9 Movies & Shows That Will Make You Want a Dragon Purse
My crunchy fried pickles, my sweetest peas, I have the most magical new addition to the Wicker Darling collection this season. And it is *drum roll please* a DRAGON PURSE.
That’s right. After a blessing of unicorn bags and other unique accessories, I decided it was finally time to release a fabulous fire drake. And thus, our sweet, lovely, huggable dragon purse was born.
This dragon-shaped purse is a real stunner, and to get you over-the-top excited about him, I thought it made sense to talk up some other spectacular dragons from much-beloved shows and videos.
Big dragons, small dragons, fire dragons, water dragons, mean dragons, and unbelievably sweet dragons - all in a lead up to the unveiling of our own fantastical dragon handbag.
Ready to get started?
Flame on!
9 dragon-filled movies and shows we love
Before we get into our list of dragon-filled entertainment, I think it’s important to note that our dragon purse is not associated with any movies or TV shows. He is a dragon purse in his own right. And what a splendid purse he is!
But without further ado, here are some of our favourite movies and shows featuring smoke-snooted serpents.
1. Game of Thrones
HBO
We can’t talk about dragons without discussing Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones was one of the most-watched shows of recent years. With an unending list of confusing names, shady politics, and fantasy elements, it shouldn’t have been everyone’s cup of tea. Yet somehow it was!
This unlikely show really brought dragons into mainstream modernity. People who usually wouldn't have partaken in fantasy epics or mediaeval wartime sagas were SMITTEN with the show and its scaly stars.
Until the last season, that is.
When GOT was good, it was GREAT - with Battle of the Bastards being one of THE best TV episodes ever filmed. Unfortunately, without source material to go off of, the writing for the last two seasons took a sharp nose dive, and took our favourite dragons with it.
Of course, we still have a lot of love for Drogon, Rhaegal, Viserion, and the Mother of Dragons - no matter what the show writers chose to do. Don’t let D&D’s poor choices dissuade you from the awesomeness that is a dragon purse.
2. House of the Dragon
There was so much love surrounding the dragons of GOT that George R.R. Martin decided to grace us with the whole history of House Targaryen. And thus, the new HBO hit, House of the Dragon was born.
Hearing the GOT theme song once again filled some with absolute adrenaline and others with complete PTSD. But whatever your feelings towards GOT, or whether you even watched it, House of the Dragon has already proven it’s worth a watch in its own right.
With a completely new cast and team of directors, House of the Dragon puts a fresh face on a well-loved world - with EVEN MORE DRAGONS. (Which, let’s be honest, is all we ever wanted anyway.)
House of the Dragon has already been renewed for a second season - and a dragon purse will be the perfect decoration for your watch parties.
3. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter is another of those unlikely fantasy stories that managed to bewitch the whole world. And while the author, herself, may have some very questionable beliefs - we can’t deny the dragons.
Dragons appear in many of the Harry Potter films, but Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire is undoubtedly where they shine: the Chinese Fireball, the Welsh Green, and the fearsome Hungarian Horntail.
There is just something about watching a dragon chase a boy on a broomstick that we can all get behind.
Warner Bros
While not nearly as successful as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit had something special all of its own. And that something was Smaug.
Smaug is more your traditional, treasure-hoarding sort of fire-drake, but we appreciate him for that. We also appreciate that Benedict Cumberbatch literally rolled around in a motion-capture suit while filming as Smaug - which you should definitely picture the next time you watch the film.
Smaug is the cunning kind of dragon you just really don’t want to mess with. Unlike our dragon purse, which you can mess with on the daily.
5. Mulan
Disney
One of the very first dragons that many of us fell in love with was Mushu. This pint-sized Disney character was comical, fast-talking, and full of personality. He was sassy, fiercely protective of Mulan, and not afraid to ride a panda - all things we loved about him.
As a Chinese dragon, Mushu was quite different from the average Western dragon. Chinese dragons do not require wings to fly, and can control a variety of elements. But, of course, Mushu’s element was Fire.
While Mulan is a wonderful movie on the whole, and a lovely big middle finger to misogyny, Mushu was the little extra bit of magic that sealed it all together.
It was, therefore, very upsetting when he wasn’t included in the recent live-action movie. A TRAGIC MISTAKE.
But if you get a dragon purse, it will be almost like he lives on as your very own guardian spirit.
6. How to Train Your Dragon
Since we are discussing lovable dragons, we simply must talk about Toothless. With an adorable design, quirky mannerisms, and expressive eyes, Toothless may seem more like a cat than a dragon. But we think that makes him all the more lovable.
