These characters are safe in a garden in Southern Ontario.

When this story broke a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was a press hoax like when Orson Welles had everyone in a panic over the idea of an alien attack. But it turns out Austria’s Social Democrat Party members really do have their lederhosen in a twist over the theft of some 400 garden gnomes they were using for a political campaign. I love this BBC report which includes a very cool list of little known garden gnome facts like the place known for being the “manufacturing heartland of the early gnome.” Trust the BBC to thoroughly cover an event with detailed backgrounder factoids. FYI: If you’re travelling to Vienna, keep an eye out. The Party is offering a 1,000 euro award for information about the gnomes whereabouts.