REPLIES: 57 comments
I never got into the gremiln craze. I refuse to boast that I am first post.
Chestnuts roasted by Chad @ 09/16/2003 02:28 PM EST
For more fun, get the animals inside the pills, and put the pills in your mouth. Eventually you can suck the pill off, and be left with a sponge inside your mouth... it's like you gave birth out of your mouth to a dinosaur in your mouth.
note: the pills taste like shit. make sure you are somewhere you can spit... so don't try this on the empire state building.
Chestnuts roasted by Chad @ 09/16/2003 02:38 PM EST
2nd orginal post
Chestnuts roasted by Darkcid @ 09/16/2003 02:45 PM EST
"1984 - Year of the Sea Cow." Genius as usual, Matt.
Has anyone else noticed that the Gremlins series gets the articles that are the most interesting, or is it just me?
Chestnuts roasted by Paul @ 09/16/2003 02:49 PM EST
I doubt many feel that way, Paul. :) Gremlins seems to be more of a passing interest for most. It takes 1,000 viewings to really fall in love. 2,000 for the sequel.
Thanks!
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 09/16/2003 02:50 PM EST
Lorenzo di Bonaventure Developing G.I. Joe Movie
http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=1524
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 09/16/2003 02:51 PM EST
Heh, I had some of those growing animals. I still have one somewhere in the house. They always shrunk back to normal size without having to get margarine all over the place. Maybe mogwais just love butter. Who knows?
I second Chad's sponge-pill idea. I remember getting a set of space ones and sea animal ones on a trip to the zoo. Imagine my disappointment finding out that an octopus doubles as a comet...
Chestnuts roasted by Moai Ou @ 09/16/2003 02:51 PM EST
I've never been into growing animal figures in water, but shit...those look great.
Chestnuts roasted by Behonkiss @ 09/16/2003 03:12 PM EST
More shameless plugging!!! I just want to remind ya'll that my new online comic, "The Retarded Adventures of Megaman" will officially be launched tommorow. Around the stroke of midnight tonight, to be exact. And that's EST, BTW (I love acronyms! ILA!)
Anyway, go to www.scotty2naughty.tk and click on the "Cruiz Control" link on the main page. Remember, it'll be updated every Saturday and Wednesday, so check back often. I think you'll enjoy it.
Chestnuts roasted by A-wel Cruiz @ 09/16/2003 03:29 PM EST
I've heard stories of people actually swallowing those damn growing animal things just to see if they would shit out an enlarged form of the beast. So far, I haven't heard of any success stories yet...
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 09/16/2003 03:31 PM EST
OK, I'm a little confused here: You took them out at the 24-H mark, put them under the "tumor" link, put them back in, took them out at 40 hours, took the first "big" pic, put them back in for another 2 hours, and then they looked good?
Chestnuts roasted by "MR. GAME & WATCH" @ 09/16/2003 04:05 PM EST
No no no -- the final picture was taken this morning; all others yesterday or earlier. Given the age, mine took a good three days to reach their full potential.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 09/16/2003 04:08 PM EST
I remember those "Grow In The Water" toys! I had one that was an alien and it became pretty big. As large as the jar it was in.. It was nifty and rather surreal...
But that must have been very cool, Matt. It must have been hard to find too.. Where did you get them anyway... Ebay?
And didn't you mention something about VH1 awhile back talking to you in New York? What's with that? Is for the "I Love the 80's Strikes Back" or something?
Chestnuts roasted by Karma @ 09/16/2003 04:19 PM EST
They should have had Stripe in a little gremlins caccoon made of that disolving pill stuff. It would have rocked seeing him expand and break through.
Chestnuts roasted by Mr Mango @ 09/16/2003 04:20 PM EST
so are you going to stick them on a margarin greased pan and see if the shrink back to normal?
Chestnuts roasted by Geek @ 09/16/2003 04:35 PM EST
"I like big gremlins and i cannot lie, and other brothers cannot lie..." ok, im done with that.
