Lawn Jockey Liberation Army
Richard Beckwith
was surprised to read about traveling gnomes in Australia (p. 305-310).
Apparently, since about 1986 concrete garden gnomes (with the help of
human friends, no doubt) have been vanishing from lawns and gardens in
Australia (but now throughout the world) and sending their landlords
letters from exotic locales and then returning, weeks or months later,
often with a shoe polish tan.
I wasn't so much surprised to read this as surprised to note what I
think is a glaring omission.
About 10 years ago, maybe a little more, I remember there being a rash
of thefts in the Hartford, CT area. What was stolen were lawn
jockeys. You know, the three foot tall black men in jockey outfits
holding lanterns by the side of driveways. When these were stolen,
the ex-owners usually received a note claiming that the "Lawn Jockey
Liberation Army" had freed their lawn jockey.
Brunvand mentioned that in his column he asked folks to send him
similar tales. As the CT lawn jockeys were several years ahead of the
Australian traveling gnomes, I figured them for a piece of the
write-up. Unfortunately, such was not the case. I guess Nutmeggers
are not among Brunvand's readers (in his columns anyway).
Does anyone remember this? Of course, it may not be true. I assume I
read this in the Hartford Courant where I believe I also read about a
young boy being bitten by a horse on a merry-go-round at Lake
Compounce (in Bristol CT) that, of course, contained a poisonous
snake. Brunvand reports that this is a common urban legend (p.
37-39). I think I read this shortly before the park closed down. (It
has reopened now).
At any rate, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that lawn ornament theft
started in CT. I have been told that CT is called the Nutmeg State
not because nutmeg is grown there (it isn't) but because in colonial
days CT peddlers were supposedly well known for selling pieces of
black walnut carved to look like nutmeg. Then again maybe that's a
legend. However, I also have read that "Yankee" was a derogatory term
that had (at one point in its long history) been applied to "English
settlers in CT, who were known for their piratical trading practices"
(Cecil Adams, More of the Straight Dope, p. 260).
However, if they're proud enough of that to call their state The
Nutmeg State, they should surely fess up to lawn jockey liberation.
Any takers?
Richard
PS I don't know about this "they" stuff. I lived in CT from the time
I was 11-18 and my parents are still there. Now I'm back in NJ where
people don't have an accent and we're proud to call our state The
Garden Apartment State.
PPS Sorry for wasting so much bandwidth on stuff from the literature
but I'm not into asking people to move their cat so I can snuff out
candles with their gerbil container.
PPPS "That oughta keep the little b*st*rds happy."
Mike Garrison
cement them to the sidewalk at bus stops.
I also partcipated in an "exotic postcard" type scheme
involving a stuffed duck. That duck sent letters from
Moscow, its picture taken in New Orleans, Hawaii, Boston, NYC,
etc... Several scrapbooks (and one year) worth of travelling
with everyone who went on vacation in the whole Seattle
Water Department Engineering organization.
Vulture on the Launch Pad
In article <37...@idunno.Princeton.EDU> rbec...@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Richard Beckwith) writes:
|About 10 years ago, maybe a little more, I remember there being a rash
|of thefts in the Hartford, CT area. What was stolen were lawn
|jockeys. You know, the three foot tall black men in jockey outfits
|holding lanterns by the side of driveways. When these were stolen,
|the ex-owners usually received a note claiming that the "Lawn Jockey
|Liberation Army" had freed their lawn jockey.
|
|started in CT.
I remember reading years ago about a rash of plastic pink flamingo kidnappings
somewhere in the Midwest. The responsible party wrote to the local
paper anonymously and asked for ransom. Does anybody else remember this --
the where and when, more details, the denouement, if any?
--
________________________________________________________________________________
Jim Jones, jjo...@sco.com Where logic fails, ego may still prevail.
The Santa Cruz Operation
Dave J Gridley
"kidnapped" the Ronald McDonald statue from the playground of the
local McDonalds.
They sent several letters -- written by Ronald -- to the restaurant
along with pictures of the clown in various places around the campus.
I belive they were asking for $1,000 in ransom.
There was also an article in the campus "alternative" newspaper,
including some of the pictures the people took, in which Ronald
told the story about his kidnapping and how much fun he was having
with his captors.
Ronald was returned anonymously a few weeks later with a note saying
that he enjoyed his vacation and that his captors were very nice to him.
I don't think they ever did find out who took him. He came back after
the Old Town police said that the people who took him could end up
spending a few years in jail.
