“New Nimbus 2021?”
An “Asian straw broom” being sold in an online marketplace caught Filipinos’ attention for its unusual design which they said reminded them of the Harry Potter franchise.
Comic book creator Toto Madayag, the artist behind the “P*cha, E ‘Di Komiks” series,” shared a screengrab of the straw broom which he found on Etsy. It was being sold for around P2,000.
“In other news: (sparkles emoji) w ă l í s (sparkles emoji),” he wrote on Facebook.
Madayag’s post has garnered 1,200 reactions and 2,000 shares on the social networking site so far.
The product called “41-42 inch tall of Asian straw broom Thai natural grass broom Bamboo stick Handle” is being offered online by a seller named “BroomMikwad.”
The materials used for the item consist of bamboo, wood, grass, silk broom and rope.
Based on its description, the broom is provided by SkenNova which claims to be a company offering “high quality cleaning solutions.”
“Our broom grass product is designed to offer perfect cleaning features while also being very easy to use. It also comes with an extraordinary, albeit simplistic style that you can check out on your own and just have fun with,” the description read.
“The main material for our broom is Kong grass. This broom grass can only be harvested on mountains in the (northern) side of Thailand 4 months per year. But it’s very durable, it will withstand a lot of pressure and you will be able to keep it in the same pristine state for a very long time,” it added.
The item is shipped from Thailand and has been sold more than 400 times online.
In Filipino households, there are two types of cleaning brooms that are used by families. One is the hard broom or the “walis tingting” while the other is the soft broom or the “walis tambo.”
The “walis tambo” is used for indoor cleaning while the “walis tinging” is used in the outdoors to sweep large particles such as fallen leaves.
These types of brooms are also available in other countries but the soft broom is popular in Asia since the plants used for its bristles are more abundant in these locales.
Meanwhile, some Filipinos in Madayag’s post commented that the “walis tambo” he shared online reminds them of the Harry Potter franchise which features brooms, especially on its fictional Quidditch game.
“Is that the new Nimbus 2021?” a Facebook user said with laughing-with-tears emojis.
Nimbus refers to Harry’s cardinal broomstick that he used when he joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team in the first book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
“Magagamit ba ‘yan sa Quidditch,” another online user commented with a GIF of a Quidditch player.
“Puwedeng pang-walis, puwedeng for Quidditch (1234),” quipped a different Facebook user.
Quidditch in the franchise pertains to the sport that witches and wizards play while flying on broomsticks.
Harry is seen playing it in the first movie adaptation of the series.
Broomsticks with unusual designs or handles are not unusual to be seen in its film adaptations.