I had yet another wierd dream courtesy of this godforsaken site which i like so much. I dreamed i was at school talking to matt about newspaper related buisness and we were walking through Roccos restaurant which happened to be in the school too. So anyways, rocco was a prick and me and matt went our seperate ways. Then I saw the "my best friend is a vampire" kid and i went running after matt so he could see ol' vampire friend. That was it...oh...might of called rocco a jerk again, i dont remember.
Chestnuts roasted by kennef @ 09/16/2003 04:44 PM EST
Wow. That halfway-mark Stripe looks remarkably like a pile of human feces. And thumbs up to Matt for sticking that picture on the main page. It took a moment to understand why a pile of shit was an "oddity".
Chestnuts roasted by Captain Cid @ 09/16/2003 05:21 PM EST
the pic were you refred them to tumors...i think they look like dog shit.
Chestnuts roasted by Jared @ 09/16/2003 06:35 PM EST
Great article...like usual.
I only wish that I could afford to buy all of the things I missed out on as a child :(
Chestnuts roasted by Derek @ 09/16/2003 06:59 PM EST
I loved the Gremlins, as much as I loved E.T., Star Wars, and The Great Space Coaster (get on board!), but I have to say, it's amazing how many gaps a child's imagination fills. I remember the Stripe toy looking so much cooler when I was a kid (I had one), I thought it wasn't just monochromatic slime sculpture, but had colored eyes and a white stripe. I mean, it's still a great toy, but, what a let down.
Chestnuts roasted by Stealthy Warrior @ 09/16/2003 07:17 PM EST
Is the Masturbating Bear writing the G.I. Joe movie?
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/450/450094p1.html
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 09/16/2003 07:39 PM EST
Shit, I have these Gremlins Water Hatcher toys in my very basement. Probably directly under my ass on the Y-Axis. Except Stripe is missing all of his extremities and Gizmo his head. I probably ate it when I was a baby. I couldn't read then, so you know. I have that stupid plastic non-gremlins egg too.
Chestnuts roasted by David @ 09/16/2003 07:41 PM EST
I've had one of those Gremlins storage pods forever and I couldn't remeber where the hell it came from. Thanks, Matt, for bringing back yet another memory I thought was lost from years of smoking too much weed! X-E forever
Chestnuts roasted by DJ_Blatant @ 09/16/2003 07:44 PM EST
I had those Gremlin things too.
Unfortunately, Stripe and Gizmo were stolen or ate by a neighborhood animal when they were set out to shrink after their first bath o' doom.
Still have the container... somewhere.
Chestnuts roasted by Lynx @ 09/16/2003 08:36 PM EST
No one says "holy frijoles" anymore. Was it just a fad? I'm trying to bring it back with minimal luck. Any ideas?
Chestnuts roasted by kryonik @ 09/16/2003 09:06 PM EST
That was one hilarious article, esp. the tumors pic.
Once I saw the storage pod, it occurred to me that I think I once owned these too.
Chestnuts roasted by JC @ 09/16/2003 10:27 PM EST
Holy Frijoles!!!
No, it only works in person. In type, it just doesn't look good. But I might use that next time I have to make a random exclaimation!
Oh yeah, and to be pertinent and stuff, I (Or, rather, my brother) used to get these little dino sponges that hatched out of pills. There were also other dinosaurs made out of this magic rubber stuff that didn't hatch, but grew larger. They both sucked, but we were kids and anything dinosaur was gold back then.
Chestnuts roasted by Paul Ortego @ 09/16/2003 10:29 PM EST
If you never took the things out of water, would they stay preserved in their large state, or do crazy things start happening when they're in the water too long? Also, something for the good folks here to think about: Don't we know that time machines will never be invented in our lifetime because wouldn't we have already come back to tell ourselves about them?
Holy Frijoles.
Chestnuts roasted by The Future Blob @ 09/16/2003 10:31 PM EST
if i rember correctly if the lil grow basterds are into the water for too long they fall apart when you tuch them.
