🥔 The first ones weren't pumpkins
In Ireland, people carved lanterns from turnips and potatoes. Try the Turnip in the pumpkin picker to carve one the old way.
Pick a stamp and tap the pumpkin, or grab the knife and draw a closed shape.
Lantern lore
👻 Who was Jack?
In the Irish folktale, "Stingy Jack" was doomed to wander in the dark carrying a glowing coal inside a hollowed turnip. People called him "Jack of the Lantern."
🚢 Why pumpkins won
Irish immigrants brought the custom to America. There they found pumpkins, which ripen around October and are bigger and easier to carve.
📅 Mark your calendar
October 26 is National Pumpkin Day in the US, five days before Halloween. Print your stencil and carve the real thing.
How to carve a real one from your stencil
- Click Print stencil, then print the image at a size that fits your pumpkin.
- Cut a lid around the stem at an angle so it won't fall in, and scoop out the seeds.
- Tape the stencil to the pumpkin and poke along the black outlines with a pin or skewer.
- Remove the paper and cut along the dotted lines. Always cut away from your hands, and have an adult help kids.
- A battery tea light is the safest light to put inside.