Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for September 02, 2022

oh, the horror

There’s no place like Gnome.

Yay! A lawn gnome — Look how excited the kids are!

I like gnomes. To me, even the cheap concrete statues evoke the elemental spirits of the earth.

Ew, how did those things ever become popular; particularly as decorative lawn ornaments?

Their eyes follow you about the yard.

I know someone here who is almost always immobilized by embarrassment. It’s gnome is Petey.

Haven’t you got a Gnome to go to?…………….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SQdBxVjZx4

That gnome is too large for their lawn.

Even tackier than the giant vase that Alice wanted, but easier to carry, and presumably not as expensive.

As many times as I’ve read these strips, there is always something new to see. Today, Alice’s “EW” goes from one underline to two. The little details Mr. Thompson sneaks in are amazing.

Reminds me of the cover of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Great album!

Tomte.

Kitsch (/ˈkɪtʃ/; loanword from German), also called cheesiness or tackiness, is art or other objects that appeal to popular or uncultivated taste because they are garish or overly sentimental, which means that these objects are considered by other people to be ugly, without style, false, or in poor taste but enjoyed or …

Well there ya go. Plenty of yard commentary to come.

We can hope that it was not just removed from Mr. O’Reilley. https://www.comedy.co.uk/images/library/comedies/180×200eps/f/fawlty_towers_episode0102.jpg

Winkelbottom!

Well, he does get to travel the world (Travelocity Spokesgnome) and even make appearances in computer games! (Fallout games and others)…

Madeline’s excited look :0

Now to mess with Petey: When he goes to bed each night, move the Gnome.

Right you are Madeline, because every child needs at least a little nightmare fuel.

Gnomes: you either love ’em or you hate ’em- Gnomers all the way for me!

how about the neighbor who took gnome around the world and sent photos of him in famous locations….then brought him back ?

Are we sure that’s not a subspecies of Weeping Angel?

The angels have the phone box

Elves have pointed ears, gnomes, created by Paracelsus, are distinguished by their pointy hats and close relationship with nature and animals.

Alaskan natives?

Good grief, Madeline! You’ve frightened Alice and Petey and us! Lawn gnomes are known to be devious and evil, not to mention ugly….

Exhaustively researched and illustrated by Huygen and Portvliet (respectively). Their book was an international bestseller in 1976.