A while back I wrote a list of all the things Harry Potter and Labyrinth have in common and now I've been able to add to that list that in the Japanese dubbed version of Labyrinth. Kaneto Shiozawa was the voice of Jareth. Ichiro Nagai was the voice of Hoggle. Mami Koyama was the voice of Sarah. Now it happens that Ichiro Nagai (Hoggle) is also Dumbledore in the Japanese dubbed version of the Harry Potter movies.

Here's my old Labyrinth / Harry Potter post.

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It seems likely that J. K. Rowling got a lot of ideas from a lot of sources. For example in 1986 there was a fantasy film called Troll and the main character was named Harry
Potter but yes, it appears she has seen Labyrinth.

I have been told (It's uncomfirmed) that J. K. Rowling is a huge David Bowie fan and she makes this apparent in her Harry Potter books. If this is true than she seems particularly fond of the fantasy film Labyrinth in which David Bowie played The Goblin King who once in a while took on the form of a barn owl.

Keep in mind I'm dealing with the American versions so when I say Sorcerer's stone I mean Philosopher's stone.

Here is a list of what MIGHT be little David Bowie references (at least the ones I remember off hand since it's been a while since I read the Harry Potter books).

Some of these are just random similarities that have no basis in what influenced J. K. Rowling at all.

1. Owls are a major factor to the Harry Potter books as was the form David Bowie's character Jareth took in Labyrinth while visiting Earth. In fact a barn owl identical to Jareth's owl incarnation can be seen delivering messages in the movie Harry Potter and The Sorcer's Stone.

2. Hermione. David Bowie's first gilfriend's name was... Well, take a wild guess. He also named a song Hermione in the sixties. I don't know what album it's available on and have never heard it myself. Hermione is the little girl witch in the Harry Potter books.

3. There's a character named Ludo in the fourth Harry Potter book. Ludo was the name of the yeti that the girl Sarah befriends in Jareth's Labyrinth.

4. David Bowie indorced the musical Hedwig and The Angry Inch in the nineties, he's mentioned in the film, and there's a special thanks to him on the DVD. He was given special thanks in the movie which was released in 2001. Hedwig became the name of Harry Potter's owl.

5. The character of Mad eye has mismatched eyes like a certain Glam Rock star.

6. The character of Lockheart, an extrovert and arrogant creature, much like Jareth of Labyrinth. Lockheart also manipulated people by erasing their memories, much like Jareth and his enchanted peaches in Labyrinth.

7. Jareth in Labyrinth was the ruler of goblins. Goblins are the creatures that run the wizard bank in the Harry Potter books.

8. The memberall, a trinket that helps you remember if you've forgotten something, looks just like one of Jareth's crystal orbs in Labyrinth.

9. In the third Harry Potter book the devination teacher tries to teach the kids how to gaze into crystal balls, much like Jareth's crystal orbs in Labyrinth.

10. There is an actual Labyrinth in the fourth Harry Potter book. Much like ...The Labyrinth.

11. Professor Snape bears striking phsyical similarties to the way David Bowie made himself look in the late nineties. (See the booklet for the album Hours).

12. Hoggle's fear and servitude to Jareth is replayed in a similar fashion with Dobby the house elf and his service to Malfoy. (Dobby's cuter though).

13. The stair cases into the dorms in the Hogwarts school in the Harry Potter books are very similar to the staircase maze in the movie Labyrinth.

14. Sarah, in Labyrinth, mistakenly called Hoggle by the name Hogwart. Hagwarts became the name of the school in the Harry Potter books.

15. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone there is a mirror that shows you
your dreams. In Labyrinth Jareth's crystal shows you, your dreams.

16. If not for the fact that Jareth's hair was distinctly feathered, teased and spiked out in places, and for David Bowie's naturally mismatched eyes, the character would of Lucius Malfoy would in deed resemble Jareth.

17. (sort of) in the Return to Labyrinth manga (the official sequel to Labyrinth) Toby is called Harry Potter by his teacher when he says 'It wasn't me! It was the owl!' (talking, of course, abut Jareth in his barn owl form.

18. The prophecy that tells Harry's destiny is in a crystal orb. Much like the crystals Jareth uses.

19. The divination teacher fights death eaters in the seventh Harry Potter book by using crystal balls as weapons. Much like the crystals Jareth uses in Labyrinth.

20. Goblins become important as well as their nature, similar to those in Labyrinth, within the seventh Harry Potter book.

21. There's a ball in the fourth Harry Potter book.

22. The moment Harry Potter starts acting nice to the house elf Kreacher he becoems helpful, much like Hoggle in Labyrinth.

23. In Return to Labyrinth Volume 2 there is a hall of prophecies much like within Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

24. In Return to Labyrinth the goblin called Skub bears a striking similiarty to Dobby, the house elf of Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, both in nature and appearance.

25. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban begins thirteen years after Harry was born, Return to Labyrinth begins thirteen years after Sarah solved the Labyrinth. Labyrinth time is kept on a thirteen hour clock.

26. Return to Labyrinth volume 2 has Toby learning magick lessons.

27. In the Japanese dubbed version of Labyrinth. Kaneto Shiozawa was the voice of Jareth. Ichiro Nagai was the voice of Hoggle. Mami Koyama was the voice of Sarah. Now it happens that Ichiro Nagai (Hoggle) is also Dumbledore in the Japanese dubbed version of the Harry Potter movies.

28. In Return to Labyrinth Toby is relatively just an ordinary boy until he comes to The Goblin City where he learns he is a celebrity much like Harry in the Harry Potter books when he comes to the Wizarding World.

29. The author of Return to Labyrinth, Jake. T. Forbes, has promised to give small hints about what's going to happen in Volumes 3 and 4 of Return to Labyrinth on his website http://www.gobblin.net/ much the way J. K. Rowling used to do on her own website.

30. There is now a new line of plush toys and action figures from Labyrinth much like what is being sold for Harry Potter. In fact the Labyrinth action figures are being released by NECA who made a similar line of figures for Harry Potter and The order of the Phoenix, including a talking Harry Potter doll based on a smaller figure, much like their own talking Jareth doll.

31. In the fourth Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire) a real rock star provided the music for the ball room scene much the way David Bowie provided the songs for Labyrinth and it's ball room scene. And like with Labyrinth, one of these songs appears on the film's end credits.

32. Like the Harry Potter books, which makes allusions and connections to other folklore Return to Labyrinth has made connections to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, The Lord of the rings, The Dark Crystal, Legends of The Dark Crystal, The Oz books by L. Frank Baum, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The elves and the Shoe maker, Old King Cole, as well as other stories.

33. In Return to Labyrinth, as a child, Toby found strange things happened around him that he couldn't explain that made him feel like a freak and an out cast much like Harry Potter.

There's more. I just can't think of them off hand.