2. Gizmo (Howie Mandel in Gremlins)
Its all about mythology. Mythology is what creates a memorable character. Mythology is what gives the impression that the character has always existed Now, with Gremlins, its almost true: theyve been around since World War II, and there was a great cartoon about them with Bugs Bunny So, am I breaking the rule, here? Well, its the same situation as Hancock: furry and cute creatures have been around for a long time, and even if they have the same name, if the whole mythology around them has nothing to do with the homonym, then we can consider them ORIGINAL. In the case of the Mogwaï, it was created for the screen. And the whole set of rules that accompany it is what creates a legend, a true memorable character. Everyone knows that you cant get a Mogwaï wet, even if they havent seen the movie or dont remember it The rule about feeding after midnight is a bit iffy, as has been pointed out many times before, but almost everyone knows it and argues about it So, this makes Gizmo and his tenderness number 2 on the list. One could argue that he wasnt played by a memorable actor but by a puppet, but
Runner-up: E.T. This incredible creature should really be n°2. The only reason its not is because the whole movie is memorable, but the character is drowned by so many memorable things in the movie itself, and not the character. He could almost be a MacGuffin, and not be present in the movie, and still E..T. would have been incredible. Now, thats not entirely true, but almost!