The Origins Of The Garden Knome Craze

When you visit someone's home and you see a garden knome, aka gnome, in their garden, how do you usually react? Do you feel a bad taste in your mouth and mutter inaudibly about how crass and tasteless some people can get? Inasmuch as you are not alone in that sentiment, there are just as many people out there who love garden gnomes as much as you hate them. There are four million of these little creatures in southern Germany alone, and the United States is getting close to that figure as well.

Americans may be another thing, but it is not exactly surprising why Germans love garden gnomes. After all, the first of the lot were created by a German ceramics maker some 160 years ago. From there, garden gnomes spread across Europe and found their way to the United Kingdom when the master of Lamport Hall imported them in the 1840s.

Why do the Europeans and the British love garden gnomes? That is because local lore depicts gnomes to be lucky and to act as protectors of the house and the garden, especially in isolated locations.

Regardless of the myth, European gnome manufacturers eventually became experts of the craft. In its heyday, a large gnome factory in Griebel, Germany was able to produce over 300 different gnome models. Germany was not able to keep its hold on the gnome supremacy, however. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, countries like the Czech Republic began production of models much cheaper than the original German creations.

Germany at first tried to put a stop to them by citing copyright laws, but to no avail. To this day, the descendants of the original inventor of the garden gnome now only have one workshop and a gnome museum to their name.

The earliest garden gnomes were depicted as gardeners at work on various tasks on the farm, but soon enough they expanded to other ventures like fishing, sporting, playing musical instruments, and other activities. Eventually, there even came out gnomes that look like famous people.

The popularity of gnomes has come to a point that there is even a gnome reserve in North Devon, England where gnome lovers can show their devotion by visiting gnomes, wearing pointy hats and wielding fishing equipment. This reserve is spread over four acres and is home to over a thousand gnomes.

Not everyone, however, thinks that gnomes should be confined to a single space. These people believe that gnomes should roam free as they want to. In the United States, there is a website called FreeTheGnomes.com, and they call for people to stop oppressive gardening and free their gnomes. While some confine their militancy online, others have actually gone against the law to liberate gnomes. For example, the Garden Gnome Liberation Front raided a Paris convention at night and stole 20 gnomes in April 2000.

Oh, did you know that if you have a garden gnome and you are thinking of putting your home on the market, your garden knome can knock around $580 from your house's market value? At least that is what a 2003 real estate study said.