Garden gnome statues as we know them today were first created in the mid-1800s by Phillip Griebel, a sculptor of terracotta animals in a small town in Germany. Gnome legends were especially popular in Germany and Griebel made his gnome statues so that people could better enjoy the myths and stories of gnomes who lovingly tended to gardens at night. The very first garden gnomes were moulded from terracotta clay then dried, fired in a kiln and painted, garden gnomes soon became very popular. These gnomes are a cheeky, contemporary take on Griebel's originals and we think they're a riot! These gnomes are ideally suited to the indoors or very sheltered areas such as a wind-free porch or summerhouse as they are extremely fragile.