Who wouldn’t want a fire-breathing flying kitty!? And one you can RIDE, no less! (Although we all know that a true cat would never allow this.)
How to Train Your Dragon was a real win for DreamWorks studio - arguably, their best film of all time. The film taught us all that it’s okay to be different and find your own path - because sometimes it leads you (and your whole community) on a grand and unexpected adventure.
Just an all-around feel-good movie.
And then, of course, the sequel went and gave us the most tragic scene since the Lion King.
7. Shrek
DreamWorks
We never thought we would be invested in a love story between donkey and dragon, and yet, there we were at the Shrek premiere, cheering away!
Shrek has something for everyone to love. It’s equally accessible to children and adults, full of great laughs, and spins fairy tales completely on their heads. No wonder the movie sparked a franchise - and how fun it was to see Donkey and Dragon’s relationship bloom!
This was the first time we got to see a sultry, feminine dragon on screen - with long fringed lashes and a killer pout. Dragon was certainly a new spin on the classic, but so was the entire tale (so we’re not sure why we expected anything else).
8. Spirited Away
Studio Ghibli
We mentioned Asian dragons before, but we can’t leave an actual Asian movie off the list! Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is an absolute masterpiece - and it features an iconic dragon.
Now this dragon is a far cry from a Western dragon, with a fox-like face, chicken legs, white serpentine body, a tufted tail, and a fluffy seafoam green mane. But, we must insist, he is no less a dragon.
This dragon is hiding a tantalising secret, but for those who haven’t seen Spirited Away, we won’t give away any of the magic!
This tale is one of the history books, as Miyazaki was truly able to spirit us away to another world for just a few hours. Hats off to him for this incredible feat.
9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Warner Bros
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Godzilla isn’t a dragon, he’s a radioactive sea iguana!”
And you’re absolutely right.
But we’re not here to talk about Godzilla, we’re here to talk about King Ghidorah - one of the absolute largest of dragons. (You can watch this informative video on dragon size comparisons if you don’t believe me.)
The true king of the monsters, Ghidorah weighs in at a whopping 70,000 tons, and boasts a wingspan of 175 metres (not to mention his three heads). In other words, he isn’t a dragon we want to go up against.
In fact, he isn’t even a dragon Godzilla wants to go up against, and our #1 Kaiju always needs assistance to ward him off.
After all, Ghidorah is an evil space dragon responsible for wiping out many planets across the universe.
With rapid cellular regeneration, incinerating gravity beams, hurricane-generating wings, and the ability to absorb nuclear energy, this dragon is as bad as they come.
So naturally, we now need to introduce a dragon without a bad bone in his body.
Our dragon purse.
Meet our very own dragon purse!
Say hello to Rhys the Red, the very friendly dragon purse. If you’re looking for unique handbags, this is the one to beat!
Rhys means “fire” in Welsh, which is the ideal name for a dragon handbag, and perfectly suits his fiery red paint job. Why Welsh? Well, Rhys looks rather similar to the Welsh red dragon, which is the heraldic symbol on the national flag of Wales.
It seemed only fitting to name our dragon purse a Welsh name!
Rhys the friendly dragon purse is not in any way a spooky purse. Instead, he is a rather cuddly sort of dragon. Take one look at his open-mouthed smile and outstretched arms and you want to give him a hug. (Which he will gladly accept.)
This dragon-shaped purse is 33cm from toe to tail, 36cm from toe to horn tip, and an ample 54cm around his belly (making him smaller than any of the dragons in the video clip above).
He features a rather lovely set of wings, a beautifully spiked spine, and a red leather crossbody strap that you can choose to detach from his rattan handbag body.
To be honest, this wicker purse design first started as a T-rex purse, but there was just something a little off about him. Too jolly, perhaps? And I thought, if we popped a pair of wings and some horns on him, we would make the PERFECT dragon handbag.
And he did.
We dare you not to love him.
Add some magic to your home
Calling all witches, wizards, dragon tamers, and evil overlords alike - your dragon purse has finally arrived, so it’s time for you to snatch him up!
As is the case for many of our wicker handbags, Rhys the red dragon purse will be available for pre-order only, so you’ll have to get your mitts on him between 12-16 September!
Rhys the dragon purse will make the perfect addition to any outfit or living space, and he can’t wait to cuddle up on the couch and watch dragon-themed entertainment with you.
Just promise to hug him bunches for me, okay?
And, if a dragon purse simply isn’t enough, or you manage to miss the pre-order window, we always have more unique purses and bags to browse at Wicker Darling.
Happy shopping!
