GARDEN GNOMES

Recently these little guys seem to be in great demand - in motion pictures, commercials, on the covers of catalogs and especially in gardens.

According to gnome mythology, these dwarf-like men have been around since the 1800's and first were produced in Thuringia, Germany. They gained popularity in England some forty years later when British eccentric Sir Charles Isham brought them to his country. Today, his gnome Lampy is insured for over a million dollars.

In the 1960s, manufacturers began mass-producing colorful, tacky gnomes out of plastic. They soon lost respect in the gardening community as being tasteless and garish.

Fortunately, gnomes recently have been displayed in pop culture and given a much needed popularity boost. They have been featured in many advertising campaigns and in motion pictures such as Lord of the Rings.

In the garden however, gnomes can often have a dark side. Many are victims of pranksters and theft or "gnomenapping".

There is even an organized group in Europe called the Garden Gnome Liberation Front that was recently fined by a French court for stealing more than 150 gnomes.