--------
Dave J. Gridley Bitnet: Gri...@Maine.Bitnet
N1FMF Arpa: Gri...@Maine.caps.maine.edu
"Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying."
bwda...@rodan.acs.syr.edu
>
>In article <37...@idunno.Princeton.EDU> rbec...@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Richard Beckwith) writes:
>
>|About 10 years ago, maybe a little more, I remember there being a rash
>|of thefts in the Hartford, CT area. What was stolen were lawn
>|jockeys. You know, the three foot tall black men in jockey outfits
>|holding lanterns by the side of driveways. When these were stolen,
>|the ex-owners usually received a note claiming that the "Lawn Jockey
>|Liberation Army" had freed their lawn jockey.
>|
>|At any rate, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that lawn ornament theft
>|started in CT.
>
>I remember reading years ago about a rash of plastic pink flamingo kidnappings
>somewhere in the Midwest. The responsible party wrote to the local
>paper anonymously and asked for ransom. Does anybody else remember this --
>the where and when, more details, the denouement, if any?
Last year, I believe, NPR broadcast a story about a woman who had had her
lawn ornament (a garden gnome?) kidnapped from her lawn. Some time passed,
and she began to receive photographs showing the statue in various famous
locations around the world (the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, the
Eiffel Tower, etc.).
One day the statue just reappeared on her lawn. It's possible that the
photographs were with the statue when it reappeared rather than being mailed
to her (maybe postcards were mailed?).
I think this was on "Weekend Edition" (with Susan Stamberg).
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Hill Cabal "If there's anything insidious going
bwda...@sunrise.bitnet on in the world, the media is behind
bwda...@rodan.acs.syr.edu it!" -T.J. Teru
Joan McGalliard
>
>Last year, I believe, NPR broadcast a story about a woman who had had her
>lawn ornament (a garden gnome?) kidnapped from her lawn. Some time passed,
>and she began to receive photographs showing the statue in various famous
>locations around the world (the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, the
>Eiffel Tower, etc.).
>
>One day the statue just reappeared on her lawn. It's possible that the
>photographs were with the statue when it reappeared rather than being mailed
>to her (maybe postcards were mailed?).
>
>I think this was on "Weekend Edition" (with Susan Stamberg).
These stories have been going around a long time. I
remember hearing of these sort of garden gnome heists over
10 years ago. The scenario was this:
1) Gnome disappears.
2) Postcard arrives that is a photograph of gnome lying on
a beach somewhere (usually Queensland, which is where people
from Melbourne go to for serious sun-worshipping holidays).
3) Gnome reappears in yard with a "suntan" (shoe polish)
I think there was a period where it was de rigeur to take a
stolen garden gnome with you on a goldcoast holiday.
joan
--
"Do not do unto others as you would that Joan McGalliard,
they should do unto you. Their tastes Latrobe University,
may not be the same." Department of Computer Science.
- GBS Melbourne, Australia.
TJ Wood WA3VQJ
desk/workstation. The "mascotts" then send him e-mail from chinese
laundries around the country (that happen to be on the internet).
The usual text is: "Help MARTY! I'm being held captive in a chinese
laundry! Your friend, Tonka".
We've "traced" most of the 'thefts' to a certain salesmen of a certain
d i g i t a l computer company, who will remain nameless. :-)
Terry
--
INTERNET: t...@unix.cis.pitt.edu BITNET: TJW@PITTVMS CC-NET: 33802::tjw
UUCP: {decwrl!decvax!idis, allegra, bellcore}!pitt!unix.cis.pitt.edu!tjw
And if dreams could come true, I'd still be there with you,
On the banks of cold waters at the close of the day. - Craig Johnson
Mark Jansen
In article <91...@latcs1.oz.au> j...@latcs1.oz.au (Joan McGalliard) writes:
>In article <1990Nov4.0...@rodan.acs.syr.edu> bwda...@rodan.acs.syr.edu writes:
>>
>>Last year, I believe, NPR broadcast a story about a woman who had had her
>>lawn ornament (a garden gnome?) kidnapped from her lawn. Some time passed,
>>and she began to receive photographs showing the statue in various famous
>>locations around the world (the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, the
>>Eiffel Tower, etc.).
>>
>>One day the statue just reappeared on her lawn. It's possible that the
>>photographs were with the statue when it reappeared rather than being mailed
>>to her (maybe postcards were mailed?).
>>
Seems to me that this gnome stealing has been in the magazines as
well. I believe it was an avant garde photographer that did this and the
pictures are available in a book or in some humor magazine like National
Lampoon. Kind of like the photographer that photographed a couch all over
the country.
--
Mark Jansen, Department of Computer and Information Science
The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH USA 43210-1277
ma...@cis.ohio-state.edu
Valentino Herrera
>somewhere in the Midwest. The responsible party wrote to the local
>paper anonymously and asked for ransom. Does anybody else remember this --
>the where and when, more details, the denouement, if any?
