For a comparatively small franchise, Gremlins has developed a surprisingly large in-universe history. It began as a comparatively simple (if beloved) summer movie about little monsters, taking place over the course of just a few days. Its self-referential sequel similarly kept things straightforward, though both did so at the cost of several unanswered questions about the Mogwai and their darker doppelgangers. The arrival of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, however, has developed a clear timeline in order to connect its story to the live-action movies.

That timeline can be broken down into four basic periods, each of which is vital to understanding how events unfolded as they do. Almost all of it is seen from the perspective of Gizmo: the heroic little ball of fluff whose less-than-responsible treatment at the hands of humans causes all of the trouble. It encompasses the history of the species, its infamous rules, and the circumstances that led to him living in Mr. Wing's shop at the beginning of the first film.

The Mogwai Originate in Ancient China

The history and origins of the Mogwai are revealed in full detail in Secrets of the Mogwai Season 1, Episode 6, "Always Buy a God a Drink First." They originate in mythic China, in an indeterminate era of the "once upon a time" variety. The two gods of creation -- Nuwa and her brother Fuxi -- made a bet about the nature of humanity. Nuwa believed that people were basically good and would always try to do the right thing, while Fuxi was far more cynical. The Mogwai became the fulcrum for the bet. Nuwa created them to be cuddly and lovable in every way, but Fuxi was allowed to set the infamous rules that would transform them into gremlins if broken.

The city of Fengdong was chosen to host the Mogwai. If the inhabitants could care for the creatures safely, Nuwa would win the bet. If they couldn't, then Fuxi would win the bet. The god who lost would have to renounce the act of creation forever. Needless to say, the residents of Fengdong failed the test spectacularly, first by pouring water on the Mogwai so that everyone could have one, then violating the other two rules in short order. With scaly gremlins running amok, Nuwa conceded defeat. She transformed the gremlins back into Mogwai, then took them with her to the Valley of Jade, an enchanted sanctuary beyond human ken, where she lived with them and other mythic creatures for centuries.

While the exact timeline during this period is kept deliberately vague, it's sufficiently far in the past to cover thousands of years of time. Gizmo and the other Mogwai remain in the Valley of Jade with Nuwa: happy, at peace, and generally being adorable little balls of fur. It changes during an unexpected attack from a vulture-like bird which threatens to destroy their homes. Gizmo protects them by luring the vulture away, landing on its back as it carries him far away. He falls onto a log floating in a river, and is carried away by the water for many days. He's found by the Seven Brothers Traveling Circus, who abduct him and force him to perform in their show. That's where the events of Secrets of the Mogwai begin: Shanghai, 1920, after Gizmo has spent an indeterminate among of time in the circus.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Is Set in The 1920s

While Gizmo is the main protagonist of Secrets of the Mogwai, he shares the stage with a very young Sam Wing, who helps him escape the circus along with his friend Elle. From there, they launch into the bulk of the show's first season, detailing the Sam, Elle and Gizmo's various encounters with dangerous and sometimes supernatural figures in 1920s China. That involves a successful journey to return Gizmo to the Valley of Jade after tangling with sinister sorcerer Riley Greene for multiple episodes. Greene discovers the valley himself, and claims Nuwa's powers as his own, as well as the knife of creation which allows his thoughts to become reality.

Luckily, he lacks proper control of his newfound powers, and gets sliced in half by his own knife after being induced to turn into a cockroach. Sam then uses the blade to transform the obligatory horde of rampaging gremlins back into cuddly Mogwai, and restore Nuwa along with Greene's other victims. She and the Mogwai return to her home in the Valley of Jade, but Gizmo opts to remain with Sam and go on new adventures in the human world. The first season ends with the three protagonists happily working at Sam's parent's shop in Shanghai, while a single surviving gremlin hops a boat to San Francisco.

That sets up a second season for Secrets of the Mogwai, which has yet to be released as of this writing. Additional seasons may follow after that, presumably detailing more adventures in the 1920s. The next sixty years remains wide open on the timeline, and the new show can fill in any details it wants for Sam, Elle, and Gizmo. That could presumably include leaps forward in time to cover other decades of the 20th century, as seen from the shared eyes of its central trio. World War II, in particular, is a key moment for the titular creatures, and yet has been left almost entirely unexplored in the franchise, save for a few memories from the veteran Mr. Futterman in the first live-action film.

The concept of gremlins originated with British pilots during World War II, who used them to explain malfunctions in their aircraft. Author Roald Dahl popularized them when he wrote his first children's book, The Gremlins, published by Walt Disney in 1943 in anticipation of a never-realized feature film. Disney rival Warner Bros. quickly produced a pair of animated shorts -- 1943's Bugs Bunny short Falling Hare and 1944's Russian Rhapsody -- which prominently featured gremlins. In other words, the era is perfect to check in on Gizmo and his friends should the franchise wish.

The Original Gremlins Takes Place in 1984

Regardless of where Secrets of the Mogwai or other projects take the story, it all ends up at the start of Joe Dante's original movie Gremlins, which launched the franchise, and has since become a classic of 1980s blockbuster cinema. It finds Sam Wing now an old man and living in the Chinatown district of New York City, where he runs a failing curio shop. Gizmo is still with him, and Sam continues to keep both his Mogwai friend and the outside world safe from each other.

That changes when his grandson sells Gizmo to Billy Peltzer's father, Randall, for some badly needed money. Randall gives him to Billy as an early Christmas present, setting off the film's chain of events as the rules are broken and the ensuing horde of gremlins all but burns the fictional town of Kingston Falls, PA to the ground. The movie ends with Sam Wing returning to claim Gizmo, chiding the Peltzers for their irresponsibility. The events of the film are assumed to be contemporary with its release date, which means it takes place in December 1984.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch Effectively Brings The Franchise to an End

The franchise timeline effectively comes to an end with Gremlins 2: The New Batch, though future Gremlins movie projects may change that. The film begins with Sam Wing's death from old age. Gizmo must flee the destruction of his shop, and finds himself as a lab experiment in the New York skyscraper owned by billionaire mogul Daniel Clamp. Soon enough, a new batch of gremlins runs wild in the building. Luckily, Billy Peltzer and his girlfriend Kate Beringer work for Clamp's company, and -- with Gizmo's help -- are able to avert catastrophe again.

Gizmo goes home with Kate and Billy at the end of the film, presumably living happily ever after, since the two are experienced enough in the consequences to handle the Mogwai responsibly. Like the first film, the second doesn't specify a timetable, but the technology and other signs point to a date contemporary with the film's 1990 release date. With Secrets of the Mogwai presumably dedicated to Sam's adventures as a young man -- and with decades of colorful 20th century history to explore -- it's unlikely that the timeline will advance further during the TV series. A Gremlins 3 movie -- long promised, but never delivered -- would likely be the project to do so.

Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch are both currently streaming on Tubi. Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is currently streaming on Max.