Gremlinologi

Gremlins fanns långt före filmerna. De första kända beläggen är från RAF 1923. Deras uppgift här i livet är att ställa till med otyg på flygplan. Så när någonting krånglade utan orsak, gick sönder vid sämsta tillfälle, eller på annat sätt "spökade" - ja, då visste man vilka som låg bakom.

Under kriget kom gremlinologin att genomgå något av en revolution. Saxar ur New York Times 22 september 1942:

Several of the R. A. F.'s expert "gremlinologists" announced that four new types of gremlins had been developed by selective breeding with other types during the past three years. They listed them as follows:

Genus jockey. This one's chief characteristic is that it is able to sit cross-legged between the wings of a wayward seagull or pigeon and guide the bird into the windscreen of approaching R. A. F. planes. The birds, when they hit, often give the pilots serious shocks, and sometimes damage planes.

Genus incisor. The chief characteristic is that is has sharp, strong teeth for gnawing strips of wing surface around anti-aircraft or bullet holes. It also has strong hands with which to weaken the rivets of the planes. Its favorite pastime, however, is to teach its young how to teeth on vital control wires of planes causing them to snap when the planes go into action.

Genus optic. It has red or green eyes and love to hide in bomb sights, turning on its optic glow just as the bombardier is getting his sights lined on the target.

Genus cavity. It has a shovel-shaped nose, and appears before dawn at airports and manages to get a hole dug right in the path of a bomber coming in for a landing. This type works in gangs and often hitches rides on the plane after it hits the hole, grabbing its tail and then rushing to its nose, which puts the plane into a ground loop. [Planet snurrar runt horisontellt]


Bugs Bunny i Falling Hare (1943)