Marauders Map Comparison

Last but not least in my series of Wizarding World comparisons is the infamous Marauders Map!

Please be aware that no official version was available for sale when I drew my Marauders Map. My resources were a cool animated screensaver showing the movie map unfolding and zooming in different views, the screenshots from the 3rd DVD including the closing credits, and the DVD insert paper that showed only the cover of the map. I also drew mine before the Half-Blood Prince book came out, so I didn’t know the Room of Requirement wasn’t supposed to appear. I didn’t have any hands-on experience with the official version until I bought mine in Florida at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park…and I was shocked how large it is! No wonder some of my Etsy feedback has been “a perfect size for little hands.” I think the official one is actually larger than the movie version compared to Harry’s hands, but that’s up to the Warner Brothers product team. 😉

The full story of how I drew my Marauders Map, what inside jokes are included, and my self-imposed size restrictions are located on my main Marauders Map page, but the short version is that I created this to include in my Year 6 at Hogwarts party invitation which was only a quarter-sheet to save paper. That meant my folded map had to fit inside the envelope, and because I was making EIGHTY of them, cutting & folding each one from a single letter sheet from my small home printer was already more than enough work!

Those size restrictions explain why my map is not only much smaller, but also shorter in comparison to width than the official version. I also could not include as many layers of folding since I only had a single letter sheet of paper to start with and didn’t want my final folded map too small inside the invitation envelope. I thought the Hogwarts “title page” that unfolded to reveal the castle interior was a good element to include, then mine reveals the castle floor plan as well as the grounds. Their heavyweight paper does feel like it should last awhile, compared to my letterweight off-the-shelf parchment paper, and their extra unfolding layers seem attached well. I would have LOVED to include as many layers as theirs, but I knew it would be biting off more than I could chew for the quantities I needed to make!

When I opened my official version, I was impressed at the amount of fine detail, and I immediately looked for footprints, but there weren’t any at all! I double-checked that I tapped my wand & recited the “solemnly swear” line correctly, but still no luck. I expect this is because they used the original background movie art for their official map and the footprints & banners were all added digitally later so they could float around easily, but that was really disappointing to me, especially for $50. On my map you can see I show several people, house-elves, Mrs. Norris and even other magical entities!

Now that you have seen them side by side, you can buy the official Marauders Map on eBay or at the theme park, you can buy my much cheaper & smaller handfolded parchment version on Etsy, or you can download my PDF with step-by-step instructions and enjoy the challenge of making your own! All I ask is you abide by my terms & conditions listed below…and have fun! 🙂

Original Artwork © Britta Blvd. For non-commercial use only. Sale or distribution is prohibited without express authorization. You may print as many copies as you like for personal parties or events, craft projects and gifts, but you are not allowed to sell the finished items as your own work. Please respect the hard work that created these for your enjoyment!