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Gremlins

Gizmo

Gizmo is a small, furry mogwai with enormous ears who comes with three rules: keep him out of bright light, keep him away from water, and never feed him after midnight. In Joe Dante's 1984 film Gremlins, written by Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg, someone breaks the rules and Gizmo's offspring turn into the destructive gremlins of the title.

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GremlinsDebut 1984filmanimationtelevision

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First appearance
Gremlins (1984), Warner Bros.
Created by
Chris Columbus, Joe Dante, Chris Walas
Also known as
Mogwai
Universe
Gremlins
Appears in
film, animation, television

Who is Gizmo?

Gizmo is a small, furry mogwai with enormous ears who comes with three rules: keep him out of bright light, keep him away from water, and never feed him after midnight. In Joe Dante's 1984 film Gremlins, written by Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg, someone breaks the rules and Gizmo's offspring turn into the destructive gremlins of the title. Gizmo himself stays gentle throughout. He was built as a practical puppet by effects artist Chris Walas, and Howie Mandel provided his voice. The film's mix of family comedy and violence was one of the reasons the PG-13 rating was introduced later that year. Gizmo has since become the franchise's face and one of the most recognisable film creatures of the 1980s.

Gizmo: the details

First appearance
Gremlins, 1984
Directed by
Joe Dante
Written by
Chris Columbus
Voiced by
Howie Mandel
Puppet effects
Chris Walas
The three rules
No bright light, no water, no food after midnight
A ratings change
Gremlins was one of the films that prompted the PG-13 rating in 1984

Why Gizmo endures

The gentle face of a horror comedy that helped create the PG-13 rating.

What Gizmo looks like on a shirt

Signature motif: Brown-and-cream mogwai with large ears and big dark eyes

The three rules make a good text design. Gizmo's face works at small sizes; retro film-poster designs suit adults.

Brown and cream on black or grey. Rule-list designs are the adult favourite. The film is PG with frightening scenes, so this page is not listed for young children.

Gizmo T-shirts

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Buying from outside the United States? Prices shown are amazon.com in US dollars. Links redirect international readers to their local Amazon, where pricing, sizing and availability are shown in local terms.

Price and availability are taken from Amazon at the time shown and can change. The price on Amazon at the time of purchase applies.

Sizes: kids to adult

These links run a live Amazon search for Gizmo shirts in each US size band. Amazon shows what is currently listed; availability in a particular size is confirmed on the product page, not here.

BandAgesUS sizesSearch
Toddler 2–4 years 2T, 3T, 4T Search toddler sizes
Kids 4–7 years XS (4/5), S (6/7) Search kids sizes
Youth 8–14 years M (8), L (10/12), XL (14/16) Search youth sizes
Adult 15+ S–3XL Search adult sizes

US sizing shown. Cut and measurement vary between brands — see the size guide before ordering, especially for youth sizes. Base search: Gizmo Gremlins t-shirt.

Who has played Gizmo

PerformerProductionYearType
Howie MandelGremlins1984Voice

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Gizmo T-shirts: common questions

Who created Gizmo?

Gizmo was created by Chris Columbus and Joe Dante and Chris Walas, first appearing in Gremlins in 1984 (Warner Bros.).

What does a Gizmo T-shirt usually look like?

Brown-and-cream mogwai with large ears and big dark eyes. Brown and cream on black or grey. Rule-list designs are the adult favourite. The film is PG with frightening scenes, so this page is not listed for young children.

Are Gizmo T-shirts made for children?

No. Gizmo comes from work made for older audiences, so we keep the character off our kids pages even where children's sizes are manufactured.

Who has played Gizmo?

Gizmo has been voiced by Howie Mandel (Gremlins, 1984).

How much does a Gizmo T-shirt cost?

Gizmo shirts we currently track start from around $19.99 on amazon.com. Every price on this page is dated, because they move.

This profile was compiled from published reference material about Gizmo — first appearance, creator credits and production history — and is a secondary source rather than a substitute for the original publication. Where a detail could not be corroborated it has been left out. We do not physically test garments; see how we work for what that means and what it does not.

Reference. This profile was compiled from published sources. For the character's full publication history see Wikipedia (Wikidata Q60629269). Our method and limitations are stated in full.

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