By By Mike Glennon
Lawn gnomes. Jet molded plastic and rosey red cheeks, pointy hats and mischeivious smiles. They live in our lawns and trek around the world. They care for our gardens and steal our underpants. But other than that, what does anyone really know about lawn gnomes?
It is a little gnome fact that the eccentric and flamboyant Sir Charles Isham introduced the first garden gnomes to the United Kingdom. He purchased 21 of the terracotta figures while on vacation in Germany and he placed them around the grounds of his Lamport Hall estate in 1847. He believed that the gnomes would ward off evil spirits. After dying in what was probably a very whimsical fashion, his humorless daughters raced around the yard destroying his beloved gnomes. Only one of these gnomes escaped. Lampy, the only remaining original lawn gnome, is on display at Lamport Hall and is insured for one million pounds.
Lawn gnomes seem to be enjoying a renaissance in popular culture. After several initial Google searches, I found that more Web sites relate to “Garden Gnomes” than to “Janice Dickinson” and “Trishelle from the Real World” combined! Predictably, big name celebrities like Carrot Top and Donny Osmond far outpaced “Garden gnomes” in search results, but gnomebody’s perfect.
In recent years there has been a growing movement in Europe to free garden gnomes from captivity. Members of the movement argue that keeping these creatures in bondage is gnome laughing matter. These groups fall under the umbrella description of Garden Gnome Liberation Fronts. Two of the most well known groups are Front de Libération des Nains de Jardin based in France and Movimento Autonomo per la Liberazione delle Anime da Giardino (MALAG) from Italy. Both groups are known for stealing gnomes from homes. The French group leaves the gnomes in remote locations with claim tickets, while the Italian group believes that creating a gnome icon entraps the actual spirit of an actual gnome. They believe it is only through smashing the gnome statue that the gnome spirit can be set free into the magic world of the forests. They argue that there is no place like gnome.
In addition to the violent groups, some of these gnome organizations have non-violent political lobbying committees designed to increase the rights of the lawn gnome. They believe that, like humans, gnomes have certain inalienable rights and that it is our job to protect those rights. They view forcing a lawn gnome to stand on the lawn simply as decoration against its will and without just compensation, to be tantamount to slavery. Mouvement d´Ã‰mancipation des Nains de Jardin is the largest active gnome rights political group.
Sometimes members of these Fronts kidnap the gnomes and send them on trips around the world. The gnomes are then placed in front of famous landmarks and photographed. These pictures are then sent back to the gnome’s “owner,” whereupon a ransom will be requested. This practice became popular with the release of the French film Amelie in 2001 and the recent Travelocity gnome campaign.
If you want a gnome to call your own, may I recommend Gnome and Garden: A Gnovelty Kit by Marcus Mennes. Inside the kit is a small lawn gnome with Astroturf that will feel at home on any desk. It also includes some props that can be used to “send the gnome on vacation” to places like Paris or Rome and a book that tells you how to properly care for a gnome so it doesn’t start misbehaving and stealing your underpants. Proud Gnovelty Kit owner Megan Sela says she’s hooked and that, “Now my sister and I are always on the quest for a good gnome. You know, some can be kind of creepy looking.”
I had the incredible good fortune to talk with super gnome enthusiast Jean Fenstermaker. Fenstermaker is the proud owner of over 640 of the little guys, which she displays in the gardens outside of her home. She has been collecting for 29 years. Her collection has not only brought her great joy, but some fame as well. She has been featured in the several articles and on cable.
She said of the gnome’s appeal, “adults like to escape from reality, and the same thing happens when you enter the world of the gnome. I think that gnomes are so cute.”
When I asked her if she believes in real gnomes she said, “I’m just having a fun with them, but if they are real, I sure would like to see one. I’ll believe it when I see it.” n