The Gremlins

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For other uses, see Gremlin (disambiguation).

Roald Dahl childrens book
The Gremlins

Cover of the first edition of The Gremlins
Book #	1
Year Realeased	1943
Publisher	Originally Walt Disney, soon Dark Horse Comics
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	James and the Giant Peach

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 subsequently never made. On 25 September, 2006, a reprinted edition of the book will be 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. Male gremlins were known as widgets and females were known as fifinellas.

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 1984 a Hollywood film called Gremlins was released; however, besides featuring similar creatures, this film is not connected to Dahl's book.