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Gremlins (Type of Creatures)

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Gremlins are small humanoid entities that like to sabotage machines.[2][3]

History[]

Primary Canon[]

The Real Ghostbusters[]

Gremlins were first encountered by the original Ghostbusters when they learned that certain cars made by the Detroit-based Generous Motors company were falling apart. They found out that the company had Gremlins, leftover from World War II, messing with the cars. They were released when GM reopened part of the factory that was sealed for 40 years.[4][5] The Gremlins were too numerous to trap, but the Ghostbusters caught them by having them try to damage a car, only for it to turn into a new vehicle every time they try to wreck it. At that moment, they encased the Gremlins in a glass dome.

Extreme Ghostbusters[]

On April 7, 1997, a Gremlin appeared and started messing with machinery around New York. It first struck at the U.S. Online Company. In the course of this incident, the Gremlin secreted an ectoplasmic lubricant to loosen the machinery. The lubricant had a similar chemical composition to petroleum.[6][7] It then traveled to a subway terminal and dismantled Track 2. The Ghostbusters were barely able to weld and repair the track in time to save a subway car. The attack on U.S. Online gained the attention of the FBI as a possible terrorist attack. The Gremlin hitched a ride on Ecto-1, dismantled its engine, and stopped off at the phone company. Kylie and Roland managed to trap it, but Eduardo and Garrett got the Extreme Ghostbusters in trouble after Garrett accidentally fired at FBI agents Jack Stone and Harry Gannan.

On board a cargo plane transport to Washington D.C., Stone mistook the Trap containing the Gremlin for a bomb, and inadvertently freed the Gremlin when he tried to "defuse" it. The FBI did not believe the Ghostbusters until they saw Slimer eating the airplane food and mistook him for the Gremlin. The Ghostbusters managed to recapture the Gremlin, but Stone chose to keep the incident under wraps, as he believed that nobody would believe that a Gremlin was responsible for recent acts of sabotage. The breakdowns were attributed to the city-wide failures were linked to microwaves from a surveillance satellite in space. Stone's report of events was placed in a classified file designated "G1027" and filed away in an undisclosed government location.

After being placed into the Containment Unit, the Gremlin eventually fell under Surt's command. When Slimer got himself trapped in the Containment Unit during the Fenris bust, the Gremlin was among the ghosts who escorted the Five Clawed Plank as it brought Slimer to their master, riding on Sylphon's back.

IDW Comics[]

Prime Dimension[]

Gremlins are a benign but mischievous presence in Detroit factories.

Dimension 68-R[]

A Gremlin was one of the ghosts captured by Spooks Away and stored in the Prediction Engine. After the Ghostbusters destabilized the Mega-Entity by luring Slimer out with doughnuts, Slyphon was seen flying away with the Gremlin riding it.

Personality[]

Throughout history and folklore the Gremlins have been known to be mischievous and destructive.

Description[]

The Gremlins that appear in "Don't Forget the Motor City" each had diverse appearances, but near the end of the episode they all used the same design but in different colors such as a slim body, skinny arms and legs, three-fingered hands, large teeth, pig-like noses, yellow eyes with black pupils, rounded heads with a rounded point at the top, pointy ears, a dark-gray vest, gray shoes with black soles, and a gray belt with some kind of tool attached.

The Gremlin that appeared in the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Grease" was a light blue colored creature with a large nose, yellow eyes with black pupils, large pointy ears, slicked back black hair, yellow teeth, a rounded body with a blue underbelly, skinny arms and legs, four-fingered hands with yellow fingernails, three-toed feet with yellow toenails, a gray vest, blue pants, and gray toe-less shoes.

