A few observations about the current eBay auction, “ORIGINAL GREMLINS LIFE SIZE GIZMO PROP” (eBay Item #180119578224):
Link to Full Archive: eBay Gremlin Archive Auction
I don’t know very much about Gremlin props, but I did have an opportunity to view and examine three of Bob Burns’ originals.
One distinction I’ve noticed in comparing my photos of two of the Bob Burns Gremlines (I didn’t take photos of the third) and the one offered on eBay is the difference in the fur, particularly the brown fur. The Bob Burns Gremlins have white hairs interspersed in the brown hair, whereas the eBay one appears to have “pure” and even brown hair. The eBay one also appears, from the photos, to not have aged – it looks new. Lastly, the fur on the Bob Burns Gremlins has more of a coarse appearance, while the eBay one at least appears softer.
Link to High Res Comparison: Gremlins Comparison
Having said that, I can’t discount the eBay seller’s observation that the sculpt itself appears to be consistent with the originals – in particular, the mouth on the standing Bob Burns one looks to have the same shape/expression as the eBay one.
Another note – the sclera (the white part of the eye) on the Bob Burns Gremlins is much more noticeable vs. the eBay version.
Anyway, just a few observations. My personal view is that I don’t feel enough material information has been provided to designate the piece definitively as “original” [see article What is “Original”?], but that is just my opinion.
I did exchange e-mails with the seller, and I don’t think my observations are inconsistent with his own view (that the sculpt appears to be original, or originates from the production in some way, and that he has no “proof” that it is “original”).
Jason De Bord