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August Megaparty #16: Gizmo Gumballs!

Gizmo was the best pet I never owned. Gremlins came out in 1984, and I was really too young to be making any successful attempts to get my parents or siblings to take me to see it. The promos and trailers rocked my world; I completely glossed over the fact that the reptilian creatures might scare the fuck out of me, instead zeroing in on that shot of Gizmo's cute little hand protruding out of its cool ass cagebox. When the movie finally arrived on video, my family rented it, I snuck into the living room theater, and all was well. The gremmies weren't really scary, but Gizmo was all kinds of motherfuckin cute. I so wanted Gizmo, and when I was five or six years old, it was hard to comprehend the truth of the matter: Gizmo was NOT for sale in real life.

It was as if I was a junkie addicted to a drug that didn't exist. In a world without Gizmos, I took the next best thing: Gizmo dolls. In particular, a 7" plastic Gizmo figure that some idiot idiotically idiotly sold me for two bucks at school. I treated that doll like it had a beating heart.

This Gremlins gumball dispenser is, for all intents, another Gizmo figure. It's not as adorable as the figures I had as a kid, but it's not like that's a shining testament to my own dolls' beauty, because this figural gumball dispenser is goddamned brutal. Setting aside the potential trouble with mustering a sense of animism for a doll that spits candy out of a hole in its stomach, just look at Gizmo's face. It's the toy that comes alive at night to eat you and your family.

Gumballs drop out of Giz's belly when you lift his arm, and now that I think about it, you could kind of pretend the gumballs were baby mogwai balls resulting from the moisture in your fingers seeping into Gizmo's skin as you lifted his arm. It'd really only work well with white gumballs, though. Or better yet, white gumballs with brown trim. Why don't they make those?

See more of Gizmo in my old Gremlins Water Hatchers review.

Posted by Matt on 08/16/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 95 comments

Sleep deprived readers may have noticed that I posted this entry minutes after declaring that I wouldn’t really be posting much of anything in the last entry. Got a second wind, but the fact will still stand for entries later in the week. Signed Rand Peltzer.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 08/16/2006 12:44 PM

I don’t care about the quality of the entries, so long as there’s one a day, like you said there’d be. On a different note, this has gotta be the furthest up the post list I’ve ever gotten… And the most I remember of Gremlins was way back when I watched the movie while I was on vacation one year a long time ago… I remember the second movie a lot more, considering as I’ve seen that one all the way through.

Chestnuts roasted by DocDragon @ 08/16/2006 12:49 PM

Hey, just look at it this way. You got Wednesday entry done all ready. Now you don’t have to post one until right before midnight Thursday which is still 2 nights away. Great blog by the way. Gizmo is awesome.

Chestnuts roasted by Bob K @ 08/16/2006 12:49 PM

Word. What is it with toys and how sometimes they feel more alive than real, breathing people?

Thanks for the reflection-catalyst.
gizmo FTW

Chestnuts roasted by Warx @ 08/16/2006 12:55 PM

Matt, I can basically attribute my new obsession with the Gremlins movies (both one and two) to your website. I now own all of the NECA Gremlins action figures (including Mohawk from the Cult Classics line), a plush Gizmo, and three smaller plush Gizmos with various facial expressions (including one with a badass Rambo headband). Thanks Matt, and thanks Ebay!

Chestnuts roasted by J Dubs @ 08/16/2006 12:56 PM

I was always a big fan of the original Gremlins but I have to attribute to Matt also of becoming a big fan of Gremlins 2. I remember not liking it much before when it first came out but Matt’s review of it and bringing up all the good cheesiness of it made me appreciate it to the point I went out and bought the DVD. Now it’s one of my favorite movies. Thanks Matt!

Chestnuts roasted by Bob K @ 08/16/2006 1:03 AM

The best thing about Gremlins was Hulk Hogan’s cameo in the second one.

