Mountain Dew is releasing a limited edition Gizmo doll, the titular gremlin from the 1984 horror-comedy Gremlins. In the movie written by Christopher Columbus and directed by Joe Dante, a seemingly adorable household pet breeds an army of little monsters when its owner disregards a very specific set of care instructions. Gizmo has picked up some advertising work since the Hollywood well dried up and currently appears in a Mountain Dew commercial that parodies his breakout role.
Bloody Disgusting has discovered that Mountain Dew Zero Sugar is selling a Gizmo collectible for $300 following the ad's success. The doll is designed by UK-based firm I Love Dust and features the Mountain Dew Zero Sugar logo and slogan on its oversized ears. The product will go live on NTWRK, a "mobile-first video shopping platform" and app, on March 26.
The clever ad brings back Gizmo's Gremlins co-star Zach Galligan in the role of Billy Peltzer who, having learned nothing from his nightmare experience in the movie, offers Gizmo an ill-fated drink of The Dew. Predictably, drinking the soda induces Gizmo's transformation into a tiny terror as history repeats itself. The soft drink also wrangled Howie Mandel to return as the voice of Gizmo and cast Samantha Bartow as Billy's daughter, who's clearly been through this before.
The press release refers to the limited-edition doll as a "DZS [Dew Zero Sugar] x Gremlins reunion," a possible hint at rumors that have circulated about Gremlins 3. Unfortunately, nothing is in development as of now, and the statement is most likely referring to the reunion in the commercial itself. An animated series from HBO Max and WarnerMedia entitled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is currently in the works. Here's more information about the Gremlins doll:
Retailing for $300, the Gizmo collectible arrives in a vacuum sealed bag and DEW display case, making it easy for fans to follow the three rules: Do not expose Gizmo to light, do not let Gizmo come in contact with water and never feed Gizmo after midnight. Plus to commemorate the DZS partnership, the back of Gizmo’s left ear reads "As Good As The Original, Maybe Even Better," while the right ear features the MTN DEW Zero Sugar logo.
Source: Bloody Disgusting