Timeline of Gremlin Industries

1970

April 3 - Gremlin Industries is incorporated in the state of Delaware. The original building is an office on 3555 Aero Ct, San Diego CA 92123 (Gremlin Industries Stock Overview)

Harry Frank Fogleman and Carl E Grindle serve as founders. The company has no employees but contracts to Gerald L Hansen and Gene A Candelore who work for Grindle at the company Harlan Labs. (Hansen 2019)

Frank Fogleman graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He first came to San Diego to work for Convair until 1957. Subsequently he worked for an electronic instrumentation firm in Los Angeles. In 1960 he formed his own company, Aeromarine Electronics, to design spacecraft systems. He left the company in about 1967 to design the first portable telephone for the company CarryPhone.

• An early corporate profile claims that the extent of action for Gremlin Industries in the first year was “the purchase and sale of a single piece of real estate”. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History) No reference to the location of this real estate is mentioned.

1971

February 3rd - Gremlin is confirmed as an entity able to do interstate business within California. (Gremlin Industries Incorporated Certificate of Good Standing)

• The Transpec Sales Division of Gremlin Industries is formed, which would facilitate the purchasing and selling of circuit chips. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

• Development on the Model 7117 Food Timer begins. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

• The total sales for 1971 were estimated at $31,000. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

1972

Quarter 1 - Gremlin acquires a production contract from Foodmaker Corporation (Jack in the Box fast food restaurants) to produce a small-scale run of the Model 7117 Food Timer.

Other contracts acquired include from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California Division of Highways, Naval Underwater Systems Center, and Structural Behavior Engineering Labs. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

March 4th - James “Lynn” Fogleman - nephew of Frank Fogleman - is hired into Gremlin as the first formal employee. He largely serves as a technician and implementer. (Gremlin Shop Talk 1978-03 pg 3, L Fogleman 2019)

Quarter 2 - Gerald Hansen and Gene Candelore acquire the stock previously held by Carl Grindle and R Montgomery. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

September 23rd - Jeffery Fred Fogleman, Lynn Fogleman’s brother, becomes the second employee of Gremlin. He would also largely serve as a technician and drafter. (Gremlin Shop Talk 1977-09 pg 3, L Fogleman 2019)

Quarter 3 - Research begins on the viability of a Wall Game product, which would later become Play Ball. The shift in products reflects a desire to be in high volume business. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History) The game took a reported eight months to develop. (1980 San Diego Business Journal)

Quarter 4 - Gremlin rids themselves of their integrated circuit inventory.

The company contracts to develop long leadtime tooling.

Foodmaker Corporation supplies additional equipment work.

The first prototype of Play Ball is shown to coin-op industry representatives. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

• The sales volume in 1972 was $87,000 (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

1973

First Quarter - Gremlin moves to 7030 Convoy Court, San Diego CA 92111.

Ten Play Ball units were initially built for local market tests. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History) [Lynn Fogleman claims it was 50 units.]

April 6-8 - The annual NAMA Western show is held at Community Concourse in San Diego, California. (Cash Box 1973-02-17 pg 58) Gremlin debuts Play Ball at this event. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

August 1st - John Cobb [Role Unknown] is hired into Gremlin. (1977-08 Gremlin Shop Talk)

Third Quarter - Play Ball first goes into production in the Gremlin assembly line. Several West Coast distributors are appointed for the product.

Gremlin leases additional space to accommodate employees needed for the production of Play Ball. The exact location is not identified. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

November 9-11 - The 25th annual Music Operators of America (MOA) convention is held at the Conrad Hotel in Chicago. (Cash Box 1973-11-10 pg 57) Gremlin holds a private showing for the game Play Ball off the floor space. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)

Fourth Quarter - Play Ball is released. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History) The first noted distributor is Circle International. (Cash Box 1973-12-22 pg 42)

Follow-on contract work from Foodmaker provided the company with more capital.

• Total sales for the year amounted to $285,000. (1976 Gremlin Industries Detailed Corporate History)