Garden gnomes find their way home

In their heyday, garden gnomes were one-of-a-kind works of folkloric art.

But gnomes fell victim to faddism, mass production and plastic. They became too cute and widely available for their own good.

Their popularity brought them to an ignominious end.

For a long time, they were -- well, gnobodies.

Recently, though, garden gnomes have made a resurgence -- in commercials for Travelocity, the TV shows "Will and Grace" and "Desperate Housewives," and the film "Amelie."

"You started seeing them popping up in other ads," said Tim Travis, a history buff who shares his house in Waterford, Mich., with more than 80 garden gnomes, many of them dating back to the 1920s-1950s.

Long interested in garden art and sculpture, Travis started looking more closely into gnomes a couple of years ago.

"There's a huge history," he said. "If people understood more about the history of gnomes, I think it would bring it up a notch as far as appreciating them."

Travis, who also collects art and plants like hostas, decided to delve into the gnome marketplace. He hit the jackpot.

On eBay, he discovered that the Griebels' gnome museum in Germany was closing and selling gnomes and gnome paraphernalia.

He bought some and also started corresponding with the great-grandchildren of the Griebels.

"They were very open in explaining more about the history," he said. "I don't think anyone had ever talked to them about the gnome world."

Travis, 48, president and owner of a nursery in Pontiac, Mich., keeps his gnomes at home, mostly on high shelves in a walk-through closet. The gnomes get outside during the occasional party, but remain indoors most of the time to protect them from weather and sunlight.

Travis paid $20 to $150 each for his gnomes and continues to search for unusual old ceramic models, especially those with planters. He admires the handmade gnomes of Candice Kimmel (www.kimmelgnomes.com) for keeping the art alive.

Recently, Travis shared observations about gnomes:

Why gnomes? "I see them as folk art."

Why do people find gnomes appealing? "There's an emotion involved with a gnome. You see it in their eyes. You see it in their smile."

Older gnomes are shown with garden tools. Do newer ones have other pastimes? "Art reflects current themes. Gnomes depict modern living ... like Barbie dolls. I don't know if they have a gnome doing Pilates."

Why do other gnome fans stage abductions (gnomeland security) and join gnome clubs? "There's all kinds of people who are really into gnomes. Like obsessive. I'm not one of those people. I'm someone who appreciates them as an art form. But I'm not imagining voices or anything coming out of these gnomes."