GREMLIN
Gremlins are chaotic, reptilian creatures that Mogwai transform into when fed after midnight. Popularized by the 1984 Amblin Entertainment horror-comedy film created by Joe Dante and Chris Columbus, these mischievous monsters have spawned a massive multimedia franchise including movies, animated series, video games, and iconic collectibles.
Cronologia
Biografia
Gremlins are the monstrous, reptilian forms that gentle Mogwai transform into after consuming food past midnight. Standing roughly one meter tall, they are characterized by scaly skin in shades of green, brown, yellow, or black, large batlike ears, sharp claws on their hands and feet, and razor-sharp teeth.
Despite their small stature, they possess dangerous physical strength and an unquenchable desire for mischief and destruction. In story appearances, Gremlins wreak havoc wherever they emerge, from the snowy streets of Kingston Falls to the high-tech Clamp Center skyscraper in New York City.
While most Gremlins act with sadism—often harming humans or even each other for sheer amusement—some show unique intellect, specialized tastes, or adapt quickly to operating complex machinery and technology. Though energetic and aggressive, Gremlins operate under rigid biological constraints. They suffer painful, rapid multiplication when exposed to pure water and face instant fatality when exposed to direct sunlight or high-intensity illumination. They frequently rally around a dominant leader, such as Stripe, Mohawk, or the Brain Gremlin.
Storia
According to ancient Chinese lore, Mogwai and Gremlins were created by the sibling gods Nuwa and Fuxi as a moral test for humanity. Fuxi created the rules governing Mogwai, but out of disdain for humans, he spitefully designed the rule where eating at the moon's peak (midnight) would corrupt them into destructive Gremlins.
He also cursed secondary Mogwai generations to be tricksters, leading to a wave of Gremlins that laid waste to the ancient city of Fengdong before Nuwa intervened to turn them back and hide them in the Valley of Jade.
Alternative non-canonical lore, such as George Gipe's 1984 film novelization, suggests Mogwai were created on a distant alien planet by an inventor named Mogturmen as galactic ambassadors of peace, with Gremlins resulting as an unintended side effect. Historically, the concept originates from 20th-century British Royal Air Force folklore, where RAF pilots blamed fictional "gremlins" for unexplainable aircraft malfunctions during World War II.
I PEZZI DI GREMLIN
Evoluzione
The depiction of Gremlins has evolved dramatically from WWII aviation myths into a staple of modern pop culture. In the original 1984 film, director Joe Dante and creature creator Chris Walas brought the reptilian imps to life entirely using puppets and practical animatronics, framing them as chaotic, anarchic monsters destroying small-town America.
By 1990's Gremlins 2: The New Batch, the franchise embraced satirical self-awareness, introducing genetic mutations at the Splice O' Life lab that spawned distinct Gremlin variants, including the articulate Brain Gremlin, the winged Bat Gremlin, and the female Greta. The lore expanded further with HBO Max's animated prequel series Secrets of the Mogwai (2023–2025), which grounded their origin in ancient Chinese mythology and confirmed natural genders among the species. With Gremlins 3 officially set for an October 2028 release under Chris Columbus, the franchise is returning to its roots by employing classic animatronics and physical puppetry.
Da Collezione
For action figure collectors and statue enthusiasts, Gremlins represent an iconic evergreen franchise. NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) is the definitive manufacturer for the property, producing an extensive line of highly detailed 7-inch scale action figures.
NECA's offerings cover classic versions like the standard Brown Gremlin and Stripe, as well as fan-favorite mutant variants from Gremlins 2, including the Brain Gremlin, Greta, and the massive Deluxe Spider Gremlin figure. LEGO expanded collector appeal in 2016 with physical minifigures of Stripe and Gizmo in the LEGO Dimensions Team Pack. High-end collectors highly seek 1:1 prop replica puppets molded directly from original screen-used film puppets, as well as vintage 1984 Sunsoft releases and out-of-print NECA figures. Value trends show consistent appreciation for sealed ultimate edition NECA figures and prop replicas, driven by nostalgia and renewed interest from the animated series and upcoming third film.
In George Gipe's 1984 novelization, Gremlins were blamed for historical disasters including the 1965 East Coast power failure.
