PROTEGO FOUNDATION X ROOM OF REQUIREMENT APPAREL COLLAB: MAGICAL MENAGERIE TEE, PART OF PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT PROTEGO FOUNDATION

Of all the quintessential shops in Diagon Alley, one that springs to the forefront of minds of witches and wizards of all ages, is the Magical Menagerie. Visiting the Magical Menagerie, which is located just across the street from Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, is as much a rite of passage as receiving a Hogwarts acceptance letter. After all, it’s the one-stop-shop for Hogwarts-approved companion animals, rat tonic, talon clippers, and an assortment of non-Hogwarts-approved creatures ranging from cuddly Puffskeins to exotic Fire Crabs.

Most famously, the Magical Menagerie is where Hermione adopted everyone’s favorite fluffy, ginger half-Kneazel, Crookshanks! 

However, the Magical Menagerie has some less-than-pleasant descriptions in the Harry Potter books:

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"There wasn’t much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering or hissing."--Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

It also has some more promising descriptions: 

“There were cats of every colour, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-coloured furballs that were humming loudly, and, on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats which were playing some sort of skipping game using their long bald tails."--Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

Today, decades after Harry and his friends visited The Magical Menagerie, we at Protego imagine the Magical Menagerie has ditched the cramped and crowded cages and is run more like a rescue or animal shelter! 

The Protego Foundation has teamed up with the witch and wizard duo at Room of Requirement Apparel, Carrie and Brian Hoke, to conjure up an exclusive Magical Menagerie tee. 

Room of Requirement Apparel is donating 50% of proceeds from this tee to us as we amass funds for an upcoming campaign geared towards helping companion animals in shelters. ​

For a very limited time, you can get your own super-soft, heather green Magical Menagerie tee and show your support for the Protego Foundation and creatures everywhere! 

Once this tee sells out, it won’t be coming back! Currently, the only sizes available are XS - XL, and they’re going FAST!

Want a closer look at the intricate Magical Menagerie letters that were exclusively (and painstakingly) drawn by Brian Hoke for this design? ​

Brian’s whimsical creature lettering was not only inspired by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Magical Menagerie sign, but it was also inspired by a hand-lettered animal alphabet from over 100 years ago. Yes, you read that correctly! French wizard and renowned calligrapher Joseph Balthazar Silvestre conjured up this design in the 19th century! The Beauxbaton’s alum was even Master of Writing for French royalty in 1791. for French royalty in 1791. ​

In a brief interview, Room of Requirement Apparel co-creator, Carrie Hoke, expressed what makes this collaboration so special:

Protego Foundation: Could you tell us about the artist who designed the tee?

Carrie Hoke: My husband, Brian, is the artistic wizard behind all of our designs. He spends hours of research on and offline, at the parks, and talks to other wizards, witches, and even muggles, about what they would like to see in a design. 

PF: What do you think about this partnership? Why do you consider it important for ROR to work with the Protego Foundation? 

CH: We appreciate what the Protego Foundation is trying to accomplish in regard to animal rights and we were more than willing to help. We have our own little menagerie of rescue companions at our house, so if we had the opportunity to help, we definitely wanted to spread the magic beyond our burrow. 

PF: Tell us about your rescued companion animals and their Hogwarts Houses (if they have one)! 

CH: Our little menagerie consists of our grumpy old man, Bogie, who is a 15-year-old Slytherin Chihuahua and love of my life. He was rescued from a puppy mill at 7 weeks and [was] not even 2 lbs. He was full of worms and has had several medical issues over the years. We reported [the puppy mill] and [it] shut down. 

Then there's Monty, a 3-year-old sporty Corgi, who is straight-up Gryffindor/Hufflepuff, [and] Charlie, a 1-year-old Weasley tabby we adopted at our local shelter. He is a little mischievous, like most cats, so he's a combination of a Slytherin/Ravenclaw. 

Monty and Charlie actually love to play together and chase each other around the house! And finally, we have a 5-year-old Jersey Wooly bunny, Sir Ulrich Von Liechtenstein. He is all Hufflepuff. He was actually bred to be a show bunny, but he didn't make the cut, so we adopted him instead. 
We have a very floofy and happy family! 

PF: What would you like to say to Potterheads who are considering buying this tee? 
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CH: This is a very special project to us and while we know that there is a ton of information out there, please take the time to ask questions, educate, and spread the word about animal rights. RoR is more than just a t-shirt [company]. It is educating and speaking up for others. It is standing behind movements we believe in and people we believe in because frankly, isn't that what Harry Potter is about?

Grab your own Magical Menagerie tee here! 

Written by Victoria Tomis