The existance of  Gnomes was even acknowledged in the opera Hansel und Gretel:

"A little man stands in the woods, still and alone; His smock is of bright purple, and with purple thread is sewn. Pray tell: who is this little man who stands on just one leg?"

The opera's refernce to purple, no doubt, refers to commencement exercises at graduation. But this actually has nothing to do with Gnomes. It pertains to a toadstool (which stand on just one leg).  Many posters on the board have probably encountered toadies or stool pidgeons on campus. The confusion between Gnome and Toadstool probably stems from the unproven folk belief that Gnomes, in times of danger, can transform themselves into toadstools. Hence, the term Stoolie. I think one sat down beside me just last week at Seymours.

And that, my friends, is a Gnome Fact.