| The Gremlin | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Unknown |
|
First Appearance |
Falling Hare (1943) |
|
Original Publisher |
Warner Bros. |
|
Created by |
Bob Clampett |
Origin[]
A Gremlin is a tiny impish creature of mischief and destruction, delighting in causing chaos and mayhem in the US air force just for amusement. With a penchant for sabotaging machinery, particularly airplanes, this small pest embodies the malicious but playful mythical creatures accused of causing mechanical failures during World War II. The Looney Tunes version of the creature first appeared in 1943 in the cartoon Falling Hare.
In the cartoon, Bugs Bunny learns from a book about gremlins that wreck American planes through diabolical sabotage and laughs uproariously at the idea. Suddenly, a yellow humanoid wearing a blue helmet with airplane wings begins strikes the bomb's nose with a hammer, which Bugs decides to help out before realizing that he is about to do. Suspecting the being to be a gremlin, the creature affirms its existence by shouting in Bug's face. A chases ensues as both Bugs and the gremlin wind up inside a Heinkel He 111. The gremlin locks him inside and sets the airplane in motion, flying towards oncoming buildings, but Bugs manages to seize control of the plane, narrowly avoiding the impact by rolling vertically between the towers.
However, the wings get torn off in its descent and the plane enters a steep nosedive at increasing speed. Bugs watches on helplessness, literally melting with terror and airsickness, while the gremlin nonchalantly plays with a yo-yo. Then by some miraculous timing, the plane unexpectedly sputters to a halt and hangs in the air a short distance above the ground. Both the gremlin and Bugs apologize to the audience for the anticlimactic ending, pinning the blame on the plane's fuel depletion by pointing out the wartime gas rationing sticker on the plane's windshield.
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Falling Hare (1943)
Notes[]
- Despite Bugs Bunny being featured prominently in Falling Hare, the character of Bugs himself is still under copyright and goes public domain in the year 2034 when the expiration for his first appearance Porky’s Hare Hunt expires.