# Gnome Hunting Gnome Hunting, also known as Millions Wear the Hats, refers to a cluster of TikTok videos from early 2023 in which creators claimed to be hunting for gnomes in forests, a trend observers quickly flagged as an antisemitic dog whistle swapping "gnome" for "Jew." By late April 2023, Reddit threads and TikTok explainers were cataloging the lightning-bolt emojis and SS-adjacent language threaded through the clips. ## Origin Some of the earliest known gnome-hunting uploads came from TikToker @mgd08526, who posted a clip captioned "hunting gnomes" with two lightning-bolt emojis on February 14, 2023[1]. Two months later, on April 10, 2023, TikToker @sk.lukas posted another "hunting gnomes" video that logged over 300,000 views within ten days[2]. Catalyst (Feb 14, 2023): @mgd08526's lightning-bolt caption. Earliest viral meme usage (April 10, 2023): @sk.lukas. The explicit "millions wear the hats" phrasing attached to the trend the following week, when the format moved from fringe uploads into mass circulation[3]. - **Platform:** TikTok - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2023 ## Overview A typical Gnome Hunting post looks like a quiet forest walk filmed on TikTok, captioned with "hunting gnomes" or "millions wear the hats" and often tagged with two lightning-bolt emojis evocative of Nazi SS runes[1]. Creators used the pointed red gnome hat as a visual stand-in for Jewish headwear, and dropped in phrases like "the fatherland" so the meaning stayed deniable to casual viewers[6]. The irony layer sits on top of an older TikTok bit about gnomes being real, a schizoposting joke where users insisted the mythical creatures live in woods and gardens[5]. "Millions wear the hats" riffs on the alt-right slogan "billions must die," reworking the phrase to target Jewish people under a fairy-tale cover[8]. Most of the viral uploads use clean nature footage and ambient audio so the surface reading passes as whimsical nonsense. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Gnome Hunting? Gnome Hunting, also called Millions Wear the Hats, is a 2023 TikTok trend in which creators posted forest footage captioned "hunting gnomes," which commentators identified as an antisemitic dog whistle using "gnome" for "Jew"[6]. ### Where did Gnome Hunting come from? The format grew out of older "gnomes are real" schizoposting on TikTok, with @mgd08526 posting one of the first "hunting gnomes" clips on February 14, 2023[1] and @sk.lukas pushing the phrase on April 10, 2023[2]. ### What does Gnome Hunting mean? Within the trend, "gnome" acts as a stand-in for Jewish people, with the pointed hat referencing Jewish headwear and "millions wear the hats" echoing the alt-right slogan "billions must die"[5]. ### How do you use Gnome Hunting? Posts in the trend typically used nature footage with captions like "hunting gnomes" or "millions wear the hats," paired with lightning-bolt emojis and oblique references to "the fatherland"[6]. ### Is Gnome Hunting still popular? The trend peaked in April 2023 around @gnomesarereal88's viral uploads[4] and @susanstormborn's explainer[6], and it has faded from active TikTok circulation since. ## References 1. [https://www.tiktok.com/@mgd08526/video/7200110878182690053]() 2. [https://www.tiktok.com/@sk.lukas/video/7220399543706258689]() 3. [https://www.tiktok.com/@gnomesarereal88/video/7223329941855767816]() 4. [https://www.tiktok.com/@gnomesarereal88/video/7223333057263160583]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gnome-hunting-millions-wear-the-hats]() 6. [https://www.tiktok.com/@susanstormborn/video/7223320684934597894]() 7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Qult_Headquarters/comments/12q86uk/are_gnome_memes_some_kind_of_right_wing/]() 8. [https://twitter.com/sevenisameme/status/1648819753207623681]() 9. [https://twitter.com/structuralfract/status/1649058705764417536]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/gnome-hunting-millions-wear-the-hats Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library