Repairing NECA Gremlins Dancing Gizmo Plush Doll Dance function

OK. So this is Gizmo. He sings fine, and you can hear the motor moving for his dancing, but he doesn't dance. Something has gone wrong with his insides.

Toys with motors of this kind need the batteries to be good and strong before they'll dance. So before you open Gizmo up, give him a fresh pair of alkaline AA batteries. Like most toys, his battery compartment is attached with a single 00 Phillips screw.

You need to find a seam. I opened Gizmo up along the back seam about half an inch up from the base, and used a small seam ripper to carefully unpick the stitches one at a time.

If you don't have a seam ripper, you can use snips or very small embroidery scissors. But the plush fabric is not particularly strong and you don't want to damage it, so be careful. I needed a gap of about three inches to fish his internal workings out.

Gizmo has a simple motor linking his head and body. It's covered with a green cover which is attached with not very strong adhesive. Pull it off to get at the workings. You can see that in my Gizmo, the plastic piece that links the head and body had broken.

Although I think that most of these toys will break in exactly the way mine did, your problem might be different. The head controller has a circular fixing that slips over a knob on the base, a part screwed into the other side, and a groove that takes the rotating button to create the movement.

You may want to look at other guides for the best plastic glues. I used super glue, but reinforced the link with a rubber band. Whatever glue you use, follow the directions precisely and leave it for the full recommended time to strengthen. Toy plastic often doesn't glue well, and toys get rough handling.

Reverse steps to reassemble Gizmo. Check he's working before sewing him up. Sew him up with a sharp sewing needle and brown thread.