Garden Gnome

The Garden Gnome, also known as Gnome Chompski, is a prop from Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Whilst seeming insignificant at first, it is in fact part of a popular achievement which requires the player to carry the gnome to the final location of the game (White Forest) and place it within a rocket - hence the achievement name: Little Rocket Man.

It can be found in the first area of chapter one, To The White Forest, just under the bunk bed in the communications building.

This Vortal Coil
The Gnome can be left in the chamber with Alyx and the Vortigaunts.

Freeman Pontifex
Do not leave the Gnome in the room overlooking the settlement with the monitor and sniper rifle. This room cannot be returned to after descending into the settlement. However, if the gnome is placed leaning against the door facing the bridge, it will fall through once the door is opened from the far side. Alternatively, rather than carry the gnome through the infested settlement, it is possible to pick up the gnome and throw it with the Use key onto the near side of the bridge and retrieve it once the Muscle Car is reached.

Riding Shotgun
The Garden Gnome is difficult to transport in the Muscle Car, so drive slowly. When the Hunter-Chopper attacks, destroy it by firing its mines back at it with the Gravity Gun. Another Chopper will appear in the next section. Do not leave the Gnome in the car when entering the barn. The Muscle Car may be moved to make room for the Combine APC that arrives after the barn encounter, and the Gnome may be lost.

It is possible to leave the gnome on the ground at the barn when escaping the Hunter-Chopper. Proceed to the next loading point in the train tunnel, then reverse to the previous stage. Drive back to the barn and pick up the gnome. The Chopper will not be present, making it easier to transport the gnome through this section.

A possible way to carry the gnome is to shove it under the back covers of the car. Putting the gnome there will prove to be a small challenge, but once in, the gnome will not be easily removed by sudden jerks and braking. The gravity gun is required to shove the gnome in as well as extract it.

Alternatively, place the Gnome behind the passenger seat so that it will only drop out of the car if the brakes are slammed hard enough. Do not leave the Gnome when the car's engine catches fire, be sure to carry it into the yard for the Chopper fight. It can be placed under a boxcar for safekeeping for the duration of the fight.

Under the Radar
The gnome can be left in the garage with Alyx and the rebels. It will be there after you destroy the gun. When you have to hit the road again, you can ignore the item caches that appear on the radar (if you want to or already got the achievement for them). During the combine ambush at the cabins, leave the gnome in the house while you disable the shields. Don't forget to pick it up again when you leave. You may also want to drop the gnome down the hill before driving down it. Once this is all done, you can drive further and leave the gnome near the start of the race against DOG to the base and then come back there and retrieve it.

Our Mutual Fiend
The achievement can only be earned by placing the Gnome inside the rocket's hatch and closing the hatch door. Another way of achieving it is by using "ent_setname gnome" on any pickable entity (e.g a bucket).

Trivia

 * The gnome can also be seen in ApertureScience.com on top of the mantelpiece and it may move randomly on its own.
 * The gnome also makes an appearance in Left 4 Dead 2, known as Gnome Chompski. An achievement requires the Gnome, like in Episode Two, to be carried all the way to the rescue vehicle in the Dark Carnival campaign. Doing so gives the player the achievement "Guardin' Gnome" and unlocks the Rochelle's Depeche Mode t-shirt for the player's avatar on the Xbox 360 version.
 * The achievement will not be disabled if you use cheats, so long as you disable sv_cheats before dropping the gnome to the rocket. The Xbox 360 version can be achieved with cheats turned on or off.
 * The achievement name "Little Rocket Man" may be a reference to the song "Rocket Man" by Elton John.
 * Stepping on the Gnome can at times cause a glitch which launches the player far into the air, resulting in death or high damage after hitting the ground.
 * An alternate glitch is that when stepping on the gnome you will simply die with a crushing and cracking sound (Even outdoors).
 * Choppers and Hunters sometimes target the gnome if you are carrying it with the gravity gun, which is quite unsporting of them.
 * The name Gnome Chompski is a reference to political activist, author and linguist Noam Chomsky.
 * It is rumored that Gnome Chompski appears in the Disney/Pixar film "Wall-E" in Wall-E's collection of objects. This may be coincidential, as the gnome in the film does not have the tip of it's "hat" broken off, as Gnome Chompski does.
 * The idea for Gnome Chompski was based on a similar idea from the film Amelie, where the protagonist sends a gnome around the world.

List of appearances

 * ApertureScience.com
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two
 * The Final Hours of Portal 2