Katie Pumpkinhead’s Pumpkin Patch

I have a real “thing” about trick-or-treat pails. My parents had a pumpkin pail for me since before I was born. One of those old blow molds, with a puffy witch on the back. The pumpkin’s facial features were bumpy; tons of raised little dots stippled in his eyes, nose, and mouth. His teeth were more square than the ones you see today, and his handle was thicker. I’m not sure what ever happened to him, but I know he got a lot of use from me between the ages of four and seven. When I was eight, however, what can only be described as a life-altering trick-or-treat pail event  happened. The year was 1995. I’m not sure what month it was, but I’m thinking it was teeny bit on the “early” side for Halloween things. I walked into WalMart with my parents and my maternal grandfather, who lived with us at the time, and, like any kid, immediately found some stuffed animal that I wanted someone to buy for me. My grandfather agreed to it without much coaxing; that’s just how he was. But then, we ...

With today being the 100 day mark until Halloween, I started to ask myself: When did my life start to become a perpetual countdown to Halloween? The simple answer, of course, is that it always has been. From the first time I trick-or-treated at age four, there was always a part of me that was anticipating the next time it would happen. I don’t know how often I actually thought about it then...Perception of time is different when you’re that young. You don’t look at boxes on a calendar so much as you observe the world around you. But I knew when the world was at its best and brightest for me, and as I would start to see things slowly transform as autumn once again approached, I was always ay my happiest. I think I was around ten years old when I started to realize how much I truly missed Halloween in the off-season. Thanks to my father, who was always computer-obsessed, I already had a computer in my bedroom and would make my own background wallpaper using good ol’ MS Paint. A lot of th...

Today is an extremely important day in Halloween history. Twenty-seven years ago, my lifelong favorite movie was released into the world. I was just six years old at the time, but as obsessed with Halloween as ever. Back then, there really weren’t many things that the young Halloween enthusiast could watch. My only memories of kid-friendly Halloween media at the time are a few TV specials, mainly something called “Buttons & Rusty In ‘Which Witch Is Which?’”, which I had recorded on a VHS tape and watched so frequently to get my Halloween feels on in the off-season that it wore out pretty quickly. (My childhood mantra, any time I was obsessed with a movie, which happened pretty frequently, was from that moment on, “Is this tape going to break like Buttons & Rusty?”) There was some part of me that didn’t understand how there could be so many Christmas movies, but so few things related to Halloween. So, of course I was elated to find out that a Halloween movie was finally coming! ...

Two years ago today, my life was very different. I was on the brink of a major life transition, and very little made me smile at the time. When Spirit Halloween’s sneak peeks were announced that year, I wasn’t sure how I would feel. I wanted to feel something, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to buy much, having no real idea where my life was headed. At the time, I was worried that my Halloween collecting days might even be over. But, amidst a sea of uncertainty, there was a glimmer of hope that came in the form of an animatronic pumpkin known as the  Pumpkin Patch Prowler .  As I’ve mentioned before, prior to the last couple of years of collecting, I didn’t really have a particular aesthetic goal when it came to what I bought, but one thing I’ve always been certain of, above all else, is that I love pumpkin people. And when I watched the video linked to above, it was like I was looking at a character from one of my best dreams.  I didn’t dare even consider the fact that I c...

I have something truly incredible to share today! Since I truly got into Halloween collecting in my adult life, one thing I have always wanted is one of those old paper maché pumpkins.  I first came across them while trying to find information on a die cut pumpkin decoration that’s been a grail item of mine since I was about twelve years old. I don’t think I realized what a market there was for vintage Halloween items until I, almost inadvertently, started looking. Somewhere in my search, though I never did find what I was initially looking for, I started to see all of these incredibly unique little pumpkins, that brought to mind a completely different era in time. Most of them had their mouths in a permanent “O” shape, as if either surprised or frightened. And, due to their age, they each had particular “defects” that only seemed to add to their character. You couldn’t help but look at them and wonder what they’d seen; what they’d been through. What was Halloween like when these l...

Due to me being such a shy and socially anxious kid, when I started elementary school, my mother, who I can tell you is just about the least “PTA” person you’ll ever meet, decided to become a “class mom”, one of the mothers who volunteers to help out with class parties and chaperone field trips and stuff. She figured I’d be less reluctant to get involved in things if she was around.  I can’t say for sure if it helped or hindered my social development, but there was one particular instance that I think played somewhat a part in my development into the person I am today.  The biggest perk of being the class mom’s daughter was that, when it came to things like goody bag prizes or craft supplies, if there were any left over, I got to keep them for myself. While other kids were whining and attempting to trade things, I was often content because I knew I had the rest of the coveted collection waiting for me at home. There were instances, though, when sometimes there were just enough...