The Magic: The Gathering Harper Prism book promo version of Giant Badger is a unique and collectible card with a history rooted in a promotional partnership between Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Magic: The Gathering (MTG), and the publisher Harper Prism. Giant Badger was created to accompany the novel "Whispering Woods," authored by Clayton Emery and published in 1994. However the card could also have been gained by purchasing The Cursed Land novel as the coupon that came in that book was for any of the 5 Harper Prism book promos (Arena, Giant Badger, Mana Crypt, Sewers of Estark, and Windseeker Centaur) whereas the coupon in Whispering Woods was only for Giant Badger.

According to Crystalkeep.com there were an estimated 100,000 copies of Giant Badger Printed across all languages including the languages that were never released. That alongside the fact that the cards were not widely available because of the process to obtain them as well as the very early print date and unreleased languages there are comparatively very few of these cards that exist. For perspective on average in a new standard set you can assume that there are over 15 million of any given Mythic Rare that are printed based on the stated odds from Wizards of the Coast.

In the early years of Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast often collaborated with publishers to promote their trading card game and expand the game's universe through novels and other media. Harper Prism was one such publisher that joined forces with Wizards of the Coast to produce a special promotional card. This card was exclusively included with copies of "Whispering Woods",  though not in the way you would think. To get these cards a player or collector had to first purchase the book and then mail in the promotional mailer card that was in the book, then Harper Prism themselves would send a promotional copy of the card back in the mail. Which is why many of the loose copies of this card that you find have stamping machine imprints that are noticeable on the backs of the cards.

The promotional version of Giant Badger features unique artwork, illustrated by Liz Danforth, that is the original card design, which was later changed in 8th edition. While the gameplay mechanics remained unchanged, the art depicts the Giant Badger in a more detailed and menacing style. This special version of the card was not meant for regular tournament play but rather served as a collector's item and a promotional tool to engage fans of the "Magic: The Gathering" novels with the card game.

Created as part of a promotional collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and Harper Prism, this card was initially released with the English edition of the book. However, there are also versions of the card in Spanish and French, catering to Magic enthusiasts in those language communities. The presence of Spanish and French versions underscores the global appeal of the game, and collectors from different linguistic backgrounds may seek out these language-specific variants. The Spanish version of these cards were also printed in error with white borders, as all of the Harper Prism promos were meant to have black borders.

Interestingly, it was planned to produce Portuguese and Italian versions of the card to further expand its reach into those regions. Unfortunately, complications arose during the production of localized copies of the books for these languages, leading to the cancellation of the Portuguese and Italian printings. Such challenges in coordinating international promotions and localizations are not uncommon, and they can impact the availability and collectability of cards like the Magic: The Gathering Harper Prism book promo version of Giant Badger. According to a source at Devir Publishing, they did actually receive all of the Italian printed cards, however most of the cards were then destroyed when the book was cancelled. It is not known how many cards Devir Publishing received before they were destroyed. Though there have been some unconfirmed sightings of Italian copies in the wild.

So far there have been a small number of different recurring misprints documented. These misprints include 3 different positions of hickeys/fish eyes(When a small particle or piece of debris/dust get attached to one of the print blankets, we get a small error known as a printer hickey.  Hickeys can come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors and are most notably identified by a miscolored blot with a miscolored 'halo' around its edges. ). One with the hickey right over the a in badger, one with the hickey on the left side of the card frame, and one with two hickeys one just to the left of the mana symbol and one on the right side of the card frame.

There were not artists prints of these cards made as they didn't go into a normal set, so Wizards of the Coast printed them without tests which funnily enough resulted in a minor grammatical error. On every English copy of Giant Badger the flavor text says "The wizard Greensleeves called a Giant Badger to her aid in an battle with the desert mage Karli.", where "in an battle" is incorrect.

The Magic: The Gathering Harper Prism book promo version of Giant Badger has since become a rare and sought-after collectible among MTG enthusiasts and card collectors. Its unique artwork and limited availability have made it a cherished piece of Magic's history, representing the early collaborations between Wizards of the Coast and publishers to promote the game and expand its lore.