LEGO Harry Potter 76429 Talking Sorting Hat’s secret phrase discovered

One LEGO Harry Potter fan has discovered 76429 Talking Sorting Hat’s hidden phrase – and it’s a deep cut from the books…

76429 Talking Sorting Hat debuted on shelves on March 1, marking the return of the sound brick after more than a decade off shelves. This new and improved element includes 31 phrases specific to the magical headgear, one of which LEGO designer George Gilliatt calls a ‘very special phrase’ that you won’t necessarily hear straight away.

“The Sorting Hat has one very special phrase hidden inside it,” George explained. “You may hear it the very first time you try it on, and you may not hear it after hundreds of uses. You’ll just have to listen closely for yourselves.” Case in point: we’ve been trying out our review copy consistently since building it a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve yet to hear the phrase in question.

Instagram user maxbautde has had a little more luck, though – and even managed to capture the Sorting Hat’s hidden phrase on film. If you consider this a spoiler, probably best to turn away now (and maybe go buy and build your own copy to discover it for yourself, even if it takes hundreds of attempts).

While the majority of the Sorting Hat’s phrases are simply for sorting would-be Wizarding World students into one of the four Hogwarts houses – you belong in Hufflepuff, you belong in Gryffindor – the secret phrase is actually a nod to the Harry Potter books, in which the hat sings a merry tune to mark the start of the Sorting Ceremony. The phrase in question can be read in the very first book, the Philosopher’s Stone.

“There’s nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can’t see, so try me on and I will tell you where you ought to be!”

Those lyrics are sandwiched somewhere in the middle of the 32-line song, which goes on to describe the typical traits of students in each house. (How did any Hogwarts student walk away from that school without borderline personality disorder?) You won’t have heard it if you’ve only seen the Harry Potter movies, though: this song was one for book readers alone.

This particular quote has appeared in other Harry Potter merch, such as an interactive Sorting Hat plush, which you can buy online for £64.99… but with only five phrases total. And you don’t even get to build it! 76429 Talking Sorting Hat is starting to look a little better value for money now. You can buy yours from LEGO.com for £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99.

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