A gnome is a mythical creature characterised by its extremely small size and subterranean lifestyle. Reports of people claiming to have seen real, living gnomes have surfaced in several countries, with major media outlets carrying stories about gnome sightings. Garden gnomes are small ceramic bearded characters (usually male) that are used as decoration in gardens and lawns. The first garden gnomes were made in Grafenroda, a town known for its ceramics in Thuringia, Germany in the mid-1800s. The garden gnome quickly spread across Germany and into France and England, and wherever gardening was a serious hobby. Currently, there are an estimated 25 million garden gnomes in Germany.
