The Wand Company
 The Wand Company Coat of Arms | |
| The Wand Company Ltd | |
| Industry | Functional and accurate Prop Replicas |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Chris Barnardo and Richard Blakesley |
Number of locations | Cambridge |
| Website | thewandcompany |
The Wand Company is a United Kingdom company that designs and manufactures functional prop replicas in varying designs. The company was featured on Dragons' Den in 2010, demonstrating its "Kymera Magic Wand Universal Remote Control", and accepted an offer of financial backing of £200,000. Since then, The Wand Company has created additional Universal remote control products in the form of the Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver, the Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver, the Twelfth Doctor's extending Sonic Screwdriver and two Star Trek replicas: a Star Trek: The Original Series phaser released in November 2014 and a Star Trek Bluetooth communicator, which was released in June 2016.
History
[edit]The Wand Company was founded in 2009 by Richard Blakesley and Chris Barnardo who wanted to combine their forty years of design, development and electronic development experience and make magical/surprising themed products that work as universal remote controls.[1] The company's first product was the "Kymera Magic Wand Universal Remote Control" that is in the style of a wizard's wand and in the first year the product sold 10,300 units.[1]
In 2010 the company went onto the television show Dragons' Den on BBC Two to ask for financial backing, Duncan Bannatyne agreed to invest £200,000 for 10%.[1] In 2011 Bannatyne announced that The Wand Company had grossed £1 million in the first year.[2]
In 2012 the company manufactured a new product in the form of the Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver,[3] later in 2013 the Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver was released. A 3D Scan was taken of David Tennant's Sonic Screwdriver (which is the last remaining screen used prop from that series) to create the body of the Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.[4]
In July 2014 it was revealed on the company's Facebook page, that the next product they would be releasing would be a Star Trek phaser replica.[5] Later that month the phaser replica was shown at San Diego Comic-Con by co-founder Chris Barnardo, The Wand Company stated that it used the same technology as the Sonic Screwdriver remotes and that a 3D scan was taken of the original prop to produce this replica.[6]
In July 2015, they revealed they would be releasing a fully functioning Star Trek Bluetooth communicator. The item was released in June 2016.
In July 2020 they announced they will release a fully functional Star Trek Tricorder.
In November 2020, The Pokémon Company International announced that The Pokémon Company International and The Wand Company to Deliver Premium Poké Ball Replica Collectible Series, which would be launching in time for Pokémon Day 2021, with a special edition of the Master Ball which would be only available from The Pokémon Center.[7] The full-sized accurate metal Poké Ball has gone on to be a huge success, which together with the other variations that have been released since up to 2024, has sold over 300,000 units worldwide. In January 2024, the Wand Company launched a range of Mini Poké Balls, as replicas of the Poké Balls were stored on the trainer's belt before their expansion to the standard full-size dimension.
It was leaked in January 2022 that they will be partnering with Bethesda to make a replica of the watch in their game, Starfield.[8] The existence of the watch was officially revealed at the Starfield direct in June 2023.[9]
In 2024 it was announced that The Wand Company had taken a license from Amazon to create a Pip-Boy from Amazon's highly successful TV show, Fallout.[10] In May 2024, Chris Barnardo demonstrated the Pip-Boy to Adam Savage on his Tested channel. [11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Richard Blakesley & Chris Barnardo The Wand Company". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Dragons' Den What Happened Next– Some Success Stories Kymera Magic Wand". dragonsdeninvestors.com. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "The Wand Company and BBC Worldwide Unveil The Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "The Wand Company presents two new Doctor Who Sonic Screwdrivers at San Diego Comic-Con 2013". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "The Wand Company July 15". The Wand Company. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Grady, Lora (25 July 2014). "Star Trek Phaser Remote Revealed at Comic Con 2014". bigpicturebigsound.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ The Pokémon Company International Official Press Site
- ^ Scullion, Chris (13 January 2022). "A manual and images of a Starfield collector's edition watch have been spotted". Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Walker, john (11 June 2023). "Starfield's Most Expensive Version Has A Fancy Space Watch". Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ David, Burdett (7 March 2024). "NewsDie-cast Pip-Boy from Fallout TV show is available to pre-order now for the upcoming apocalypse". Gaming Trend. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Adam Savage Goes Hands-On with Pip-Boy Prop from Fallout TV Show!