What is the story of the garden gnome?

A strange relationship between love and hate surrounds garden gnomes . We feel it is important to untangle the truth from the falsehood and give you a description of the history of these creatures of folklore.

What is the origin of garden gnomes?

The garden gnome, this small figurine made of terracotta or plastic, appeared during the Renaissance.

Its origins date back to Türkiye around the 15th century when workers worked in mines where valuable metals were extracted and wanted to protect themselves.

The dwarf's cap comes from the fact that workers protected themselves from possible shocks due to their work.

Our little characters then acted as protective amulets.

Garden gnomes as decorative objects

According to various experts, the first garden gnomes playing the role of decorative elements appeared between 1690 and 1695.

It is said that this fashion may have been started by an Austrian-born architect named Johann Bernhard Fischer Von Erlach.

He is said to have designed and placed these figurines at Salzburg Castle around the 1690s, while he was a sculptor and professor of architecture to Prince Joseph I.

Later, the Swiss and Germans began to manufacture garden figures in large quantities using clay as a material.

The garden gnome: a story of small size?

No way!

As the years went by, these figurines became popular with the general public to the point of becoming a real fashion effect in popular culture.

World Conflicts and Garden Statues

During the period of global conflict, most of the gnome manufacturing industry was nationalized and converted to the production of weapons and military supplies.

During the 1960s, clay garden gnomes were replaced by plastic (ABS) ones which were mass produced.

It was at this time that they acquired the status of a budding folk decoration. They were and still are the guardians and protectors of the family.

Popular culture, a major place for garden gnomes

Goethe mentioned these small creatures in one of his works entitled "Hermann and Dorothea". Undeniable proof of the appeal of these statuettes from a time that is still distant to our eyes.

Later, Grimm's fairy tales and Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs further enhanced the popularity of garden statues .

The Evolution of Garden Figurine Design: From Clay to Resin

Over the years, and in particular thanks to social networks and the increasingly frenetic pace of production in order to satisfy all consumers, the garden gnome has been forced to evolve.

This is why we find fewer and fewer terracotta garden gnomes. The so-called "modern" garden gnomes are rather made of resin, molded concrete or even plastic. We also find some made from PLA.

More resistant and more practical materials. Their appearance has also evolved. We find garden gnomes of all kinds, very realistic, close to the seven dwarves of Snow White, scary ones, that we would think came straight out of a Halloween tale, surfer gnomes, humorous, offbeat. The garden gnome encourages all eccentricities!

Garden statuettes: a current trend?

Did you know that a garden gnome, once owned by Sir Charles Isham himself, has been valued at over £1 million.

Proof that the garden gnome is still popular. The existence of a Garden Gnome Liberation Front , which has taken on the task of freeing as many garden gnomes as possible, is further proof.

These little creatures still have a bright future ahead of them. Guardians of our gardens, they watch over things with benevolence and are not about to fall into disuse.

Any garden gnome lover, also called a nanomaniac , will share his passion with newbies.

Gnomes are very helpful and knowledgeable about the garden, it is even said that having a gnome in your garden will make your plants and flowers grow much faster than fertilizer.