![]() “I have no idea why people love flamingos so much, but we get calls from across the country from people who want them,” says Claude Chapdelaine, Vice President of Cado Products Company, makers of the original plastic pink flamingos. To celebrate one famous flocking, the Madison, Wisconsin, Common Council declared the plastic pink flamingo the official city bird in 2009. Sold in pairs, with one standing tall, the other with head lowered to eat, flocks of these fowl are often used as a prank, planted onto lawns as a surprise greeting to the homeowner. Recently, two teenagers in Gillette, Wyoming, allegedly pilfered over 140 gnomes before they were nabbed.įlamingos are newer, introduced in 1957 by Don Featherstone, an artist who worked for Union Products. Though Travelocity’s gnome mascot travels the world willingly, most gnomes are victims of pranksters who steal them to send abroad. From there, the gnomes caught on, with societies promoting them and fan clubs devoted to ‘freeing’ them. Gnomes became popular centuries ago, first being produced in Thuringia, Germany, by Philip Griebel, who based his sculptures on local myths of gnomes helping gardeners at night. “Our older generation may have put them into the garden with a straight face, but now – particularly with pink flamingos – people are doing it tongue in cheek, as a means of irony.” Brian Ott, Visiting Professor of Media Studies and pop culture expert at the University of Colorado, Denver. “The appeal of gnomes and flamingos lies precisely in the fact that they’re tasteless art,” says Dr. ![]() ![]() But love them or hate them, they’ve carved a niche in garden lore. These cheerful, brightly colored statues are beloved by many others, such as Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society – organizers of the premier Chelsea Flower Show – ban them for life. Those that adore one usually scoff at the other the few who festoon their gardens with both are looked upon as needing to change their medication. These pillars of pop culture are adored by gardeners, unlikely legends that spark passion in people. On February 11, Walt Disney studios is releasing a new movie, Gnomeo and Juliet, bringing to the big screen two icons of the garden, superstars with devoted fans across the globe: garden gnomes and pink flamingos.
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