If you’re like me then The World of David the Gnome — more generally called just David The Gnome — was a crucial part of your balanced TV diet as a child. The Spanish animated show, re-dubbed in English, was a Nick Jr. staple in the late 80s and early 90s. It told the tale of David (he’s a gnome, you see), a doctor for gnomes, animals and many creatures of the woodland area he lived in. David the Gnome showed us what it was like to be gnome and showed us how to care for others and the environment. It was a sweet show, a gentle show. It was unlike anything on TV these days.
It also had one hell of an ending.
I guess I forgot how intense and traumatic the series finale of David the Gnome was. I recently stumbled upon a clip containing the last few moments of the show and it reminded me that, damn, David the Gnome went hard.
Let me set this up a bit: David and his wife, Lisa, are 399 years old. That’s old, even by gnome standards. The series finale found David, Lisa, their friend Casper and David’s trusty fox companion Swift on a journey through the world we had come to love during the previous 25 episodes. And then the last few moments come around and, bam, kids everywhere were left scratching their heads…and probably crying.
Watch:
That’s right, David the Gnome ended with its titular lead, his wife and their dear friend becoming trees. Trees! Thankfully it didn’t end right there, instead showing us that Swift the fox was able to find a lady love to pursue after his loving owner turned to bark.
Maybe it’s nostalgia but I find the ending of David the Gnome to be beautiful. Dark, yes. Heavy as hell, yes. But, still, it’s touching. The music and the acting are actually quite good and it is definitely a very daring and strong ending. There’s no coming back from this finale, David the Gnome was most certainly done.
I know it gets said a lot but they really don’t make them like this anymore. There have been plenty of kids shows on TV since David arbor-ized. Many of those shows have had wonderful endings. But I can guarantee you that no children’s show has had an ending quite like David the Gnome. You better be-leaf it.