All the love and money a parent can muster may not be enough this Christmas.
Not only are Harry Potter toys and games costing up to 125 per cent more here than in the United States, but the most sought-after toys may not be available until after Christmas.
One of the most expensive, and sought-after, items from the range is the Lego version of Hogwarts Castle. Retailing at about £80, the castle is sold out in Banba Toymaster and Smyth's Toys, both in Dublin city centre, as well as other retailers throughout the State.
Banba Toymaster won't have another delivery until after Christmas, while a spokeswoman for Smyths said the castle was "on order".
"But we just don't know when we'll be getting it."
Other outlets, such as Toymaster at Mallow in Co Cork and Furlongs in Clontarf, Dublin, have not even received their first consignment of the castle.
A spokeswoman for the Mallow outlet - one of the biggest toy shops in the county - said the castle had "on order for a few months now.
"But we've stopped even saying it will be in time for Christmas. We just don't know. There has been such a demand for it and I know for a fact that when it does come in there won't be enough for the number of people who are looking for it."
The picture is similar in Britain, where a spokesman for Hamleys in central London said a delivery, expected for tomorrow, "has already sold out", and Woolworths said its stores "couldn't guarantee anything" as regards stocks of Hogwarts Castle.
Lego said yesterday that the company was delighted that sales of Harry Potter products had "exceeded all our wildest expectations".
Ms Danielle Hainauer, spokeswoman for the company, said all Lego's manufacturing bases in Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Korea were "running 24 hours a say, seven days a week. . .to ensure we do our best to meet consumer demand."
She could not, however, guarantee that the most coveted items would be available for all who want them this Christmas.
Many parents will, however, pay whatever it takes and if it's the Harry Potter Trivia game they want they will pay 125 per cent more than parents in the United States.
While the game is retailing at $19.94 (£17.80) in the American Walmart chain, the price-tag in Irish shops is about £40.
Similarly, the Quidditich Broom on sale in the US for $34.96 (£31.20), is retailing here for £40. The Harry Potter Book of Spells is $26.75 (£23.90), but £40 here.
Though VAT on toys here is 20 per cent, this tax cannot explain price differences of over 100 per cent, according to Mr Dermott Jewell, spokesman for the Consumers' Association.
"But unfortunately parents cannot do anything."
