The Gremlins Book by Roald Dahl
Book Review : The Gremlins Book by Roald Dahl
Published in 1943 and long unavailable, Dark Horse Books is proud to present this landmark book from the author of such beloved tales as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda. Digitally restored, this remarkable presentation of Dahl’s classic story, lavishly illustrated by the artists of the Walt Disney Studios, will delight readers of all ages! The Gremlins is the story of Gus, a British World War II fighter pilot, who during the Battle of Britain turned to look out on the wing of his plane only to see an amazing sight: a little man, no more than six inches tall with horns growing from his head, drilling a hole in the plane’s wing. Gus was the first man to ever see a Gremlin, and what happened after that would change the war, and the world, forever. Bought by Walt Disney to be produced as an animated motion picture (and considered to be the first story featuring the mythical airplane sabotaging creatures known as Gremlins), the project was ultimately shelved and is reprinted here for the first time in over 60 years.
History : The Gremlins Book by Roald Dahl
The Gremlins is a children’s book, written by Roald Dahl and published in 1943. It was Dahl’s first children’s book, and was written for Walt Disney, optioned for a film that was never made, in part because no one could establish exactly who owned the word “gremlin” and in part because they could not figure out how to make creatures who destroyed Allied aircraft lovable enough for a cartoon. On 25 September 2006, a reprinted edition of the book was released by Dark Horse Comics.
The story concerns mischievous little mythical creatures, the Gremlins of the title, that were often used by Royal Air Force pilots as an explanation for mid-air mechanical troubles and mishaps. In Dahl’s book, the gremlins’ motivation for sabotaging British planes is the destruction of their home, a forest, which was flattened to make way for an aircraft factory. The principal character in the book, Gus, has his plane destroyed over the English Channel by a gremlin, but is able to convince the gremlin as they parachute into the water that they should join forces against a common enemy—Hitler and the Nazis—rather than fight each other. Eventually, the gremlins are re-trained by the Royal Air Force to help repair, rather than sabotage, aircraft, and they also help restore Gus to active flight status after a particularly severe crash. (This was a kind of autobiographical reference for Dahl, who had flown as a pilot in the RAF, and was barred from flying after serious injuries sustained in a crash landing in Libya. He later returned to flying.) The book also contains picturesque details about the ordinary lives of gremlins: baby gremlins, for instance, are known as widgets, and females as fifinellas, a name taken from the great “flying” filly racehorse Fifinella, who won both the Epsom Derby and Epsom Oaks in 1916, the year Dahl was born.
The Dahl creations were subsequently used by Warner Bros. in several WWII cartoons, most notably Russian Rhapsody and Falling Hare, which starred Bugs Bunny. Several variations on gremlin characters were also used in World War II propaganda and as mascots for air units, such as Fifinella, who was used by the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) on their patches.
In September 2006, Dark Horse Comics reprinted a faithfully restored version of The Gremlins as well as creating a series of Gremlin-inspired toys and figurines.
A special edition of the book was produced to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the United States Air Force and was distributed exclusively through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. The USAF special edition featured a unique dustjacket that bore the commemorative seal of the 60th USAF Anniversary. The inside flap of the dustjacket featured a brief history of the book’s role in improving morale for airmen and their families. The initial distribution of the USAF 60th Anniversary commemorative edition sold out at all participationg AAFES locations on the first day of sale.
Used copies of the first edition book are highly prized and sought after by collectors of both Roald Dahl’s works and Disney’s; these copies may be valued anywhere between $100 and $10,000 US dollars.
The Gremlins have been confirmed to appear, according to Game Informer’s November 2009 issue, in the upcoming Disney/Warren Spector game Epic Mickey, as tiny helpers of Mickey. Their leader Gus will serve as a conscience figure to Mickey (almost like Jiminy Cricket is to Pinocchio).