In this example collected from the Snopes inbox in March 2008: I just heard about this bizarre story about a gnome in an Argentina town. Has anyone ever heard anything like this before?

Locals in the Argentinean town of General Guemes claim the "gnome" – which wears a pointy hat and walks sideways like a crab – has been seen walking their streets by many people, UK newspaper ...

LYNNVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) — When a Lynnville, Tenn. woman dropped her garden gnome on the sidewalk and it broke, what she discovered inside is now front-page news and the talk of the town in Giles ...

"I find gnomes creepy - they look like they are in league with the devil somehow. "They are not cute little things at all, they send shivers up my spine whenever I see them." ...

And this year has some delightful new offerings that we know are going to be everywhere, like a scary garden gnome, spooky monster hand candle holders and (for those who like their Halloween decor ...