference for sticking its tongue up the nose of sleeping wizards and eating their bogies. This tendency has made the Puffskein much beloved by wizarding children for many generations and it remains a highly popular wizarding pet." Handwritten note from Harry Potter's copy that he got on 31 July 1991: "➜ I had one of them once What happened to it? Fred used it for Bludger practise"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wonderbook: Book of Potions, Chapter 5 (Laughing Potion), Puffskein Hair - "The Puffskein is a peaceful, yellow furry creature with a long tongue. Hair: Soft and custard-coloured, the hair of the Puffskein has magical properties and is useful as a magical ingredient. Tongue: Puffskeins enjoy using their long tongues to feed on bogies, to the delight of generations of wizard children. Body: Spherical in shape, Puffskeins can be hurled about without making a fuss, and are very easy to care for. [...] the Laughing Potion requires hair from a Puffskein. Shave your Puffskein and scatter hair over the surface of your potion."
  4. 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 6 (Draco's Detour) - "'Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?' asked Fred. 'Follow me, ladies. . . .' Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione and Ginny both hung back, looking wary. 'There you go,' said Fred proudly […] 'What are those?' She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks. 'Pygmy Puffs,' said George. 'Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough.' […] Ginny, putting a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. 'They're really cute!' 'They're fairly cuddly, yes,' conceded Fred. […] 'Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?' said Ginny at once. 'A what?' said Mrs Weasley warily. 'Look, they're so sweet. . . .' Mrs Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs […] Mrs Weasley and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs."
  5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, Scene 18
  6. J. K. Rowling's official site
  7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 6 (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 1 (Year Five Begins)
  9. A poffle. by J.K. Rowling on Twitter
  10. Hogwarts Legacy, Side Quest "Venomous Valour"
  11. The Making of Harry Potter (see here)
  12. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, (Back cover text by Albus Dumbledore) - "A copy of fantastic beasts & where to find them resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl."
  13. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, (Foreword by Albus Dumbledore) - "No wizarding household is complete without a copy of Fantastic Beasts, well thumbed by the generations who have riffled its pages in search of the best way to […] cure their pet Puffskein of drinking out of the toilet."
  14. 14.0 14.1 Wonderbook: Book of Potions (see this video)
  15. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1 onward - Having lunch with Ben Copper
  16. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Side Quest "A GIFT OF GRATITUDE"
  17. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Side Quest "Puppy-Dog Tales"
  18. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 18 (Legilimency and Occlumency) - Care of Magical Creatures Lesson "Puffskein"
  19. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Side Quest "WELCOME TO THE SPHINX CLUB"
  20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 6 (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black) - "'Mum says get up, your breakfast is in the kitchen and then she needs you in the drawing room, there are loads more doxies than she thought and she's found a nest of dead Puffskeins under the sofa.'"
  21. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
  22. Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test, Grade One, Part One - Magical Law, Question 7 on jkrowling.com (31 March 2006) - "7. Which of the following should receive the LIGHTEST punishment from the Wizengamot? a. Horns created accidentally on a culprit's mother, caused by broken wand b. Jelly-Legs Jinx performed on threatening Muggle c. Breeding fanged Puffskeins d. Underage witch performs Cleaning Charms in privacy of own home"
  23. Videos from YouTube of the Puffskeins from the Video Games: this video, and this video
  24. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (see this image)
Magical creatures by classification
X Flobberworm · Horklump
XX Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse
XXX Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse
XXXX Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merperson · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti
XXXXX Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf

See also[]

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