Based on Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, book #34 of the original Goosebumps series.
Joe and Mindy's father always buys bizarre lawn ornaments. One day, however, he buys a set of lawn gnomes, whom Joe learns to be more than just decorations.
The episode provides examples of:
- Adaptation Name Change: Mr. McCall's first name is Major instead of Bill.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Mr. McCall was a little more friendly in the book (at least to Mr. Burton, always kidding with him). In the TV episode, Major McCall is cold and militant to the entire Burton family.
- Adaptational Jerkass: While he wasn't exactly a Nice Guy in the book, the TV episode reimagines Mr. McCall as a Drill Sergeant Nasty ex-military man.
- Adapted Out: Joe's dog Buster, Mrs. McCall, and Joe's friend, Michael "Moose" McCall are all absent from the episode. So is the gorilla lawn ornament from the last chapter.
- Age Lift: The show's Mr. McCall is at least in his 50s or 60s (old enough to have been in Vietnam at least), while in the book he's presumably young enough to have a son around the same age as Joe.
- Asshole Victim: Major McCall, who's considerably nastier in the TV version, gets turned into a ceramic ornament by the gnomes.
- Creepy Good: The Lawn Gnomes, for the most part.
- Death by Adaptation: The episode ends with Major McCall being turned into a lawn ornament by the gnomes.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Mr. McCall from the book was already an ex-army officer, but the episode renames him to Major McCall and ramps up his army past and abrasiveness.
- Fun-Hating Confiscating Adult: Major McCall, who confiscates anything that lands on his lawn.
- Jump Scare: At the beginning the episode, a gnome suddenly seems to have attacked Joe after closing the garage door.
- Spared by the Adaptation: The Lawn Gnomes are not destroyed like they were in the book.
- Taken for Granite: Major McCall is turned into a lawn ornament at the end.
- Weakened by the Light: Unlike the books, the episode makes it so light paralyzes the gnomes rather than certain sounds. They are inert during the day and only come alive at night. A flaslight will do the trick, but it doesn't stop or kill them, it just slows them down, so you better hope that battery keeps working.
