You probably know Roald Dahl for chocolate factories and giant peaches. But way before Matilda or the BFG, there was a weird little military story that almost changed animation history. Honestly, it's the one project that defines Dahl’s early career, yet it’s the one most people have never actually read. The Gremlins book by Roald Dahl isn't your typical bedtime story. It’s a strange, wartime artifact born out of the Royal Air Force and a failed partnership with Walt Disney.
It started in the clouds.
Dahl was a fighter pilot during World War II. He wasn't just some guy dreaming up monsters; he was flying Gloster Gladiators and Hawker Hurricanes. In the RAF, "gremlins" were already a thing. Pilots blamed these imaginary, mischievous creatures for engine failures, jammed guns, and inexplicable mechanical hiccups. If your fuel line leaked for no reason, a gremlin did it. Dahl took this bit of cockpit folklore and turned it into a manuscript.
He didn't write it for kids. Not at first.
Why the Gremlins Book by Roald Dahl is a Literary Oddity
The story follows Gus, a British pilot who watches his Hurricane get dismantled mid-air by these tiny creatures. They have horns. They wear high-top boots. Most interestingly, the females are called "Fifinellas" and the kids are "Widgets."
Dahl’s version was gritty. Well, as gritty as a story about four-inch-tall sprites can be.
Walt Disney got his hands on the manuscript in 1942. He saw dollar signs. Disney wanted a feature film that combined live-action aviation footage with animated gremlins. They even started production. You can still find the character sketches in the Disney archives—they’re adorable but carry that 1940s sharp-edged animation style. But the movie died. It just collapsed under the weight of copyright disputes with the British Air Ministry and Walt's own wavering interest.
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What we got instead was a promotional book published by Random House in 1943.
This is the only reason the story exists today. The book was basically "merch" for a movie that never happened. Because of that, it feels different from his later masterpieces. It lacks the dark, cynical edge of The Witches or the whimsical justice of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s a propaganda piece, really. It’s about the gremlins learning to stop sabotaging planes and start helping the Allies fight the Nazis.
The Disney Connection and the "Lost" Movie
Disney went deep on this. They even put a gremlin on the nose art of real American bombers.
Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly loved the story. She invited Dahl to the White House for dinner because of it. Think about that: a debut author getting a steak dinner with the First Lady because he wrote about imaginary pests on airplanes. That’s the kind of clout this book had in 1943.
But then, the legal issues started. The RAF claimed "Gremlins" belonged to the public domain of pilot slang. Disney hated not owning the full rights. Eventually, Walt pulled the plug. The studio transitioned to making Victory Through Air Power, and Dahl’s little creatures were relegated to the bargain bin of history.
For decades, The Gremlins book by Roald Dahl was a ghost. You couldn't find it. Collectors would pay hundreds of dollars for original 1943 copies with the dust jackets intact. It wasn't until Dark Horse Comics did a reprint in 2006 that regular humans could actually read the thing again without breaking the bank.
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Breaking Down the Plot: It’s Not What You Think
If you grew up in the 80s, you’re thinking of Joe Dante’s movie. Forget it.
Dahl’s gremlins don’t multiply when wet. They don't turn into scaly monsters if they eat after midnight. In the original book, they’re more like displaced forest dwellers. Their homes were destroyed to build an aircraft factory. They aren't evil; they're just ticked off about the deforestation.
- Gus (the pilot) convinces them to join the war effort.
- The gremlins learn to repair engines instead of breaking them.
- They develop a taste for used postage stamp glue. (Classic Dahl weirdness).
- They help win the war by being the ultimate pit crew.
It’s actually a very "pro-labor" story if you squint at it.
The prose is a bit clunky compared to James and the Giant Peach. You can tell Dahl was still finding his voice. He uses a lot of technical RAF jargon. He’s trying to balance being a serious military man with being a storyteller. It’s a fascinating look at an artist in transition.
The Legacy of a Failure
Why does this book matter now?
It matters because it’s the bridge between Dahl the pilot and Dahl the legend. Without the "success" of this failed movie project, he might never have stayed in America. He might never have started writing the short stories for The New Yorker that eventually led to his children’s books.
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Also, it’s a masterclass in how "intellectual property" used to be a wild west. Today, Disney would have locked those rights down in a heartbeat. Back then? A few letters from the British government were enough to make Walt Disney walk away from a potential goldmine.
Interestingly, the "Fifinella" character survived. She became the official mascot of the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). Thousands of female pilots wore Dahl’s creation on their flight suits while ferrying planes across the Atlantic. That’s a legacy that transcends a simple children's book.
How to Find and Collect the Gremlins Book
If you’re looking to grab a copy, don't just search for "Gremlins." You'll get hit with 5,000 listings for Funko Pops of Gizmo.
- The 1943 Original: Look for the Random House edition. If the dust jacket is missing, it’s worth about $150–$300. With a crisp jacket? You’re looking at $1,000+.
- The 2006 Dark Horse Reprint: This is the best way to actually read it. It includes an intro by Leonard Maltin that explains the whole Disney debacle.
- The 2015 Anniversary Editions: These are easier to find in UK bookstores and usually have the original artwork cleaned up for modern printing.
Honestly, the artwork is the selling point. The Disney artists who worked on this were at the top of their game. Bill Justice and Al Zinnen created designs that look like they could jump off the page. The colors are vibrant, 1940s technicolor dreams.
Final Takeaways for Readers
The Gremlins book by Roald Dahl is a time capsule. It’s a glimpse into a world where Roald Dahl was just a "lucky" pilot with a good story and Walt Disney was a man struggling to navigate the politics of a World War. It isn't his best work, but it might be his most important because of the doors it opened.
If you want to experience the full history, don't just read the text. Look at the "WASP" mascots. Search for the "Lost Disney Gremlins" concept art. You'll see a version of 1940s pop culture that almost was—a world where Mickey Mouse had to share the screen with a bunch of horn-headed engine saboteurs.
To get the most out of this piece of history, start by hunting down the 2006 Dark Horse hardcover. It’s the most faithful reproduction of the original layouts. Once you read it, compare the tone to The BFG. You’ll see the DNA of his later giants and monsters in these tiny, glue-eating pilots. It’s the literal starting point of a literary empire. Check your local library’s "Oversized" or "Art" section first, as many librarians miscatogorize it because of the Disney illustrations.