Invite an 80s icon into your home with Gizmo from Gremlins™

Let’s start with a question.

What should you never expose to bright light, get wet or feed after midnight?

If you’ve just yelled out the word “GREMLINS!”, then you must know the iconic 1980s movie Gremlins™. And if you know the movie, then you’ve got to check out the latest set from LEGO® Ideas.

Submitted by Japanese fan designer, Fuma Terai (LEGO Ideas name Terauma), this collectible model building set for adults allows you to capture all of Gizmo’s adorable characteristics and quirky personality in LEGO brick style.

But you will also know that there is more to owning a Gremlin than meets the eye, and you need to know everything you can before getting involved.

So, to learn more about the LEGO Ideas Gremlins: Gizmo, the final 1,125-piece display-and-play set, we chatted with Chris McVeigh, Senior Model Designer at the LEGO Group.

He gave us the inside story on his love for the original film, how the model took shape, and what you can expect.

A new set from a cinematic classic

We started off by asking Chris about his experience with the original movie.

“I saw it in cinemas in 1984,” says Chris. “I loved the film, and, like most kids, wanted a Mogwai of my own!”

When he first saw the LEGO Ideas submission, it was an immediate blast from the past.

“It brought back a lot of great memories of the 1980s, and I was very happy to be assigned the project.”

Chris started by thoroughly reviewing the LEGO Ideas fan submission and rewatching the cult classic movie several times.

When it came to bringing Gizmo to life with LEGO bricks, he used a process he had honed on another adorable animal set.

“I have a process for transforming creatures into LEGO bricks, which I first used on the LEGO Ideas Tuxedo Cat,” he says. “I start by collecting a lot of reference images and carefully choose the scale of the model. I then build a rough wireframe and start to fill in the contours. As the model takes shape, I work out how it will be poseable; head, arms, hands, etc. The final step is finessing and figuring out tiny details that will improve accuracy and make the model special.”

And special it is!

You can build the Gizmo figure so he is either standing up or sitting down, and you can create different poses by rotating his head and adjust his ears, arms, hands, fingers or feet.

The set also includes iconic accessories like a water splash element (because you know that water makes the Mogwais replicate). This attaches to Gizmo’s back, and there’s a pair of brick-built 3D glasses, just like the ones Gizmo used to read comic books in the movie.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Throughout this process, Chris was in regular contact with fan designer Fuma. The process was a genuine collaboration, with the LEGO design team building on the work that Fuma had already done, and Fuma adding in additional input to guide the design to its final form.

“We had a collaborative process,” says Chris. “We always invite the fan designer on our journey as we transform their submission into a real product. Fuma was very supportive of the direction we took the model.”

We’re desperate to know: What was that direction, and did it change much from the original submission?

“We’ve scaled the model up slightly to allow for additional detailing,” says Chris. “In addition, the model has a two-in-one feature, allowing you to build Gizmo either standing or sitting and we’ve also included a set of brick-built 3D glasses to firmly anchor it in the 1980s.”

Ah, those were the days!

Details hidden in the design

We also asked Chris about Easter eggs. After all, anyone who knows about LEGO Designers knows how much they love to bury details in their design.

“We have included a single transparent element at the heart of the model as a tribute to the fan designer’s daughter, who loves transparent LEGO bricks,” says Chris. “We’ve also put a very specific color trim inside the model. Fans of the movie will know what it means!”

If you want to know more, you’ll have to build the set.

If you’re looking for a new display set for your home, a gift for a fan of Gremlins or someone obsessed with 80s nostalgia (and who isn’t?), then why not bring your very own Mogwai home?

Just remember not to expose them to bright light, not to get them wet and never to feed them after midnight. You’ve been warned!