Chestnuts roasted by Jared @ 09/16/2003 11:29 PM EST
Holy Frijoles! I remember them but i only remember getting the generic dinosaur version of the pill/sponges.
Chestnuts roasted by the corinthian @ 09/17/2003 12:51 AM EST
Yeah, we really need an article now about an attempt to shrink...oh slick, slick margarine.
Chestnuts roasted by DaN @ 09/17/2003 01:04 AM EST
hehe GIRL POWER *remembers its not 1998* dammit...god bless 7/11 lol where its always 5 years ago :p!
Chestnuts roasted by Katie @ 09/17/2003 01:51 AM EST
7/11 on rural hillbilly road - where its always 10 years ago!! XD
Chestnuts roasted by heeloyd @ 09/17/2003 02:39 AM EST
I never got the Gremlins Water Hatchers, but I remember that the *best* cereal promo toy that Pebbles EVER DID was Water Hatching DINOSAURS. I couldn't *stand* Fruity Pebbles, but I ate them anyway so I could have one of those things. And the after-growth slime-coated surface just made it all the more fun to play with.
Chestnuts roasted by Aeire @ 09/17/2003 04:45 AM EST
Definatly want to see an article about shrinking those things down again...
Chestnuts roasted by Byron @ 09/17/2003 07:39 AM EST
Check out a cobra soldiers view of G.I JOE
http://www.zug.com/gab/index.cgi?func=view_thread&sort=active&head=1&thread_id=33438#break
It's kinda funny, but it's nothing compared to Matt's Articles.
Chestnuts roasted by tcuspe123 @ 09/17/2003 10:24 AM EST
I had a brain that expanded in water, it got to your normal brain size and just kinda stayed there. Kept it in a sealed pickle jar for years. Never tried to fondle or touch it. Guess I need to fondle and touch more...
Chestnuts roasted by spazzamatic @ 09/17/2003 12:00 PM EST
umm...isn't the tank you put the mowgwais in your beta's tank? What happened to your fish-y? thanks! a concerned reader in podunk, washington
Chestnuts roasted by cwalker @ 09/17/2003 12:42 PM EST
hey Matt
how come you never answer my mails? Donno Speak-A Duh English?
Chestnuts roasted by Jack L. @ 09/17/2003 12:46 PM EST
Jack, probably the same reason I was blocked from his IM account. Matt is too busy to answer every e-mail. I believe him that he really reads every e-mail, but I have a hard enough time responding to my friends. If he did respond to everyone it would probably be a boring form response that everyone would get. Just doesn't seem worth it. I abused the fact that I knew his AIM and contacted him a few times, the first few times he responded, but then he would ignore me... and now, he never signs on... I'm sure it's cause I'm blocked. But... I'm still a fan Matt! Keep it up.
Chestnuts roasted by chad @ 09/17/2003 02:10 PM EST
Hey Matt, have you seen the brand new Gremlins action figures? They look pretty sweet if I do say so myself...
Gremlins Figures
Chestnuts roasted by Goggles Pizano @ 09/17/2003 03:52 PM EST
Matt, that was undoubtably the sillist you have ever been in a review (now, the adventures of your action figures is a different story). And that's in no way a bad thing. I'll be laughing for hours now. Mr. Wing very sorry.
Chestnuts roasted by "That must be my Malaria! ... Rabies. I already HAVE Rabies." (I think it was Rabies... correct me if I'm wrong) @ 09/17/2003 03:55 PM EST
I dunno, Chad. I don't think I've *ever* contacted Matt on IM (though he is on my buddy list so I can see when he's on) so I know I'm not blocked (unless he has something against users with 'purple' or '247' in their names and randomly blocks them!) but I hardly EVER see him. I think I've seen him twice or so since I added him a few months ago. I think someone who spends their days penning articles on Gremlins and Rainbow Brite (here, UGO, AND that hard copy newspaper he writes for) is waaaay too busy for IM. I think I just abused my parentheses privileges there; sorry about that!
