The star of the Where is my Gnome? series of viral marketing ads used by Travelocity in early 2004. The ads consisted of a man looking for his garden gnome. The concept was inspired by the traveling gnome prank that began in the 1980s and was popularized by the 2001 film Amélie. The Roaming Gnome is now the de facto mascot of Travelocity.
The garden gnome from the 2001 French film Amélie. This character/prop helped popularize the traveling gnome prank that began in the 1980s. In the film, Amélie’s father finds that the gnome from his lawn shrine has gone missing. Later, he receives unmarked photographs of the gnome visiting exotic landmarks. Je ne comprends pas!
The main character of the Spanish animated television series, which is based on the children’s book The Secret Book of Gnomes by Dutch author Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet. David the Gnome first came to U.S. television in 1987 on the Nickelodeon cable channel.
A lonely gnome sets out to learn how to avoid being cold “from the inside out” and finds a friend in a sea otter. He is the main character of the 1974 children’s book The Gnome from Nome, written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. Watch an illustrated reading of the story.
A kindly old character of Scandinavian folklore featured in two 1960s children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. One story is called The Tomten and the other is The Tomten and the Fox, in which moonlit scenes of the farmyard under snow show Reynard the fox prowling near the henhouse. He’s hungry, but the tomten guards the henhouse at night.
The Brigham Young Cougars mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #53 of 347. Since BYU has left the Mountain West Conference for the 2011-12 season, this is FBS independent schools mascot #4 of 4. (View reference images.)
The Air Force Falcons mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #52 of 347. Air Force Academy is one of the three NCAA Division I military academies (with Army and Navy). This is Mountain West mascot #3 of 8. (View reference images.)
The Navy Midshipmen mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #51 of 347. Yes, the United States Naval Academy’s “midshipman” mascot is a goat. Go figure. This is FBS independent schools mascot #3 of 4. (View reference images.)
The Army Black Knights mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #50 of 347. Army has two costumed mascots: Blackjack the Mule and the Black Knight. I decided to draw the former. This is FBS independent schools mascot #2 of 4. Today is the start of the NCAA Division IA football schedule. (View reference images.)
Rosie the Riveter – No. 193
A cultural icon of the United States, representing women who worked in factories during World War II. The character particularly symbolizes the many women employed by manufacturing plants that produced munitions and war supplies. Rosie is commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women’s economic power. We can do it!
I am spending this Labor Day weekend in Seattle (mainly at Bumbershoot) and Vancouver, BC.