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Bored Panda

Simona Kinderytė

50 Epic Pumpkins That Won Halloween (New Pics)

Bored Panda JOANN

Halloween is coming up, which means that we will finally be able to enjoy pumpkins in forms other than just lattes. The legendary orange fruit — yes, that's right — will make its way onto everyone's porches.

Part of why it's among the stars of the spooky occasion is its versatility. So no matter if you're a passionate craftsperson or a curious beginner, Bored Panda compiled a list of the most creative Halloween pumpkin carvings that should inspire you to pick up the knife.

Continue scrolling to see all the beloved fictional character portraits, creepy spiders, and even famous painting reproductions!

#1 We Did Some Pumpkin Carving Last Night So Of Course I Had To Make A PUMPkin

Image credits: thehyggedoula

#2 "Euphoric Frankenstein"

Image credits: devercustoms

Sadly, Halloween pumpkins are also synonymous with waste. For example, a 2020 poll of 3,000 adults in the UK, carried out by the food charity Hubbub, revealed that of the 24 million pumpkins bought, around 12.76 million are carved without the flesh being used.

Hubbub has warned this adds to the country's mountain of avoidable food waste and is urging consumers to experiment with new recipes.

#3 Another Day, Another Scream

Image credits: chrissoria

#4 My Pumpkin Carving For This Year, Happy Halloween

Image credits: Rocktave

#5 A Ton Of Work

Image credits: kateshellnutt

“Pumpkins are a valuable source of food and are not just for decoration,” said Tessa Tricks, the head of food programmes at Hubbub.

“Even if it’s labelled a carving pumpkin, you can still eat it and it will taste delicious with spices like chilli, ginger or cumin."

#6 Halloween Is Upon Us! Happy October, All. It's Actually Kind Of Remarkable What A Good Sculpture Medium Pumpkin Can Be

Image credits: andy_bergholtz

#7 That's Next Level

Image credits: x.com

#8 First Time Going 4 Pumpkins Tall. What Do You All Think?

Image credits: Yurconale

In the West, pumpkins may be the main ingredient in a traditional holiday pie, but their true value lies in their nutritional and medicinal benefits.

Rich in various essential nutrients and relatively easy to grow, this hardy, drought-tolerant crop is often underrated.

It contains antioxidants that help prevent various cancers. Nutrient-dense but with a low-calorie count, this water-rich fruit is a great source of Vitamin A. The fruit is also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and folate all of which strengthen our immune systems.

#9 This Was One Of My Favorites At Last Year's Trail Of Carved Pumpkins Hosted By My Local Zoo. There Were Roughly 5000 Carved Pumpkins Along The Trail, And It Was Such A Magical Night

Image credits: andrusio

#10 I Carved Pumpkin Puppers

I try to carve 1-2 pumpkins as an annual tradition. This year I carved my sister's dog Axton (left) and my dog Orvi. They both are Australian Cattle Dogs. They are carved into a 19" and 15" diameter Funkin brand foam pumpkin so we can put them out every year. Happy Halloween!

Image credits: WTF_is_an_Acronym

#11 I Thought I'd Kick Off My Halloween Pumpkin Pics With This Handy Fella

Image credits: andy_bergholtz

A 2021 study from the University of Putra, Malaysia, called pumpkins a "revolutionary age crop", adding it is a "balanced food, and more adapted to low soil and atmospheric circumstances than other major crops."

#12 This Is A Crescent City House Of Flame And Shadow I Carved For My Girlfriend

Image credits: babysmash3r

#13 It's Time! "Eye Of The Storm"

Image credits: totallypumpkins

#14 Mario With Bowser Projection

Image credits: Zubes

As they're so full of vitamins and nutrients, they're an ideal crop to grow in regions where nutritional food is hard to come by. "Pumpkin fruits are important sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and fats, especially in developing countries," said Sarah Hind, an assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the US.

Pumpkin seeds have a high magnesium content, and they also contain tryptophan, an amino acid needed for growth in infants, and maintenance of the body's muscles and proteins.

#15 My Pumpkin Carving This Year. Happy Halloween

Image credits: bodierex

#16 This Pumpkin Will Leave You In Anticipation. I Just Finished This Carving Of Frank-N-Furter On A 9-Inch Foam Pumpkin

This was carved using various rotary bits, X-ACTO blades, and some light sandpaper. These pumpkins were from the year after Joann stopped selling Funkins and started to make their own similar style. I prefer Funkins due to their wall thickness and more natural-looking shape. These foamkins carve well, but their shape is hard to work with for portraits. Their circumference is oval-shaped, with a wider carved face on the side with the seam running right through it. I misjudged where I placed my reference photo and ended up having that seam run right through it. I think it still looks good, but the lesson is learned.

Image credits: babysmash3r

#17 I Woke Up, Drove To The Farm, Went Home, And Started Carving. This Is Who Looked Back At Me When I Finished

Image credits: deanearnold

The aforementioned research from Hubbub also suggested that after Halloween, 2 million of the discarded pumpkins in the UK will end up in general household bins. Therefore, people who can't find any use for theirs are advised to compost their carved pumpkins, put them out for birds, or dispose of them in the food waste collection.

#18 Frog King

Image credits: devercustoms

#19 The Tank Is Surrounded By 2 Other Pumpkins, Sealing The Unlucky Pumpkin Inside! We Made This For A Hospital. Hopefully, The Patients Will Get Some Enjoyment From It

Image credits: michael_brown04

#20 Shocked Goblin

Image credits: devercustoms

Halloween is big. In 2024, American consumers are expected to spend around 11.6 billion U.S. dollars on the occasion, including nearly 4 billion on costumes and outfits alone. It would also be nice to save something as well.

#21 Happy Halloween! Voldemort For Today

Image credits: totallypumpkins

#22 October Fridges Be Looking Like

Image credits: adambierton

#23 Here Is SpongeBob From One Of My Carvings

Image credits: totallypumpkins

#24 Moon Landing

Image credits: Substantial-Yak4882

#25 I Carved A Pumpkin Inspired By The Movie "Mars Attacks!"

I recently finished this carve of Lisa Marie’s Martian imposter girl character from Mars Attacks! This was hand-carved on a 13” foam pumpkin using X-acto knives, a variety of rotary bits, and a few pointy things.

This model of foam pumpkin is one of the “Time & Place” pumpkins from Joann from a few years back as they were transitioning away from Funkins. These particular pumpkins were honestly kind of bad to carve when I first bought them. The skin would peel off really easily, which made it difficult to get tiny details of high contrast. However, a few years of sitting in my attic seems to have done the trick. These are much better now. Who knew curing foam pumpkins was a thing?