The travelling gnome prank is the practice of returning a garden gnome

Garden gnome

A garden gnome or lawn gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation and protection from evil sorcery, typically of gardens or on lawns....

 "to the wild". It involves stealing a gnome, taking it on a trip, and photographing it at famous landmark

Landmark

This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...

s, with the photos being returned to the owner.

There are many clubs and organizations dedicated to the prank. The best-known of these is the Garden Gnome Liberation Front.

Origins

The tradition was first recorded in Australia in the 1980s. Although not definitive, the following blurb appeared in the Regular Shorts feature of the Sydney Morning Herald of September 24, 1986: 'An Eastern suburbs

Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)

The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...

gnome-owner was distressed when she discovered her gnome had been stolen at the weekend. A note was found in its place: "Dear mum, couldn't stand the solitude any longer. Gone off to see the world. Don't be worried, I'll be back soon. Love Bilbo xxx."