Chestnuts roasted by purplegirl247 @ 09/17/2003 04:37 PM EST
Matt...you've written about this toy before? Methinks the intro paragraph is a lie; the story below sure makes it seem like one...
http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/gremlins13.html
Chestnuts roasted by Paul @ 09/17/2003 04:50 PM EST
Hey, the Internet would be nothing without creative license, though for the record, the older post is the one with the lie. :)
And Chad -- you're definitely not blocked. I almost never go on AIM, and when I do, it's usually in the middle of the night.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 09/17/2003 04:52 PM EST
I done seen Matt stalking AIM late in the nighttime. Spooky!
He never talks to me either, though usually I'm just sending him messages like "SKELETOR = AWESOME!!!" Honestly, I wouldn't talk to me either.
Chestnuts roasted by Hellpop! @ 09/17/2003 08:31 PM EST
i remember having these very same gremlin hatchers and the one thing i remember well is the distinct smell of the gremlins. it was almost plastic-y but mixed in with some sort of stale air & chemically rubber odor. wonder how that fares a decade and more after the fact.
Chestnuts roasted by swann zway @ 09/18/2003 02:48 AM EST
I had these. They actually last a lonnnnng time. My gizmo dried out in a week, but I left my stripe in a wine bottle and he was there till the mid 90's, which is when I found him on a shelf in the basement looking more menacing due to all the crap that was growing in there WITH him. Great article BTW.
Chestnuts roasted by Wanker @ 09/18/2003 12:23 PM EST
I once tried to grow my own lime trees. I took some lime seeds, put them on wet cotton, and left them on my windowsill. From time to time, I'd sprinkle some dirt of them without really looking.
Needless to say, after a few weeks my room started to smell preeeeetty funky.
Chestnuts roasted by Freezair @ 09/18/2003 02:04 PM EST
Grr. Now I've got that stupid Rick Astley song in my head.
"Together forever and never to part. Together forever witchoo... dontchoo know I would move heaven and earth to be together forever witchoo..."
Chestnuts roasted by PaloPinto @ 09/19/2003 12:21 AM EST
the middle of the night.. WHILE LOOKING FOR BRAINS!
Chestnuts roasted by Chad @ 09/19/2003 08:40 AM EST
David Blaine is the Devil
Chestnuts roasted by skiwlz @ 09/19/2003 10:58 PM EST
Train everday.
Chestnuts roasted by Tommy No @ 09/25/2003 12:24 PM EST
Just have to say that I had this toy as a child and loved it. When I shrank it, I remember putting butter on Wax paper, but I didn't know where I got the idea. I didn't remember that it said that on the package. I let the suckers shrink out in the sun and both Giz and Stripe shrivled up like the bottom of a bag of pork cracklins. They weren't anymore than lumps of clay like material. Yup. Coudln't use them again. Who invented this material? I had the Gremlin pod for ages after that. And I did use it to hold my change.
Chestnuts roasted by Razzbel @ 03/27/2004 02:48 AM EST
I had this great toy and two memorable things happened as a result. Gizmo was left in a fish trank for days and days. He grew so big that the day I went to grab him and dry him out he disintigrated. Turned into a tank of orange floating mush. Now stripe on the other hand was grown and shrunk many times. And one day while drying in the sun on a window sill he dissappeared. I figured he fell the three stories, but I couldn't find him. A few weeks later the gardener came up to show my little sister and I the petrified bat he had found in the back yard. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was Stripe. So after he went home, plop, back into the tank with Stripe.
Chestnuts roasted by Kristian, San Francisco @ 04/08/2004 09:32 AM EST
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Chestnuts roasted by mortgage payment calculator @ 11/03/2004 05:32 AM EST
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Chestnuts roasted by mortgage payment calculator @ 11/03/2004 05:32 AM EST
You've all owned one of those little animal toys that grew to incredible sizes in water. In 1984, LJN swiped the gimmick and tackled the market with what's gotta be the best reason to be alive: 
