Gnomes: The Forgotten Multimedia Pacifist Heroes

by David Cohen

I’ve been hearing lately that Gnomes are coming back into the popular culture. Gnome products can be seen all over the place and a new graphic novel called Gnome has been recently published by Super Real Graphics ( http://www.superrealgraphics.com/ ). However, the true staples of Gnomes emerged into our culture about thirty years ago and were once the universally recognized depictions of Gnomes with their white beards, blue shirts, and pointed red hats. Many of us grew up on them when we were small, but today the Gnome, re-invented by the Dutch writing and artist team of Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet in the mid seventies is not recognized as the stirring fantasy classic that it is.

The Huygen and Poortvliet Gnome first appeared in the large book Gnomes in 1976 and became an international sensation. The book spawned several others, most notably Secrets of the Gnomes, which delved deeper into the intricacies of the Gnome’s world. Several animated features appeared, including the series David the Gnome, which was originally “Spanimation” (animation produced in Spain) but aired in the US during the late 80s on Nickelodeon. A spin-off called Wisdom of the Gnomes was also created, but never appeared in the US.

The Gnomes books may particularly appeal to comic book readers for a couple of reasons even though they are not comic books. First of all, they are a kind of unusual hybrid of text and visuals, which the comic book aficionado is very familiar with. They also skillfully blend the realistic with the fantastic, which is something else that the comic book reader is very accustomed to. It may seem a little unusual for me to make the first installment of the Hero’s Hangout (which is devoted to “Heroic” literature) about Gnomes, but it shouldn’t be. The Gnomes don’t have enormous muscles which can heft an axe that can split you in two, nor do they journey across or the cosmos in colossal star ships or soar over large cities while wearing tights, masks, or capes. They live in the wilderness, tend to their families and take care of animals. Most of all, they have tremendous wisdom, kindness, and full, loving hearts. They represent everything that we humans would love to be, but can’t.

The first book, Gnomes, introduces us to the Gnomes as an anthropological study. The authors claim that Gnomes are real and they have consulted with actual Gnomes on this kind of field guide. The book combines immense detail about Gnome life and culture and captivates with its rich and realistic looking paintings of the fantastic and enchanting Gnomes. Huygen’s background as a medical doctor can be seen in his attention devoted to Gnome physiology. While it adds realism to the Gnomes, the only drawback of this book is that the painstaking scientific details about Gnomes can seem a bit pointless and overdone at times. The book is appealing to children and adults alike (coming from the perpective of someone who has enjoyed the book as both a child and an adult).

The follow-up, Secrets of the Gnomes, which was not nearly as successful, and thus not as easy to find today, takes us much further into the mysteries of the Gnome world. This book shows much more of the customs of Gnomes and also has more of an international feel, showing what Gnomes are like in different countries. This book also has more of a narrative as the authors themselves are transformed into Gnomes themselves to be guests in the Gnome world and the book serves as kind of a travelogue as they encounter different Gnomes and locations. While both of the books are geared toward children to a large extent, parents should be aware of the “Europeanness” of these books as they both contain a fair amount of nudity.
While the two cartoon series do not feature any nudity, they both illustrate the Gnomes as being very close to nature and occasionally feature the Gnomes committing acts of what could be considered eco-terrorism. David the Gnome at one point trashes a pet store and sets all the animals free. In Wisdom of the Gnomes, the Gnomes even thwart an oil corporation. This anti-corporate attitude may be why the shows were not as successful in America as they were in Europe.

David the Gnome is a very intriguing show that is adapted very well from the book. Some of the stories are taken directly from the book, but the show is more child-oriented than the books. It is wholesome and heartwarming and revolves around a prominent Gnome named David and his family. The show can be found on VHS and DVD, but the DVD set has not been released in the US yet. It can be ordered from Amazon UK, but cannot be played on a standard American DVD player.

Wisdom of the Gnomes, like Secrets of the Gnomes, shows the specific cultures of Gnomes living in various nations and has much more of an intricate and international feel. Also like Secrets it was much less successful than its predecessor, perhaps because it also lacks the introductory focus, in favor of more technical depth that may be a bit beyond a child’s level of appreciation. Wisdom is not as enjoyable of a program, mostly because the English-speaking voice actors talk very fast and seem to have a hard time keeping up with their Spanish counterparts. This series features a Gnome judge named Klaus and his assistant Dani, who travel around the world solving disputes. This series does not appear to be available on DVD at all, but can be found on VHS, but usually also has to be ordered from Europe.

A principle theme in all of these Gnome materials is that they involve rivalry between the good Gnomes and the cruel Trolls who hate them. The series presents to children that different cultures can be very interesting and wonderful, while cruelty and intolerance are always ugly and stupid. Thus Gnomes can be used to promote the idea of multi-culturalism to kids.

Amazon link – http://www.amazon.com/Gnomes-Wil-Huygen/dp/0810909650