I completely understand the need for studios to turn a buck and promote and capitalize on every aspect of a movie. At the same time, I think there should be a limit. To paraphrase Johnny Depp, there just seems to be a problem with the idea of Captain Jack Sparrow toothpaste; after all, the character does have quite a few gold teeth. Studios will go as far as they can, however, to build hype and excitement around their picture, but Warner Brothers has just gone a little too far with the Harry Potter franchise.

The latest promotional tool for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is Death Eater mask art. You go to the official Order of the Phoenix website, download a “Death Eater Art Kit” and create your own mask, like the one on the right. Cute, huh?

So here’s why it crosses the line: For those unfamiliar with the Death Eaters, they are the fictional army of Voldemort, the most evil and vile wizard who ever lived – I mean, this guy is so evil nobody wants to even mention his name, giving him the nickname “he who must not be named.” Essentially, he’s the wizarding world version of Adolph Hitler. And now Warner Brothers is giving you the chance to decorate and design your own little wizarding world Nazi costume. That ought to go over well with the fans.

Think I’m blowing this out of proportion? The last movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire gave fans their first look at the Death Eaters, who were practically presented as wizarding Ku Klux Klan members, with pointed hoods and all. It was a brilliant depiction of what is supposed to be the most evil force in Harry Potter’s world. But feel free to let your little kids decorate their masks and vote for whose is the most dreadful… or cute… just forget about the fact that these are supposed to be evil, evil people behind the masks.

I guess Warners ran out of things for kids to customize after five movies, because I would much rather have my kids create their own wands or Hogwart’s robes. Suddenly the idea of cutting down the part of the Weasley Brothers’ practical jokes looks like a bad idea – at least that could have been a better marketing tool than this.

If you want to design your own mask, head over to the Official Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix website or click here to go straight to the Death Eater gallery.

Next week: build your own serial killer costume kits.