Remember when the Royal Parks had to tell people to stop leaving marmalade sandwiches outside of its gates of Buckingham Palace after the Queen died? A Welsh conservation group just had to do something similar, as people keep leaving socks at the beach where Dobby's burial was filmed for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
The socks, along with other trinkets, have contributed to erosion at Pembrokeshire's Freshwater West Beach, to the point where National Trust Wales considered tearing the memorial down, per The New York Times.
After an eight-month-long review, the conservationists decided the fictional character's memorial can stay — as long as mourning millenials keep their socks at home. "The memorial to Dobby will remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term for people to enjoy," said the National Trust Wales in their assessment. "The Trust is asking visitors to only take photos when visiting the memorial to help protect the wider landscape."
In addition to socks, Harry Potter fans have reportedly shown up to the fake grave site with painted rocks that read "Here lies Dobby, a free elf" to memorialize Harry's tribute to the house elf in the film. The Trust has warned that "items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk."
Of course, this Harry Potter drama is somewhat tamer than the sort of publicity J.K. Rowling has been stirring up lately. But let's remember one thing: while Dobby never actually died, the effects of destroying the environment for a fictional character are very real.
The socks, along with other trinkets, have contributed to erosion at Pembrokeshire's Freshwater West Beach, to the point where National Trust Wales considered tearing the memorial down, per The New York Times.
After an eight-month-long review, the conservationists decided the fictional character's memorial can stay — as long as mourning millenials keep their socks at home. "The memorial to Dobby will remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term for people to enjoy," said the National Trust Wales in their assessment. "The Trust is asking visitors to only take photos when visiting the memorial to help protect the wider landscape."
In addition to socks, Harry Potter fans have reportedly shown up to the fake grave site with painted rocks that read "Here lies Dobby, a free elf" to memorialize Harry's tribute to the house elf in the film. The Trust has warned that "items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk."
Of course, this Harry Potter drama is somewhat tamer than the sort of publicity J.K. Rowling has been stirring up lately. But let's remember one thing: while Dobby never actually died, the effects of destroying the environment for a fictional character are very real.