What Are Those? History Behind Garden Gnomes

For many people it is a hobby, for some it’s a fear, garden gnomes. The first gnomes were produced in Germany back in the early 1800’s. They were simple and made from clay. Gnomes first started to appear in gardens in England in the 1840’s and from there the garden gnome frenzy took off.
The very first gnomes that were mass-produced came from Germany in the 1870’s. The two big names in gnome manufacturing were Philipp Griebel and August Heissner. Sadly people started making the transition from clay gnomes into plastic ones, which are the gnomes we know today. These gnomes are campy and cartoonish, and many people don’t like them.
Later on in the 1980’s companies in the Czech republic and Poland started to make gnomes and flooded the market with cheaper imitations of the German products. Then came the American company Kimmel Gnomes, which is one of the few manufacturers of clay and resin gnomes that are finished by hand and not mass-produced in a factory.
Gnomes were generally not described thoroughly in the stories, but garden gnomes produced throughout the world have the same general look, usually with a long white beard, red hat, and simple clothes. The female gnomes tend to have long hair the same hat and a dress. There are also some gnomes with kegs of beer, built in solar lighting, skiing gnomes, gnomes taking baths, and gnomes mooning onlookers. Although some of this is very different than from the traditional intent of gnomes in the garden, if they give you a laugh they are serving their purpose and are a lot more fun than normal garden statues.
So why do people like gnomes? The history also passes along the folklore and why you would want one in your garden, they are suppose to be a symbol of good luck. Originally gnomes were thought to provide some type of protection especially things like buried treasure and minerals in the ground. They are still widely used today to watch over crops and livestock, often tucked into the rafters of a barn that is in a garden.
They also add a bit of connection between the old world, where farmers believed the good luck charm could help their fields yield and produce more and protect them from thieves, pets and other problems, They were also thought to help gardeners during the night!