Gonk guide
Gonk Glossary: Terms From A to Z
Tomte, nisse, julenisse, Wichtel, UKCA: the words you will meet when reading about or shopping for gonks, explained in plain English.
- Age warning symbol
- A pictogram showing a crossed-out "0-3" and a child's face, meaning a product is not suitable for children under 36 months. See are gonks safe for children?
- Beard
- The long fur, wool or felt covering a gonk's face and body. Usually white, grey or cream.
- Bobble
- Another word for a pom-pom on the tip of a gonk's hat.
- Button battery
- A small, flat, round battery. Dangerous if swallowed, so light-up gonks for homes with children should have screw-fastened battery compartments.
- CE mark
- A marking showing that a product meets European safety requirements. Accepted on toys sold in Great Britain alongside the UKCA mark.
- Christmas porridge
- Rice porridge eaten in Scandinavia on Christmas Eve. Folk tradition says a bowl with butter should be left out for the tomte or nisse.
- Dangly legs
- Long legs, often in striped tights, that hang over a shelf edge. See types of gonk.
- Decoration only
- A label meaning a gonk is an ornament, not a toy, and hasn't been made to toy safety standards.
- Faux fur
- Synthetic fur fabric used for most gonk beards.
- Gang
- An informal name gonk fans use for a group of gonks displayed together.
- Giant gonk
- A floor-standing gonk, usually 60cm to around a metre tall.
- Gnome
- A small earth spirit of European folklore, and the garden ornament based on it. Unlike a gonk, a gnome's face is visible. See gonk vs gnome.
- Gonk
- In modern Britain, a soft, bearded figure with a long hat hiding its eyes. Originally, a furry 1960s novelty toy. See what is a gonk?
- Gonks Go Beat
- A 1965 British musical science fiction film that featured gonks in its title sequence.
- GPSR
- Short for the General Product Safety Regulations, the UK rules that require all consumer products, including decorations, to be safe.
- Gund
- The toy company that produced gonks on a large scale in the United States in the 1960s.
- Hanging gonk
- A small gonk with a loop on its hat, made for trees and wreaths.
- Hygge
- A Danish and Norwegian word for cosiness and comfort, which helped make Scandinavian decorations popular in the UK.
- Jenny Nyström
- A Swedish illustrator (1854 to 1946) whose Christmas cards helped create the friendly image of the Christmas tomte.
- Julenisse
- The Christmas nisse of Norway and Denmark, a gift-bringing figure similar to Father Christmas.
- Jultomte
- The Christmas tomte of Sweden, who brings presents on Christmas Eve.
- Kabouter
- The Dutch word for a gnome.
- Light-up gonk
- A gonk with an LED nose, hat or body, usually battery powered.
- Nisse
- A small, bearded household spirit in Norwegian and Danish folklore. Plural: nisser.
- Paracelsus
- A 16th-century Swiss physician and alchemist whose writings gave us the word "gnome".
- Plaits
- Braided hair used instead of a beard on many "girl" gonks.
- Plush
- Soft, fuzzy fabric used for soft toys and many gonk bodies.
- Robert Benson
- The London inventor who created the original gonk toys in the 1960s. See the history of gonks.
- Sitting gonk
- A gonk with a weighted base designed to sit on a shelf or table.
- Standing gonk
- A free-standing gonk, usually lighter than a sitting gonk.
- Stretchy legs
- Extendable or bendable legs that let you adjust a gonk's height.
- Tomte
- A small, bearded farm spirit in Swedish folklore, from "tomt", the plot of land a house stands on. Plural: tomtar.
- Tonttu
- The Finnish equivalent of the tomte. The Christmas elf is the joulutonttu.
- Toy
- In UK law, a product designed or intended for use in play by children under 14. Toys must meet the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011.
- UKCA mark
- UK Conformity Assessed: a marking showing that a product meets the safety rules for Great Britain.
- Viktor Rydberg
- A Swedish writer whose 1881 poem Tomten helped tie the tomte to Christmas.
- Weighted base
- Sand, rice or plastic pellets sewn into the bottom of a gonk so it sits upright.
- Wichtel
- The German word for a small helpful sprite, often used for gonk-style Christmas figures.
Gonks to explore
Amazon
Cute Traditional Mr & Mrs Santa Christmas Gonks
Santa Claus gonk and one Mrs Claus gonk for a complete holiday display. Standing at approximately 20cm tall.
View on Amazon (Cute Traditional Mr & Mrs Santa Christmas Gonks)As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some other links on this site are affiliate links too; it never changes the price you pay.
