Moais vs. Garden Gnomes

Recently, a friend of mine messaged me about an alleged transfer of sales in a large DIY store in France where the traditional garden gnomes are losing market share the Moais (those Easter Island standing faces). This was something I didn’t know and that instantly got my undivided attention. 

Right, I’m talking about a market place clash between stern-looking Moai statues against more jovial and good nature garden gnomes, a meme-worthy juxtaposition that’s also has become internet folklore in America. While there’s no single origin story, the humor stems from these characters wildly different vibes and the absurdity of imagining them as rivals or interchangeable icons. 

For those who don’t quite remember, the stoic Moai statues of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) are monumental stone figures carved by the island’s Polynesian inhabitants between 1250 and 1500. They symbolize ancestral power, spiritual protection, and cultural legacy. Online, the Moai emoji took on a life of its own—used to express deadpan emotion, existential dread, or ironic detachment. Its popularity surged through platforms like Reddit and Instagram, often paired with surreal or absurdist humor. 

As for our more traditional Garden Gnomes, they’re whimsical, cheeky, and mass-produced. They can be tracked to the 19th-century Germany as decorative figures meant to bring luck and protect gardens. It’s true that they’re also often portrayed as mischievous, jolly, and slightly ridiculous. In pop culture, gnomes are associated with kitsch, fantasy tropes, and playful pranks.

           Garden Gnome           GardenMoai               Moai emoji

The pictured gray Moai and Gnome were taken in two houses 330 ft apart from each other and half a mile from my home. Obviously, the humor found in comparing Moais to garden gnomes lies in their stylistic and symbolic contrast, so, when someone jokes about replacing garden gnomes with Moais—or vice versa—it’s a tongue-in-cheek way of mocking aesthetic extremes: solemn vs. silly, ancient vs. kitsch, sacred vs. suburban. 

Now you too know the whole story!