There's a great debate about today's featured franchise. Is it a Christmas toy? Is the movie today's Advent is based on a Christmas movie? No- I didn't get Die Hard toys as kid. I'm talking about Gremlins.
In 1984, my parents took me to see Gremlins. It's about a young man named Billy whose father gives him a mysterious creature called a Mogwai. There are 3 rules of care for the Mogwai that Billy names Gizmo-
1. Don't get them wet.
2. Don't feed them after midnight!
3. And whatever you do, don't expose them to sunlight. It will kill them!
There's a fundamental flaw with one of these rules- the not feeding them after midnight thing. See, if you feed a Mogwai after midnight, they turn into a reptilian Gremlin. But what time zone does this apply to? Billy's dad buys Gizmo in San Francisco but he heads east to give his son the creature. Won't that mean that if it's midnight in New York, that you still have 3 hours in which you can feed Gizmo without the penalty? Gizmo's owners infer that the creature is from China. So, wouldn't the rule be to not feed a Mogwai after midnight in Beijing?
Then there's also the whole when does after midnight stop being after midnight. Can you feed a Mogwai at 5am when the sun comes up? When you are a kid, things like that don't seem so complicated. It's all left to a sense of innocence and wonder. Leave it to turning middle age to screw that all up.
Okay- I've ranted enough. Needless to say, I feel in love with this movie. Whether it's a holiday movie or not (I think it is), I always get in the mood to see Gremlins right around Christmas time! One reason is because in the Christmas of 1984, I got a ton of Gremlins toys.
Of the ones I remember fondly were a set of PVC figures of Gizmo and his arch-enemy, Spike. Then there were the Colorforms. I had the regular set, but I really wanted that Deluxe set with almost 3 dozens Gremlins clings! I did get the Rubn'Pay set in which you transferred images to a colorful snow scene with the aid of a coin.
Another item I fondly remember from Christmas of '84 that was Gremlins themed were a series of books with record based on the movie. They were from McDonald's. Over the course of 5 weeks, I would go with my mom to get a Happy Meal toy in order to receive these audio treasures.
Man, I wish I had a record player again!
Lastly, if you were in love with Gremlins you had to have a Gizmo doll. There were several versions of this toy. Some, like mine were just plush and stuffed. But there was a really expensive one which was electronic and it hummed and cooed. Again, these were pricy and my folks didn't shell out the big bucks for that.
Side note: In honor of the film's 35th anniversary, the previously mentioned toy has been re-released at Target. This one also dances along with making noise. It's only $25.99 and while I'd love it, I'd rather buy more comic books for that cash instead.
Okay- I've really rambled on on this Advent. So let's wrap this up quick. For my present for you today, here's a reading of The Gift of the Mogwai, the first part of that 5-part series from Mickey D's. Sorry it skips! And pops! But it's still a fun adventure to listen to!
Enjoy!
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