A co-worker who attended The University of Wisconsin (in Madison?) related
a story, substantiated by a post card photo, of literally thousands of
lawn flamingos that "mysteriously" materialized on the lawn of the
university's Bascom Hall. I don't know where they came from, but he's
not telling.....
Locally, there is a mini-herd of plastic cattle grazing on the lawn on
the Hilltop Steak House on US Route 1 in Saugus. Folklore has it that
some MIT students once kidnapped one of the cows and hung it from the
Great Dome at the school. The cow was returned with a cap and diploma.
There's also a tale of one of the cows being roped by a pickup heading
down Route 1. Help me get to the bottom of this please. (Personally,
I'd like to see someone do something interesting with the 15-foot red
Tyrannosaurus at the miniature golf course in Saugus, or with the big
pink elephant at the auto dealer on Route 114 in Peabody....
--
\Valentino Herrera Tegra/Varityper tegra!her...@uunet.com/
\ "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking /
\ 'til you do succeed" - Jerome Howard /
+------------------------------------------------------+
Valentino Herrera
>lawn ornament (a garden gnome?) kidnapped from her lawn. Some time passed,
>and she began to receive photographs showing the statue in various famous
>locations around the world (the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, the
>Eiffel Tower, etc.).
>One day the statue just reappeared on her lawn. It's possible that the
>photographs were with the statue when it reappeared rather than being mailed
>to her (maybe postcards were mailed?).
>I think this was on "Weekend Edition" (with Susan Stamberg).
It was, indeed, a garden gnome. People magazine did an article on the
story, and included the pictures. I don't remember the locations being
around the world - I think the "kidnappers" wanted the owner to think
the gnome hitched across the country. There was one hilarious photo of
the gnome on the side of the road with it's thumb (actualy one of the
perpetrator's thumbs from behind the statue) extended. I think the
owner had the gnome cemented down afterwards......
Robert Ebert
>A co-worker who attended The University of Wisconsin (in Madison?) related
>a story, substantiated by a post card photo, of literally thousands of
>lawn flamingos that "mysteriously" materialized on the lawn of the
>university's Bascom Hall. I don't know where they came from, but he's
>not telling.....
This famous stunt was pulled in (hmmm, before I went to school there, 1980?)
by the Student Government under the Pail & Shovel party. Seems their entire
campaign centered around the idea that the previous administration was
wasting money, and they promised that, as long as money was to be wasted,
it would be wasted in more *interesting* ways. The students of the school
funded the flamingo fest. (This was the same group that did the Statue
of Liberty after a really bad flood statue on the lake.)
When I was a student there there was another party which wanted to basically
do the same thing, called the "Bob Kasten School of Driving" party. (Local
reference...) They weren't nearly as interesting.
Anyway, I'd love to get one of these postcards to hang on my wall here at
work. No one in CA believes that the UW could be an interesting school...
after all, it's in the *gasp* midwest. So, any enterprising UW students
can feel free to mail me interesting and humorous postcards from Madison.
(Also, I'm looking for some of the WI Dairy assoc. or WI state tourism
posters featuring the cows in the shades...) I'll reply with CA postcards
(or posters) featuring whatever you folks want...
--Bob
P.S. I've already got a "Smell our Dairy Air" bumper sticker...
ru...@sco.com
In article <14...@arisia.Xerox.COM> eb...@arisia.UUCP (Bob Ebert) writes:
>This famous stunt was pulled in (hmmm, before I went to school there, 1980?)
>by the Student Government under the Pail & Shovel party. Seems their entire
>campaign centered around the idea that the previous administration was
>wasting money, and they promised that, as long as money was to be wasted,
>it would be wasted in more *interesting* ways. The students of the school
>funded the flamingo fest. (This was the same group that did the Statue
>of Liberty after a really bad flood statue on the lake.)
my brother went there for a while and he gave me a poster of the
statue of liberty thingie one year for christmas - and I am 10
years younger than my brother and at that time hadn't gone to college
at all so I didn't understand college politics and whatnot so when
I opened the poster, I said, "oh, planet of the apes!" - but then
he explained it all to me and told me the flamingo story also...
--
"oh, gee, sorry about your face." - maryk
Mark Jansen
>A co-worker who attended The University of Wisconsin (in Madison?) related
>a story, substantiated by a post card photo, of literally thousands of
>lawn flamingos that "mysteriously" materialized on the lawn of the
>university's Bascom Hall. I don't know where they came from, but he's
>not telling.....
Back in the late 70's, early 80's the president of the student
body at Wisconsin ran and won on a Joke Ticket. One of his uses of
student body money was to by a couple thousand of these plastic
flamingos and place them on the lawn. He did a lot of wonderfully
crazy stuff.