Question about the Gnome pics in Amelie
 

Has there been another movie with pics of a lawn gnome in exotic locales? I would swear I have seen something like this before, and today was the first time I have seen Amelie.

Or, possibly, when Amelie was released on DVD, were there banners and pop-up ads featuring the gnome?

Everything in Amelie is derived from either an Urban Legand or known practical joke. That's one problem I had with it, none of its material is original, it's a collection of well worn material. The "object around the world" trick is very old. I know a private school where the senior class stole the school bell and mailed it around the world. It came back 6 months later with pictures of the bell on The Great Wall of China and the Pyramids and Stone Henge and everything. Very old gag. As is most of the stuff in the movie.

My brother at one point was friends with a member of a travelling christian youth group, who (along with the rest of his group) had great fun taking the garden gnomes from people's gardens and taking pictures.

Not just pictures. They also wrote notes. "This is your gnome at the Grand Canyon! He says hi! Remember, it's much more impressive to him since he's smaller."

My brother, bewildered/amused as he was, thought they weren't very successful as a Christian group...

There is also a "terrorist group" in England (or maybe Ireland) that calls themselves something like "The Peoples Group for the Liberation of Yard Gnomes". They're basicly a bunch of pub hounds who get drunk and steal the Gnomes out of people's yards.

There also was an ad a few years ago (for camera film maybe?) that featured a gnome going around the world.

I did that throughout Europe with a Butt-head action figure. :)