No No Gnome
Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 18th, 2008
I earlier posted about the “creepy Argentinan gnome video” making the rounds, along with one of the versions of the footage. As the comments there indicate, multiple uploaded videos demonstrate that several takes of the “incident” were made, the images look like a puppet, and other things point to a hoax. Nevertheless, interest is still running high about the visuals.
I was interviewed by reporter Alex Davies of Wireless News Flash service yesterday, for the following story they sent out today to their 800 radio stations and other news outlets:
ARGENTINIAN GNOME A RED-HATTED HOAXPORTLAND, Maine (Wireless Flash) — Strange gnome sightings in Argentina are pointing to evidence of a red-hatted hoax.
Last Tuesday (Mar. 11), footage of a weird, tiny, sideways-walking gnome in General Guemes, Argentina, made its rounds on the Internet, leaving people to wonder whether it’s a real sighting or just a hoax.
According to cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, the answer may lie on the gnome’s noggin.
He explains, “What makes me scratch my head is that the gnome is wearing a pointed hat, like a garden gnome or the Travelocity gnome. The hat is more of a pop culture reference, so I have to be suspicious of it.”
Coleman also says the gnome looks more humanized than typical hairy gnomes, leading him to believe that it’s just a little Argentinian who, as he puts it, “ate too many tacos.”
He also insists the video is nothing more than a great story for St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17), or maybe even travel website Travelocity’s attempt to get higher sales, since their mascot is a gnome.
CONTACT: Loren Coleman
Of course, my above comment is a multiple-leveled in-joke, as it refers to the travel book, There Are No Tacos in Argentina: 15 Days in South America with Randy Clark (1999) by Rick Stivers, and the non-existent nature of the very wide gnome eating non-existent tacos.
Only question that really remains, who fashioned this stunt?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
It appears to be a puppet of some sort controlled by wires
I was instantly suspicious of the teenagers sitting around filming themselves talking about an upcoming fishing trip. Why would anyone film such a banal conversation. I mean, if the kids were goofing off, dancing around, acting weird, I could see one of them whipping out a camera phone for “blackmail” material to show girlfriends or other kids at school the next day, but talking about a fishing trip?
So, it seemed like a stunt to me–they filmed themselves talking about a fishing trip so they would have a “plausible” reason to have the phone camera out and active when the “gnome” appeared on the scene.
It seemed like a hoax inspired by “The Blair Witch Project” mixed with the whimsical, pop-culture idea of what a gnome looks like, complete with pointed hat.
It is a kind of silly video, kind of fun, but doesn’t seem to me to be a genuine sighting of anything.
I think it’s a little person, or dwarf, dressed up. Whatever the case, it’s still a little creepy…unless he can get me some good deals on airflights and hotel stays.
I don’t think its a puppet, to be honest. A really really good puppeteer could pull that off, but I don’t think it’s a puppet.
As the title of this threat indicates, that’s the off Broadway lead actress in “No No Gnomette”.
Also, we shall discover later that the funding for this was due to a historic trade of Dr. (Babe) Ruth to the dreaded Yankees.
Of course, me being Cherokee, I believe in the Little People and the Unseen, so I believe every word of it! :^)
I wander if gnomes want to be called by “gnome “or if they would prefer ‘little people?”
I have a fairy garden at home but i have not seen anything unusual …Yet…..
I personally think that it’s a monkey that someone dressed up. The size looks right, and the movements are very monkey-like. Also in the second video, the one with the flashlight, you see what looks like a paw towards the end.
Something is very odd about the way it moves, a puppet does seem far more likley to me then any sort of a normal creature
Despite the media reporting “other sightings” of the pointy head gnome there are no such accounts in Argentina. In fact the people in the General Guemes area think its hilarious that such a prank gained so much attention on international news. Are we this hard up for entertainment in our lives?
Looks like Santa was out early this year and one of his elves got loose. Seriously, though, I thought from the beginning that this is rather obviously a hoax and I too am disappointed that it has gathered so much media attention. I would say it would be hard to come up with who exactly would do such a thing, since there seems to be no shortage of people who enjoy pulling stunts like this and getting a rise out of those of us who take cryptozoology seriously. The question that I have concerning this is, was this even meant to be a hoax? Maybe it was just some people making a joke video and the whole thing got blown out of context? It might not have even been an intentional thing. Well, whatever it is, it certainly is a joke.