Though it's hard to imagine (at the ripe, old age of 18), there was a time in my life where I couldn't turn to Youtube for entertainment. The year was 1998. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released in the U.S. on September 1. Google was incorporated three days later. By 2005, when Youtube was founded, the fandom of Harry Potter was widespread. Harry Potter fans poured onto the site, adding their own interpretations and spoofs of the world's best-selling book series. A Youtube search for "Harry Potter" returns approximately 500,000 results.

I'm at Infinitus 2010 this weekend in Orlando at the Royal Pacific and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Guess what that means? You're going to be hearing about Harry Potter a lot in the next few days. To get you in the mood, I present to you my five favorite Harry Potter videos (I think there's only five).

  • Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise – NeilCicierega

Youtube video

In a little more than three years, this video has gotten nearly 100 million views and has been featured in Time magazine. That's pretty impressive since it's a few kids playing with felt puppets and a metronome. The Mysterious Ticking Noise has become a classic among Harry Potter fanatics. There are still new episodes of Potter Puppet Pals, some animated and some using the original puppets. Another of my favorites is Wizard Swears (be careful, it's rated PG-13 for language and boyish attitude).

This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2010.