Classification[]

Kylie Griffin concluded the Gremlin was at least a Class 5.[8]

Trivia[]

  • The Gremlins' first line, "I think they've seen us," is an homage to King Kong.[9]
  • Ray Stantz finds an entry of Gremlins in his pocketbook version of Tobin's Spirit Guide.[10]
  • One of the Gremlins is named Gorner. It likes the color pea soup green, too.[11][12]
  • The Twilight Zone episode, featuring a Gremlin, "Terror at 1,000 Feet" is referenced twice in the episode "Grease."
  • The Gremlin from Extreme Ghostbusters (or at least another one of his kind) appears in the intro of the show.
  • According to Egon, it was a Gremlin and not an iceberg that caused the "Titanic" to sink (although, he could be meaning that it was because of a Gremlin that the ship struck the iceberg).[13]
  • The Gremlin in Extreme Ghostbusters originated in the main title sequence as a character named Boggart. Character designer Fil Barlow liked him so much, he reused the design for the Gremlin in "Grease"[14]
  • On page 12 of Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #8, a Gremlin makes a non-canon cameo as on one of the cans in the garage bay.
  • On Cover B of Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #9, the Gremlins from "Don't Forget The Motor City" and "Grease" appear on Ecto-1.
  • The Gremlin appears on the Regular Cover of Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary: Extreme Ghostbusters.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Don't Forget the Motor City" (1986).
  2. ↑ Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters- Don't Forget the Motor City (1987) (DVD ts. 10:49-10:53). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Gremlins simply cannot leave anything mechanical alone!"
  3. ↑ Egon Spengler (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Grease (1997) (DVD ts. 5:32-5:34). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Egon says: "Yes, they dismantle anything mechanical."
  4. ↑ Mr. Abernathy (2009). The Real Ghostbusters- Don't Forget the Motor City (1987) (DVD ts. 10:04-10:10). Time Life Entertainment. Mr. Abernathy says: "It was first opened during the Second World War. Aircraft were manufactured here."
  5. ↑ Mr. Abernathy (2009). The Real Ghostbusters- Don't Forget the Motor City (1987) (DVD ts. 10:23-10:24). Time Life Entertainment. Mr. Abernathy says: "It's been closed for about 40 years."
  6. ↑ Egon Spengler (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Grease (1997) (DVD ts. 5:06-5:13). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Egon says: "This is definitely some kind of ectoplasmic residue but it has a similar chemical composition to petroleum-based lubricant."
  7. ↑ Egon Spengler (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Grease (1997) (DVD ts. 5:23-5:29). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Egon says: "Because Gremlins secrete an ectoplasmic lubricant from their claws to loosen tight parts."
  8. ↑ Kylie Griffin (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Grease (1997) (DVD ts. 4:00-4:01). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Kylie says: "This has got to be at least a Class 5."
  9. ↑ Pamela Hickey (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Don't Forget the Motor City" (1986) (DVD ts. 09:50-09:51). Time Life Entertainment.
  10. ↑ Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters- Don't Forget the Motor City (1987) (DVD ts. 10:49-10:53). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Gremlins simply cannot leave anything mechanical alone!"
  11. ↑ Gremlins (Type of Creatures) (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Don't Forget the Motor City" (1986) (DVD ts. 18:35). Time Life Entertainment.
  12. ↑ "Don't Forget the Motor City Storyboard Page 123
  13. ↑ Egon Spengler (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Grease (1997) (DVD ts. 5:38-5:41). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Egon says: "And the bigger the better. Ever hear of the Titanic?"
  14. ↑ Fil Barlow deviantArt "XGB Main Title Boggart" 8/22/13
  15. ↑ Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Sea Fright" (1987) (DVD ts. 03:42-03:46). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "Gremlins at the Guggenheim? Porcupines in the park? What's up?"
  16. ↑ Ray Stantz (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Slimer's Curse" (1989) (DVD ts. 09:00-09:03). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Gremlins and Poltergeists popping up all over the city..."
  17. ↑ Garrett Miller (1997). Extreme Ghostbusters- Eyes of a Dragon (1997) (DVD ts. 09:42-09:49). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Garrett says: "I didn't until a couple months ago when your fellow bozos handcuffed us all to a plane being ripped to shreds by a Gremlin!"

Gallery[]

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Primary Canon[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Secondary Canon[]

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