It's odd that this blog would be up and running for this long and I've yet to really talk about Gremlins (1984). A film that terrified me when I first saw it as a child, but would eventually become one of my all-time favorites. Well, okay, second to Gremlins II: The New Batch (1990), which is absolutely the only movie I could watch every single day and never-ever-ever grow tired of.
With all that love for everything mogwai and Mrs. Deagle and Dick Miller, imagine my surprise when I noticed there wasn't a single post in my archives that was tagged "gremlins". That, my dearest friends, is about to change like someone fed me after midnight and I entered a pupal stage.
Shit is about to hatch, son.
Looks like the metamorphosis hit rewind, because that's not a gremlin at all..!
It's Gizmo, adorable mogwai hero and admirer of Rambo and MTV. I loathe throwing around the term "vintage" for toys from my childhood, but most would I guess, like this seller on Etsy who I recently bought Gizzie from. At a measly six bucks, I really couldn't pass up on the deal and was pleasantly surprised to find a lovely hand-written note included. Even if I hadn't seen the two Gremlins films time and time again, this fantastic Mogwai Care guide walked me through the steps of maintaining my mogwai and keeping him in good health.
With only three rules to follow, you'd think I would have an easy time taking care of Gizmo. The same could have been said for William Peltzer, but we all know how that turned out, don't we? Looks like I followed in the footsteps of poor Billy, because I didn't pay well enough attention to Rule Number Two.
This is better than I could have possibly dreamed. Two for the price of one! Okay, not really. My second mogwai came courtesy of eBay and cost a little bit more than his dirtier duplicate. This is my own personal curse, the rule I shouldn't but always seem to break. My poor impulse control at its best and brightest. Too bright for any gremlin to bare.
So, you think I'd be happy with just one of these fantastic, seven-inch Gizmo toys from the '80s. You think I'd be happy with two.
And you'd be wrong.
I don't care if you do look like you want a hug, Third Gizmo. I really, honestly, think that I'm starting to lose it a little and it's all you fault.
You see, Gizmo Number Three has been hanging out with me for a few years now; picked up for a single five-dollar bill at a small collectors' show from a guy peddling his personal collection for pennies. I grabbed this guy, all yellowed and aged, along with some cheap DVDs and a couple magazines. The seller threw in some Gremlins II "candy heads", which I'll have to be sure to show off sometime in 2014, for free. It was a purchase that led me to later buying two more of these adorable bastards and could lead me to buying more in the near future.
I have three mogwais and zero regrets.
I like the Big Brain/Genius Gremlin from the second movie myself. : )
ReplyDeleteI love the Tony Randall-voiced "Brain" Gremlin. I even had the Applause PVC of him [as well as several others], but regrettably sold it several years back.
DeleteOh how I adored this toy as a kid in grammar school. It was like... third or fourth grade and I dragged that Gizmo toy EVERYWHERE. I distinctly remember being the coolest kid at school for ONE day because I could do a spot-on Gizmo voice and I took Gizmo to the Cafeteria and made him talk to everyone. This is not a false memory where I perceived things one way and everyone else secretly wanted to kill me... this was my one and only taste of popularity at that age. I was a 3rd grade ventriloquist/impersonation comedian and it WORKED. I won't say that people hoisted me up on their shoulders and paraded me around... or that the prettiest girl in my class, Bethany, pulled me in for a passionate (3rd or 4th grade) kiss at the end of the day or anything... but that's how I FELT.
ReplyDeleteThen my then-stepbrother stole and disposed of Gizmo shortly after, although honestly, I never got him to confess (and I may have simply lost Gizmo and used my step-brother as a scapegoat to assuage my own guilt). He was such a JERK.
I am now the proud owner of a Funko POP Gizmo and a NECA Christmas Gizmo (but whose hat is removable so he's really just Gizmo) and they fill the void nicely.
We need to coordinate a Gremlins blog-event with some of our online friends I think, Trash Man.
June 8th will mark the 30th Anniversary of GREMLINS hitting theaters. Seems like a big enough event in pop culture, right? Something worth commemorating with a Blog-a-thon, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly something to consider.
Just finally got around to coming back and seeing this (I never click the little "notify me" boxes for some reason...) and I think that is a capitol idea! I think we need to make June 1st to June 8th Gremlins week and get all our friends to blog about it! We can put on a show out in the barn! Grampa can play the harmonica and sister can sing!
DeleteI... went in a weird direction with that.