“There he sits with a pen and a yellow pad, what a handsome lad, that’s my boy. BRLFQ spells, “mom and dad,” well that ain’t too bad, ‘cause that’s my boy.”
I am sure you did not come to a Gremlins feature thinking you would get your once-a-decade dose of Bobby Goldsboro lyrics, but this little green man is headed off to school. I am the proud dad of three daughters, and I would never want that to be different, but NECA’s new Back to School Gremlin is now officially the son I never had. I am sure you can see the resemblance, and he is the most recent release on what is one of my favorite action figure lines of all time. Can you believe NECA has been giving us Gremlins figures for the better part of two decades at this point? That is pretty amazing to me, and while TMNT, Predator, and other lines often dominate the online fan chatter, my Gremlins collection is pretty outstanding, I am always very happy when I get a chance to add to it.
For the past couple of releases, NECA has swerved more outside and have gone pretty obscure, featuring character Gremlins based on seasonal advertisements for the original movie. The first was a 1984 Olympic Games Stripe tie-in that was released as the “SDCC” exclusive, and this new “back to school” ad figure is just starting to hit Target stores now. The summer and autumn timing has worked out great for these, and there is still a holiday season release being timed, featuring a Gremlin in a Santa Claus suit. These are obviously not from the movie itself, but they are really fun homages that give us some variety to the G1 Gremlins space, and let’s face it, they fit in fine with the mischief from the original flick.
The thing about that original flick is that, unlike the sequel, and with the exception of Stripe, the other Gremlins were just carbon copies of each other when it comes to their appearance, and it was the props and situations that set them apart. Don’t get me wrong, I love The New Batch, and the unique Gremlins, but if I have my druthers, I actually prefer how the little green guys were depicted in the original. The good part about this is, at least for me, since NECA has a really good base for the G1 Gremlin, the new releases can focus on the costumes, implements, and accessories as the budget for the main part of the tooling is already in the bank. Sure, this Back to School Gremlin might be the same as the Flasher and Gamer at his base, but man, he is absolutely his own thing when added to the crowd.
Like the Flasher, the accessories and costume included with this release are really impressive, and all of them a brand-new to this set. This little guy has books, a baseball, a baseball mitt, a bus stop sign, and even a Gremlins and Amblin-branded lunch box that can open and close. I really love that last one in particular because it brings me back to my childhood with those awesome metal lunchboxes that will never be beaten. All of these are accurate to the original ad, and while the mitt is not something for the figure to actually wear (like the puppet included with the Flasher) it, along with the books can fit snugly under the arm. Additionally, there is a swappable hand that allows for a perfect grip on the baseball, and it can hold the lunchbox, too. There are lots of possibilities for posing and display with all of these, but I find myself going back to the actual ad pose, it is pretty perfect.
The outfit includes a new baseball cap, as well as an insanely well-tailored shirt and jeans combo. As this is 1984, I am positive our boy is sporting some Tough Skins, and the little cuffs at the bottom are absolutely adorable. The pants and shirt fit very well and do not hinder the articulation at all. All the pieces are removable and stay on via velcro, but I am pretty sure you know what a nudie Gremlin looks like at this point, so it is nice to have one who is modest, at least about his dress. That said, it is hilarious that his tail/bum sticks out the back of the jeans. It would have looked weird if had been covered, and as it stands, it would have made us miss a funny little cue, that is 100% inline with good old-fashioned Gremlins mischief.
This is going to be one of those releases that even some Gremlins aficionados are going to label as “non-essential,” but if you skip out on this, I have a feeling you are going to regret it. He is one of the most unique G1 releases yet, he comes from an as of before untapped source, and well, he darn right as cute as can be. This is a Target exclusive and it is showing up now, so be on the lookout. After this guy, there is a G1 Santa Gremlin for the holidays, and then it looks like we might be taking a turn back to Gremlins 2, as Ultimate Greta has just been officially revealed. It continues to be a great time to be a Gremlins fan!
*Thanks to Peter and the team and NECA for sending this along for a feature!
