Click any of the below for larger images
A before and after look at "Lenny" from Gremlins 2, who's face was touched up so he'd display much more nicely
After! Finger rebuilt, toe repaired. Face & hand cracks patched and the paint touched up. The eyes were also opened.
Animatronic "Daffy" puppet from Gremlins 2 before restoration. The toe & small pieces of finger were saved for use in the restoration.
BEFORE/AFTER a rare original Gremlin puppet from the original 1984 film. The neck had completely torn/worn away leaving him decapitated!
AFTER restoration: Neck has been repaired, textured & had paint touched up to perfectly match the surrounding areas- creating an invisible repair.
Other repairs were made but some areas were simply sealed, allowing the piece to retain its vintage feel (and charm!).
Tom working on an oversized "Rambo Gizmo" prop puppet used in the film, Gremlins 2, The New Batch
This over-sized animatronic was used for insert shots in the film requiring a greater range of expression.
We repaired the foam latex mouth area, sealed the ears and did some cleaning of his fur, giving him a fresher look.
BEFORE/AFTER Gremlins 2 style puppet with custom display base. Repairs included the wrist, ears & leg joints.
BEFORE our restoration. Among other issues, an ear was fused to a shoulder, requiring careful removal & repair both the ear & shoulder
AFTER: In addition to the major work, cracks, tears & flaked paint were gently restored and sealed to improve look while retaining character and "age"
Gremlins Movie Props Restoration
SERVICES
We've also restored a variety of
pieces from many other films!
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
An American Werewolf
In London
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Alien
Terminator 2
and more!
Restoring and preserving screen used original television and movie props as well as foam latex masks and costumes is a painstaking process.
Our approach emphasizes maintaining the integrity of the original and wherever possible preserving the original "feel" of the piece and evidence of age and use in a production.
The goal is not a result that looks "brand new" (the way a replica might look) but to gently bring a piece of history back to life... to make it look "great for its age."
Never, ever feed them after midnight!
We've worked on quite a few Mogwai and Gremlins from the 1984 film Gremlins and it's sequel, Gremlins 2, the New Batch.
Some of those are shown here. Work ranged from major repairs and restoration to near invisible touch ups and stabilization to help slow the affects of time.
Each restoration or conservation project has its own challenges, so please contact us to discuss potential projects or inquire about availability for on-site work.
We constantly research new techniques and materials in order to enhance the archival qualities of the work we do.
We strive to only use materials that are safe for the long term.
Wherever possible, our solutions are flexible, non-tacky when dry, non-yellowing and acid-free.
His lips and eyes also needed a bit of repair. Only careful spot-painting was done, to ensure the piece remained as original as possible.
As often happens, the back of the neck needed a bit of attention from years of the body weight hanging on it.
Gremlins 2, the New Batch
We restored this prop puppet and also created an internal support to take the stress off the neck.
Another Gremlin, another torn back of the neck! Shown before and after we rebuilt the foam latex skin.
We again created an internal support to take the stress off the neck. The client also requested that we give him a "slimy" gloss finish when sealing the movie prop
Another incredible Gremlins 2, the New Batch puppet by Rick Baker's Cinovation Studios. This one was in fair condition, but had some bad neck damage.
A screen used puppet from Gremlins 2, the New Batch
As with so many of these original props, the thin foam of the neck had torn nearly completely away.
A side by side showing the foam prop before and after our refurbishment. This was a drastic restoration but one that made our client quite happy!
The green gremlin during our work. Steps were taken to support, conserve and preserve all existing material and as always, we painted only the areas we rebuilt.
An extremely rare Gremlin hand puppet from the original 1884 film, prior to our work. This particular prop originally came from the film's director, Joe Dante
We repaired the neck, and carefully re-textured any large damage, keeping the piece as original as possible. An archival body insert now properly supports the puppet.
Internal supports keep his head and ears in place. We had a beautiful museum style case and plaque fabricated to complete our client's display!
An original Gremlins 2 movie prop puppet shown prior to and during our conservation work. His ears and neck needed a lot of attention.
The restored prop, mounted on a custom display stand to better support him over time. As always, only the areas we patched were painted, leaving the piece very much original!
This small 1984 Gremlin stop motion puppet is a fine example of a piece that is preserved (primarily) rather than restored. Minor improvements were made per the client, but he was mostly preserved as-is
