Over the river and through the woods
to grandmother’s house we go…
in a Gremlin!

Christmas 1973 | A Gremlin Car and Children Dressed for Christmas

Vintage Gremlin

Today’s special photo features kids all dolled up for Christmas 1973, standing in front of  a 1970s-era Gremlin. The basket on the hood has holiday bows stuck on it and the wheelbarrow on the top of the car (what is it doing there?) has a University of Oklahoma (OU) emblem. I wonder if these kids are from Oklahoma, which is where I live. 

The Gremlin was produced between 1970 and 1978 by the American Motors Company (AMC), and sold new for around $3,000. Today, the car enjoys an almost cult-like following. A Facebook group honoring its existence has 3,500 fans. A yellow 1977 model is currently listed for $4,000 on Facebook marketplace.

Rare Gremlins, Gas Caps

Gremlins are now between 40 and 47 years old and can be hard to come by. They aren’t as rare as their super cool gas caps though, which feature a cute little gremlin. He looks like he may have inspired the look of the gremlins in the 1984 movie of the same name.

Gremlin Gas Cap

A friend of mine in high school had purplish-colored Gremlin. We called it her high-top tennis shoe. I think it had a white racing stripe. So many of the cars, including the one in the picture above, had those stripes. They made them super fun and sporty looking. They always reminded me of track suits, which were also popular in the 1970s and 80s.

Here is a fun commercial for the car.

Did you ever ride in a Gremlin? Better yet, did you own one? If you have any pictures to share I’d be interested in sharing them with our readers. Keep in mind, I buy vintage photographs, snapshots, and 35mm slides, etc.

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