50 Fun Facts About Wizards of Waverly Place

In which New York City neighbourhood is Waverly Place, home of the Russo family?

Greenwich Village: Waverly Place is a real Village street running past Washington Square Park, and the Russos' sub shop sits on it, giving the show its title.

What kind of business do Jerry and Theresa Russo run on the ground floor of their building?

A subway-themed sandwich shop: the Waverly Sub Station, decked out with subway signs and a turnstile, is the family business, and Max takes it over in the series finale.

According to the rules of the Wizard World, what happens once the Russo children finish their training?

They compete and only one keeps the powers: Jerry won his own family's competition as a teenager but gave up his powers to marry Theresa, a mortal.

Who wins the family wizard competition in the series finale?

Alex wins the competition in 'Who Will Be the Family Wizard'; Justin keeps his powers too after being made headmaster of the wizard school, so only Max ends up mortal.

What is the name of Alex's best friend, who moves in with the Russos in season three?

Harper Finkle, played by Jennifer Stone, is Alex's fashion-obsessed best friend and moves into the Russos' basement in season three.

Alex's boyfriend Mason Greyback is what kind of creature?

A werewolf: Mason Greyback, played by Gregg Sulkin, is a werewolf, and Sulkin returned as Mason in the sequel series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

In Wizards of Waverly Place, what is the boarding school for young wizards that Justin ends up running as headmaster?

WizTech is the wizard boarding school the Russos first visit in the season-one two-parter 'Wizard School'; becoming its headmaster in the finale lets Justin keep his powers.

What name does Max go by after a season-four spell turns him into a young girl?

Maxine: the season-four episode 'Three Maxes and a Little Lady' turns Max into a little girl, and he stays Maxine for several episodes while Jake T. Austin was away.

Who created Wizards of Waverly Place, having previously worked on the first season of Hannah Montana?

Todd J. Greenwald created the series after writing on Hannah Montana's first season; it premiered on Disney Channel on 12 October 2007.

When executive producer Peter Murrieta joined the project, what was the show's working title?

The kids were named Brooke, Sully and Max O'Malley at that stage, then Alexa, Aaron and Max Esposito, before Murrieta changed the surname to Russo.

The unaired pilot was set in a magic store and featured how many siblings?

They were named Jordan and Julia; David DeLuise and Jake T. Austin were not in that pilot at all.

Selena Gomez's unaired Disney pilot 'Arwin!' was a spin-off of which show?

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: 'Arwin!' would have followed the Tipton Hotel's handyman Arwin Hawkhauser, played by Brian Stepanek; the 2007 pilot was never picked up.

Wizards of Waverly Place's theme song, sung by its star Selena Gomez, has what title?

'Everything Is Not What It Seems' is Gomez's own vocal; she played Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom from 2007 to 2012.

David Henrie, who played Justin, wrote which two episodes of the series?

'Alex's Logo' and 'Meet the Werewolves' are David Henrie's two writing credits on the show; he later returned as Justin and an executive producer on Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

How many viewers watched the one-hour series finale, 'Who Will Be the Family Wizard?', in January 2012?

9.8 million viewers watched the finale on 6 January 2012, at the time the most-watched series finale in Disney Channel history; the 2007 premiere had drawn 5.9 million.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Program did the franchise win in total?

Three: the series took Outstanding Children's Program in 2009 and 2012, and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie won it in 2010.

Where was Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie filmed on location?

San Juan, Puerto Rico stood in for the family's Caribbean holiday; the 2009 movie drew 11.4 million viewers, second only to High School Musical 2 among Disney Channel premieres at the time.

In the movie, what powerful magical object can reverse any spell or grant any wish?

The Stone of Dreams: street magician Archie wants it to turn his parrot Giselle back into a human, and Giselle ends up stealing it.

In The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, the Russos travel to which country for a family reunion?

Italy: the family heads to Tuscany for a Russo reunion, where Alex accidentally splits herself into good and evil versions; the special premiered on 15 March 2013.

In Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, set fifteen years on, where does Justin Russo live a normal life with his wife and sons?

Staten Island is home; his sons are Roman and Milo and his mortal wife is Giada.

What is revealed about young wizard Billie in the sequel's second-season finale?

She is Alex's daughter: Alex and Damien had hidden her at WizTech and erased all memory of her to protect her from her paternal grandfather.

Who plays Billie in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Janice LeAnn Brown plays Billie, the young wizard Justin takes in; the sequel series premiered on Disney Channel on 29 October 2024.

Under what working title did Disney first order the sequel pilot in January 2024?

'Wizards' was the pilot's title in January 2024, with Henrie a series regular and Gomez a recurring guest; the full name Wizards Beyond Waverly Place was announced in May 2024.

Selena Gomez began her acting career at age ten on which children's television series?

Barney & Friends (2002-2004) came first; she was named after the Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.

Selena Gomez founded which cosmetics company, later valued at around $2 billion?

Rare Beauty, launched in 2020 with a Rare Impact Fund for mental-health causes, was reported in 2024 to be valued at about $2 billion.

On How I Met Your Mother, David Henrie played whose future son?

Ted Mosby's: Henrie played Ted's son Luke, one of the two kids hearing the story on the couch throughout the series; earlier he was Cory's friend Larry on That's So Raven.

