On a particularly rainy day earlier this month, I found myself trekking out to an undisclosed location to meet some characters of fascination from my childhood. I was on my way to meet some gremlins.
I had watched the same-named 1984 comedy-horror film when I was young and became intrigued by the mogwai — tiny, fluffy creatures that resemble a cross between a Furby and a teddy bear before they transform into mischievous, slimy green goblins if fed any food after midnight. Like many children, I was obsessed with Gizmo, the mogwai who becomes a sidekick to Billy, the protagonist who receives him as a gift.
“Gremlins” mega fan Ian Grant also became infatuated with the films as a child, recalling watching the movie at a drive-in as one of his earliest memories.
Grant is the owner and curator of The Gremlins Museum, the largest, independently curated collection of memorabilia, props, and artwork of its kind. He operates the museum inside his home, and touring the collection is invite-only. Receiving one was an honor I took seriously.
Grant can spot “Gremlins” fan art from a mile away. As I arrived at my destination, he greeted me and noted my shirt, which featured an artistic rendering of Gizmo riding in a pink toy Corvette. He told me he’d received the same one from an artist in Portland.
“I’m the ‘Gremlins’ guy,” Grant said. “There’s a lot of people who kinda know who I am at this point. It’s just sort of permeated through the internet.”
Grant brought me into the “Gremlins” wing, where I was greeted by the little monsters from the films — including some mogwai crowded in a toolbox — in addition to film posters galore before stepping into Grant’s office, which houses his prized collection of props from the movies. The collection includes puppets mostly from “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” which include Vegetable Gremlin; Lenny; Flying Bat Gremlin; a large Gizmo puppet used for close-ups; and, my personal favorite, Greta Gremlin.
Grant has screen-matched his puppets and confirmed which appear on screen and when. A few of them are the “hero” puppets of their characters, meaning they were designated for important scenes and close-ups. The Greta puppet was used for some of her most iconic on-screen moments; now she’s in her two-piece leopard-print outfit. Grant has been working on getting her other garments over the years, like her wedding dress and red ball gown. It’s been a tough negotiation, but he’s hopeful he can one day make it happen.
Sourcing “Gremlins” props is Grant’s full-time job. He tracks the items down on the internet and befriends people who worked on the films. His first puppet was found on eBay. At the time, he was a frequent visitor of the site, hunting for rare or unusual merchandise. When he noticed it was a puppet from the first film — a rarity, as many were destroyed or deemed unsalvageable after filming the chaotic bar scene from the first movie — he pounced. He hasn’t stopped since.
Grant’s collection has grown so much that, at this point, he is only on the hunt for the bigger film items. The day of my visit, a new puppet, plus a baseball bat and chainsaw from the first movie, had recently shown up in the mail.
“There’s a few pieces I’d really like. Like, getting Gizmo’s box someday would be pretty amazing,” Grant said. “There’s a mohawk gremlin or Daffy that would be nice to have, so I could have all the main characters.”
The decades-old puppets don’t always show up to Grant in pristine condition, which is why he takes great care to preserve them. Many are made of foam and latex, so deterioration is a strong possibility. Thankfully, Grant knows artists who can fix them up and get them in tip-top gremlin shape.
After meeting the mini menaces, I left with a deeper appreciation for the passion and intentionality that goes into preserving film history. As for the rumored “Gremlins 3,” I’ll be watching — but only if it keeps the puppets.
While the collection isn’t open to the public, Grant is happy to share his findings on his website, where he offers virtual tours to fans. He also actively posts on his Instagram account, @gremlinsmuseum.
“There’s no point in hoarding this stuff away,” Grant said. “I know that if I knew somebody had something like this, I would be doing everything I possibly could to come for a tour.”