I'm not sure why the Gremlins Gizmo or "Giz" as he is sometimes called is eternally popular but he is. I guess it might be because he's furry and cute, he's not wicked and he's quite smart being very talented with electrical devices and weaponry. Of course, that makes sense because a "gizmo" is actually another word for a gadget...Anyway, I digress. This page wasn't meant to be a biography of Gizmo but rather a helpful page about how to wash your giant stuffed plush Gizmo. He's pretty big, measuring about 20 inches across, which adds another complication when you're trying to figure out how to clean him.
Those who own this Gizmo, love him a lot, which means he is often in desperate need of being cleaned. Mine was actually in very good condition and clean but I washed him anyway since I like knowing that all of the plush toys in my home and in my eBay store are clean and fresh.
Anyway, a friendly query arrived in my email last month from Amanda in the United Kingdom. She called her question cheeky but I did not really consider it so. Besides, I am always happy to answer any friendly cheeky question!
Amanda said that she has a Gizmo pillow desperately in need of a cleaning so I shared my experience with her of how I cleaned my Gizmo. My answer is shown below but please don't take it as a guarantee. It is what I did with my Gizmo and what I have done with countless other plush toys but of course there is no telling what might happen when you wash yours...
If Gizmo will fit in your washing machine, you should be able to wash him in there. I washed my Gizmo in my slightly-oversized washer with hot water. Choose a gentle cycle, if you can, though I cannot remember if that is what I did and throw something in like a towel or two to counter the weight. If Gizmo doesn't fit in your machine, I would take him to a laundromat (a coin-operated laundry facility) where they usually have an oversized washer.
I air dried him in my dryer which has actually has a setting called 'air' that is perfect for stuffed animals when you don't know how their fur will react to the heat of a dryer. I actually may have dried him with heat because I often forget to use the air cycle, though I cannot really remember. I do know that some plush fur, particularly long, fluffy fur, like that around Gizmo's eye sometimes cannot tolerate the heat of a dryer so I recommend using an air cycle if you can.
If you're washing your Gizmo, I wish you luck! If you're interested in buying a plush Gremlin Gizmo pillow on eBay, just click here.
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
Every time I see Gizmo now I think of my mom's long-haired Chihuahua with the same name, named for his fur pattern.
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