Celebrating the garden gnome!

Jun 10, 2018

Celebrating Garden Gnomes

This interactive Doodle game celebrates tiny statues for their big role in German history —garden gnomes! Click the Doodle to launch gnomes!

About the Doodle

Celebrating Garden Gnomes

On this day in Germany, Garden Day celebrates garden statues for their big role in German history.

About the Doodle

Gnome figures first appeared in 13th-century Anatolia and re-emerged in 16th-century Italy. The common garden gnome originated in 19th-century Germany from the mining area of Thuringia. Here, local craftsmen are given credit for hand-crafting the gnomes as we know them—with shaggy beards and pointy hats.

Propelled by local myths and increased leisure time, the gnomes began to find homes in gardens throughout the country. Legend has it they protect these gardens and bring good luck.

In today’s interactive Doodle, you’ll learn a bit more about how the humble gnome is made. Then, you’ll enlist a group of gnomes to help you decorate a garden of your own!

Here’s how the game works: Use your trusty catapult (or trebuchet to be precise) to launch your clay gnomes into the farthest reaches of your garden. The farther your gnome travels, the more flowers you plant—and the more points you earn! Once you learn the basics, you can choose from six colorful gnomes with different shapes, weights, and bounciness. Try each one to see which gnome goes the greatest distance towards making your garden the most beautiful of all.

Illustration of Google logo with a garden gnome in replacement of a letter.
An exploration of the design possibilities with wood carving below
The Story

About the Celebrating Garden Gnomes Doodle

Look amongst the greenery of Germany’s lush gardens and you might spot a red-capped gartenzwerg, or garden gnome.

 

The Garden Gnomes Team

Lead artist: Gerben Steenks

Engineering: Brian Murray, Jordan Thompson

UX: Diana Tran

Program management: My-Linh Le

Project lead: Brian Kaas

Marketing: Perla Campos, Marlene Meissner, Carlos Diaz

Doodle team lead: Jessica Yu

Cultural research & writing support: Tom Zeller

Sound: Silas Hite

Where this Doodle appeared

The Doodle Celebrating Garden Gnomes launched Jun 10, 2018
Discover more Doodles

What’s your Birthday Doodle?

Enter your birthday to Discover More Doodles that share your special day.
Month
Day
01
January

Discover more Doodles by color

Select a color and discover Doodles that match.
Black Blue Brown Gray Green Orange Pink Purple Red Yellow White
Select a color and discover Doodles that match.

No results found.

See all results

Did you know?

The very first Doodle launched as an “out of office” message of sorts when company founders Larry and Sergey went on vacation.

Learn More

Did you know?

The first Doodle launched in 1998, before Google was officially incorporated.

Learn More

Did you know?

The first animated Doodle premiered on Halloween 2000

Learn More

Did you know?

The first same day Doodle was created in 2009 when water was discovered on the moon.

Learn More

Did you know?

Doodle for Google student contest winners have gone on to become professional artists

Learn More

Did you know?

The time it takes from sketch to launch for a Doodle varies widely: some have taken years and others just a few hours!

Learn More

Did you know?

Hundreds of Doodles launch around the world every year. Often, several different ones are live in different places at the same time!

Learn More

Did you know?

Our most frequently recurring Doodle character is Momo the Cat - named after a real-life team pet!

Learn More

Did you know?

The official term for the artists that work on Doodles is "Doodler"

Learn More