Jake T. Austin was the original voice of which Nickelodeon character, Dora's cousin?

Diego: Austin was the original voice of Dora's cousin in Go, Diego, Go!; he later played the first Jesus Foster on The Fosters and appeared in Hotel for Dogs and Rio.

Jennifer Stone, who played Harper, left acting in 2019 to qualify in which profession?

Nursing: Stone trained as a registered nurse, partly to better understand her own type 1 diabetes, and qualified just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.

In 2010 Jennifer Stone played the title role in a film based on which children's book?

Harriet the Spy: Stone played Harriet in the 2010 Disney Channel movie Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars, based on Louise Fitzhugh's 1964 novel.

What is the name of the rewatch podcast David DeLuise and Jennifer Stone launched in 2023?

Wizards of Waverly Pod, launched in February 2023 on Christy Carlson Romano's PodCo network, rewatches the series episode by episode; Selena Gomez has appeared as a guest.

The 2019 Disney adaptation 'Wizards of Warna Walk' was set in which city?

Kuala Lumpur: the Malaysian remake for Disney Channel Asia aired in 2019, moved the Russo set-up to the capital, and was shot at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor.

At which studio was Wizards of Waverly Place filmed?

Hollywood Center Studios: the sitcom was taped before a live audience on the Las Palmas Avenue lot in Hollywood, which was renamed Sunset Las Palmas Studios in 2017.

Which Wizards of Waverly Place guest character, played by Hayley Kiyoko, did producer Murrieta later call a potential love interest for Alex?

Stevie was the one; Murrieta said the team intended Alex to be openly bisexual but could not make it explicit at the time.

Who plays Theresa Russo, the mortal mother of Alex, Justin and Max?

Maria Canals-Barrera plays Theresa, the mortal who married wizard Jerry Russo; she had earlier voiced Hawkgirl on the animated Justice League.

On which Disney Channel series did Selena Gomez play pop star Mikayla before Wizards?

Hannah Montana: Gomez played Mikayla, a pop rival to Miley's alter ego, in three episodes in 2007 and 2008; she also guested on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as Gwen.

What was the subtitle of the second Nintendo DS game based on the show, released in November 2010?

Spellbound: Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound, the second Nintendo DS game, arrived in November 2010, a year after the first DS title.

How far into the show's run does Alex finally let Harper in on the family secret?

In the second year: Alex tells Harper in the season-two episode 'Harper Knows', though wizards still had to stay hidden from the wider mortal world.

Before Wizards of Waverly Place's final season, Alex and Justin are tricked into exposing wizards to whom?

Government officials and reporters: the exposure turns out to be a Wizard Council test by Professor Crumbs; both are demoted in the competition, and Alex quits before rejoining so she can keep dating Mason.

In which US state was Selena Gomez born?

Texas: she was born in Grand Prairie, a Dallas suburb, and left regular school after seventh grade to move to Los Angeles.

Which 2024 film earned Selena Gomez a Cannes Film Festival award as part of its ensemble?

Emilia Pérez: Gomez shared the 2024 Cannes Best Actress prize with Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz for Jacques Audiard's musical.

Who is the cowboy-obsessed principal of Tribeca Prep, the Russo kids' school?

Mr. Laritate, played by Bill Chott, is the Western-obsessed principal of Tribeca Prep, forever dressing the school in cowboy motifs and handing Alex detention.

In which month and year did Wizards Beyond Waverly Place air its final episode?

It ran for two seasons after its October 2024 premiere.

In the 2009 TV movie, what does Alex's accidental spell change about history?

The film, written by Dan Berendsen, follows the Russos on a Caribbean vacation and drew 11.4 million viewers.

Which actress played Juliet van Heusen, Justin's vampire girlfriend?

Bridgit Mendler played Juliet van Heusen, vampire daughter of the family behind the rival Late Nite Bite, before starring as Teddy in Good Luck Charlie.

To whom were Jerry Russo's powers transferred when he gave them up to marry Theresa?

His brother Kelbo, played by Jeff Garlin, received Jerry's powers; Jerry had won his family's competition but gave them up because Theresa is a mortal.

Which Friends character's mannerisms did Selena Gomez borrow for her portrayal of Alex Russo?

Rachel Green, as Jennifer Aniston played her, was the model; Gomez also asked that Alex stay edgy, and critics called the character a 'wisecracking underachiever'.

Who played Maxine, the girl version of Max, while Jake T. Austin took a hiatus?

Bailee Madison played Maxine across several fourth-season episodes while Jake T. Austin was away; she had starred in Bridge to Terabithia and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.

Selena Gomez's unaired pilot 'What's Stevie Thinking?' was a spin-off of which Disney series?

Lizzie McGuire: 'What's Stevie Thinking?' would have followed Miranda Sanchez's family, with Gomez as Miranda's younger sister Stevie and Lalaine reprising Miranda; it was never picked up.

Who plays Zeke Beakerman, Justin's best friend who later dates Harper?

Dan Benson plays Zeke Beakerman, Justin's buddy from the Alien Language League, who becomes Harper's boyfriend in the later seasons.

Who directed the 2013 special The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex?

Victor Gonzalez, who directed dozens of episodes of the series, helmed the special; Selena Gomez served as one of its executive producers.