Chestnuts roasted by Rocky @ 08/16/2006 1:36 AM

I once owned the exact same 7 inch Gizmo that was so dear to you. Sadly, when i was younger, i thought if you buried something it would immediately become valuable treasure. Needless to say when i moved i forgot about my underground investment. If you are lucky, you can find Gizmo resting peacefully below, next to the stay puft marshmallow man in the back yard of 63 princeton road elizabeth, nj.

Chestnuts roasted by BOAT @ 08/16/2006 1:40 AM

I friggin’ loved Gremlins! I didn’t even see the movie until I was 19 but such was the power of that little Magwai bastard. The concept of such an awesome pet was enough to make a 5 year old me go nuts! I was scared of the evil Gremlins though. It was that love/hate thing we all had as youngsters with scary stuff—It’s cool and compelling but we just can’t watch it because we’ll never fall asleep again, ever.

I had the Gremlins metal lunchbox. That’s right a mother-effin’ metal lunchbox—and THERMOS—with Gizmo and his little pink Barbie® car on it. Lord, I miss that thing.

Chestnuts roasted by Chris D. @ 08/16/2006 1:44 AM

wow you don’t know how long I was laughing picturing a little matt asking his parents for a real live gizmo

Chestnuts roasted by bren @ 08/16/2006 1:45 AM

I’ll tell everyone this again: When I was around 5 or 6, I was traumatized by Gremlins. Not only did the Gremlins scare the living hell out of me, the fact that they hate light and love the dark was equally as creepy, but the exact opposite happened to me, as I hated turning on lights and opening window shades during the day (still hate it, I have semi-sensitive eyes). I’m pretty much sure this was the one factor that turned me into an anti-social recluse and Geek, maybe for the better.

After trying to see both movies many years later, I still can’t bring myself to see the whole things from beginning to end, although I can handle Gizmo-only scenes just fine though.

I was gonna make a topic of movies that tramuatized you when you were young, but incredible cheesy now…We did that already a few months ago. I still say re-link the Chia-Plot articles.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 08/16/2006 1:58 AM

I just want to point out that Gremlins 2 had the greatest moment in cinematic history:
When all the Gremlins were in the lobby and just started singing "New York, New York"!

Chestnuts roasted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 08/16/2006 2:27 AM

I would’ve hated it if they had Gizmo colored gum balls because then it would feel like you were EATING HIS CHILDREN!

I had a hard enough time sleeping as a child, I don’t know if I could take the blow to the conscience that is Mogwaicide.

Chestnuts roasted by Hock @ 08/16/2006 2:37 AM

Just stumbled into my hotel room in Montreal and found THIS entry- wicked. I just bought a Gizmo at a second hand movie shop here in the city. i swear to God! A furry real Gizmo, just like I have wanted since the damn movie came out. It was either Gizmo or a season of She-Ra, and I think I picked right. $12 well spent. I frigging love Montreal! And I find this whole entry a freaky coincidence. Now, on to more XE before I crash.

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 08/16/2006 3:38 AM

i never even knew about the hulk hogan cameo in gremlins 2. but hot-damn! thats the best part about the movie. he uses "dudes", "brother" and "hulkamania" all in the same sentence.

im so glad there is this new commercial free, all movie station now for us western canadians. otherwise i would likely never have been the wiser about this amazing bit of hulkamania.

the movie is even more horrifying watching it now, noticing that the head of security is played by the doctor from voyager. he ends up pretty much doing it with the girl gremlin. very, very scary.

Chestnuts roasted by kevin. @ 08/16/2006 3:59 AM

I totally remember those water hatchers, Is it possible that your water hatchers didn’t grow do to the amount of time passing? I can recall putting a "Stripe" water hatcher in a bucket and leaving it there for a week. Either the damn thing soaked up all the water or it evaporated, I just remember that it was HUGE. Like the size of a 12′ tall Ninja Turle figure, So I guess what I’m saying is it was 12′ tall, That would be inches not feet. Also I left it in there so long that when I tried to pick it up, it literally turned to gel in my hands.

