World of Breast Cancer Awareness?

World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer online shared universe, basically an internet based Dungeons and Dragons-esque video game. People create fantasy-based characters and play in this giant universe with tons of other player created characters.

It is a giant collective of like minded fantasy gamers. The idea that gamers are a pretty homogenous group of fat, pimply faced white teenagers is a huge fallacy. Gamers are pretty diverse, and WOW (World of Warcraft) enthusiasts are no exception. So, it would make sense that this diverse group would have other interests aside from slaying dragons and warring with orcs (or whatever else you do in WOW, I've never played).

Apparently, every year for the past 8, a bunch of WOW gamers create gnome characters all with pink hair, and make them run through the game's universe to promote breast cancer awareness.

Say what you will about the over abundance of breast cancer awareness, and pink everything every October, and how donations may or may not actually make it to research, but this is super cool, and I'm amazed I only heard about it the other day.

The article linked below on Kotaku gives more information.

click for article

Habitat for Gnomanity

This story was in the North Bay Nugget, the North Bay, Ontario Daily newspaper. Gnomes Find a Home tells the tale of a true Canadian hero. Click the banner for the story.

This local carpenter found his true calling as a gnome home builder after being challenged by his neighbors to turn their crab apple stump into the greatest lawn ornament of all time! I wish this man luck in all future gnome home building endeavors.

Press Secretaries love to Garden

On May 10th, 2017, the US Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, took questions about the firing of FBI director James Comey. The unorthodox press conference happened outdoors, and began when the press secretary "emerged" from nearby bushes. This story can be found on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and numerous other news outlets. The story, of course, influenced memes, monologues and sketches about Sean Spicer hiding in the bushes, afraid of the press.

This includes the genius "Garden Spicer" by Lisa Kadonaga from BC, Canada.

a little DIY garden deco

Not to be outdone, one of my favorite online cartoonists, Lar DeSouza from Blind Ferret Media posted his own cut-out shenanigans. I like his better, for obvious reasons.

Of Gnomes and Baseball...

click me

According to Lawnstarter, a lawncare startup that appears to operate as the Uber of lawncare services, Baltimore is the number 1 ranked city for Gnome popularity. Click the logo above for a link to their article.

Apparently, the gnome loving trend in Baltimore started when the Orioles gave away Buck Showalter garden gnomes. They followed it up with a 2nd gnome giveaway, this time bearing the likeness of Manny Machado.

Since then, the two baseball gnomes go up on ebay for around $50.

They're Gnomes, in a Roundabout Way

Today in Gnomes in the Gnews, blue gnomes finally get removed. Totnes, a parish in Devon, England, found itself in a civic disagreement about city beautification. Lasting five years, the clash ended the other day when gnomes were removed from a traffic circle. This can be filed under Good Intentions Ruined by Reality. Click the masthead to go to the story.

when they were new?

Apparently, the firm that sponsored cleaning up the traffic island spent £5000 on these "gnomes" that are actually Disney dwarves painted bright blue like smurfs. The plan was foliage from planted shrubs would fill the area in and the "gnomes" would blend in. Nothing grew, and the blue dwarves just ended up being a target for vandalism and gnome gnapping. A few "disappeared" and never returned.

They didn't age well...

Gnomes Hurl in Technicolor

Gravity Falls was a 2 season animated show that ran from 2012 to 2016 on Disney Channel. Created by Alex Hirsch, it follows twins, Mabel and Dipper, who uncover weird mysteries while staying with their great uncle Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The show has paranormal and cryptozoological themes, with ciphers hidden throughout the episodes.

Among the many monsters, creatures, and weird stuff seen in the show, the first episode debutes the best characters, obviously.

The gnomes need a new queen, and so try and trick Mabel into matrimony. When it doesn't go their way they unite to form a giant super gnome. Also, this episode gave everyone the following gif...

and we are all better for it!

Even Half a Gnome is Pretty Metal

I follow Jason Freeny on Instagram. His theme is fictional anatomy, and he creates original sculptures bisected, showing the insides. Other artists have done similar things, like the Resurrectionist, and the Pokenatomy guy. But Freeny's stuff is sculpture, 3D figurines.

I encourage checking out his entire collection of work. Click the banner above to get there.
Recently, though, he completed probably his best work. In partnership with Big Shot Toys, he designed Ragnar Hellstrummer the Metal Gnome. You can order him here.