The Evolution of Gremlins (Animated)

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Bringing home a cuddly Mogwai and don't want to leave it astray? There are 3 rules you must obey:

  • Rule number 1: Do not expose them to bright light, especially not sunlight...or they will die.

  • Rule number 2: Do not get them wet or they will multiply, and

  • Rule number 3: Do not feed them after midnight or they will become the nefarious Gremlin creature, but just how many different Gremlins are featured? Here's an explanation of every Gremlin variation...animated!

warning: spoilers ahead!

Like all the Mogwai in the first film, Gremlins (1984) the adorable Gizmo has brown and white fur, his hands and feet have 3 digits, and he has large expressive ears. Giz also spawns multiple other Mogwais, including the chubby Haskins, and the leader, Stripe, who sports a fashionable mohawk. They're mistakenly fed after midnight, which causes them to cocoon, and later emerge as the villainous green Gremlin.

The Gremlins have beige accents, armored scales on their shoulders and legs, spiky protrusions on their face, a pointy head fin, and yellow and red eyes. The evil Stripe retains his hairdo, has a more narrow face, and is a brighter shade of green.

Other Gremlins of note are the Flasher, the Christmas Carollers, a mugger Gremlin, and a Flash Dancer. They love eating candy, drinking beer, playing poker, and above all causing mischief, plus they love a night out at the movies – although this theater infestation is exterminated. Meanwhile, Stripe plans to create a new army of Gremlins, but he's exposed to sunlight, disintegrating him.

In the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, the Gremlins are taller, have longer arms, bigger hands and feet, and a more reptilian like-color. Their tailbone has fewer prongs, their spikey protrusions are more prominent, they lack the pointy head fins, and their eye coloring is inversed. There's also a secondary Gremlin variant that has a more squished face and a cooler tone of green. Plus, both of these variants come in a spotted brown coloring.

Gizmo is also given a streamlined re-design and once again gets wet, this time spawning 4 unique Mogwai-turned-Gremlins, including:

  • The grumpy George, who has ape-like features.

  • George's best friend, the buck-toothed and droopy, Lenny.

  • The evil Mohawk, with added red fins, who's apparently the re-incarnation of Stripe.

  • And the wacky, and googly-eyed Daffy.

This film also showcases other notable Gremlins, including an updated Flasher, a Secretary Gremlin, Twin Scientists, a Knight Gremlin, a Witch Gremlin, and a Phantom of the Opera Gremlin.

Some of the Gremlins also consume scientific formulas, resulting in:

  • A Vegetable Gremlin.

  • A super-smart Brainy Gremlin.

  • A fashionable female Gremlin named Greta.

  • A Bat Gremlin, who's given sunblock formula to fly in daylight – but he gets soaked in concrete and drys like a gargoyle statue.

  • Mohawk turns into a Spider-Gremlin but is taken out by the Rambo-influenced Gizmo.

  • And an Electric Gremlin, who is captured in a phone line and later let loose to fry his Gremlin family...all but Greta, who survives to make it to her wedding.

So which troublesome Gremlin is your favorite, or do you prefer the more cuddly Mogwais? Let us know on our YouTube video on Tell It Animated!

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