G - Gremlins!

This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Gremlins. They're not cute, they're not cuddly, and they wreck everything they come in contact with. The first written use of the term was in the 1920s in England. Gremlins are tricksters that like to mess with mechanical items, especially airplanes. They were blamed for a number of malfunctions and even crashes of British Air Force aircraft during World War II. Many pilots claimed to have seen them on the wings right before experiencing mechanical trouble. The term was later spread farther when Royal Air Force veteran and author Roald Dahl wrote The Gremlins in 1942. Gremlins have made appearances in various forms in books, magazines, TV, and movies ever since. One of the best-known examples is The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" starring a pre-Star Trek William Shatner. Another is, of course, the 1984 movie Gremlins.

I say all of that and give all the background to say this: Who the heck thought it was a good idea to use the name Gremlin for a car?!