Chestnuts roasted by Joker @ 08/16/2006 4:17 AM

This is my first time posting here. Hello everyone! Been visiting this site for the last 3 years. Finally have enough courage to post something. :)

Gremlins rocks! I still have my orginal stuffed Gizmo. :) I ate the cereal, had the stickers and of course wanted him to come alive too.

By the way.. If anyone has a myspace feel free to add me. It would be kool to talk with people that I can relate to. lol http://www.myspace.com/trebleclef

Chestnuts roasted by Jennifer @ 08/16/2006 4:38 AM

Welcome, Jennifer. I know what you mean; I’ve been reading since years before the blog even, and only just mustered up the pluck to try and slot myself in a couple of weeks ago.

Chestnuts roasted by Daniel85 @ 08/16/2006 6:16 AM

Whoo-hoo, Canada! If the mooses weren’t enough, there’s all sorts of memorabilia! I want somewhere to buy dvd’s of old cartoons and fluffy toys no one under the age of eighteen ever wants. Dammit, we wannntsss it, the precioussss. I should open my own store, try to import all sorts of junk from Matt’s walk-in closet that he can’t walk into anymore. I’ll have a massive emporium filled with Isaac Asimov books, antique furniture and the biggest coffee machine anyone’s ever seen. "The X" might be a good name – Matt would have his own tribute store!

Chestnuts roasted by arete @ 08/16/2006 7:57 AM

I have never seen Gremlins. Although now I feel like I should. I guess I missed out on something big. Why that movie was not a part of my childhood I don’t know. What’s really odd is that my parents owned a video store back then, and I felt like I had seen everything ever. Hmm.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 08/16/2006 8:34 AM

My dad took me, my brother, and my cousin to see this one Sunday right after it came out. He was a great one for taking us to movies we had no business seeing. The Old Man took me to see Das Boot when I was like four. I think the thing that stayed with me the longest was how darkly funny it is. Like when Phoebe Cates explains why she hates Christmas and my father and I trying hard not to laugh while my brother and cousin had these completely stricken look on their faces. I haven’t seen it in years, prolly should refresh my memory.

Oh, and I had a metal Gremlins lunchbox as well. At least until the nuns took it away after my brother and I started smacking each other with them. Man, we were violent kids.

Chestnuts roasted by LemurCat @ 08/16/2006 8:56 AM

Gremlins scared the shite out of me. Can’t talk about it.
While I knew deep down that my stuffed animals weren’t alive, I was always worried I’d hurt their feelings by putting them in the attic or selling them in a garage sale. Anyone else? I rescued so many stuffed animals from the clutches of other kids at my family’s garage sale.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 08/16/2006 9:20 AM

I had a huge crush on Phoebe Cates back then.

mogwai

Chestnuts roasted by bad karma @ 08/16/2006 10:24 AM

Those are awfully small gumballs. I guess you could put tic-tacs in there afterwards.

Since GM banned me on Internet Explorer (but for some reason not AOL, can’t wait till the blog conversion) I’m gonna post here what I would have posted in the Robin Hood and Feito blog entries.

I would have liked to have seen a toyline based on for Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, and commercial mascots. You know you want a Count Chocula figure.

Also, the Robin Hood figure was a recycled Super Powers Green Arrow figure. You can tell by the "G" on the belt.

Never seen Prince of Thieves, but always wanted to. That’s another idea for a survey: What movies (either classic, fan favorite, or cult) have you wanted to see but haven’t? I’ll start. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the original Star Wars trilogy, but never watched them in full.

Feito is a now extinct creature that had fur of various colors that was killed by Virginia Holt to make those fuzzy patches in that book.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 08/16/2006 10:35 AM

I’ve always found gumball machines that were shaped like various cartoon/movie/etc characters vaguely disturbing…kinda like you were eating their insides…

Anyways, a little unrelated but you can’t help but notice all the English major/English inclined people on here..so here is something for ya’ll. :)
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/030905/you-can-study-anything.gif

Chestnuts roasted by Tarable @ 08/16/2006 10:57 AM

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 at 12:44 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.