The Very First ‘Pumpkinseed’//October 110th, 2021

If you ask me my earliest memories of things related to Halloween, there are many.

The initial thing that comes to mind is my first year trick-or-treating, at age four. I have vivid memories of my pumpkin costume, a hand-me-down from my cousin, and being coaxed out from under a table and into the magical world of Halloween, that would become my world from that moment on. I often catch myself wondering if that’s where my specific obsession with pumpkin people originates from.

I think a lot about those classic McDonald’s Halloween pails, served with a Happy Meal inside. A small collection of them existed in my home before I was born, and I played with them like toys before I’d ever even experienced Halloween. Each one had a name and a personality (my favorite being “Katta”, the witch) and would often leave me with a craving for French fries (or a milkshake, in the ghost’s case) when I was done playing. One day soon, those guys will get their own post here.

There is one vague memory that’s sat at the back of my mind for awhile, though. Like the pails, my parents had many things around the house from before I was born. And the Halloween item that I actually have my very earliest memories of playing with, was actually a small pin the shape of a pumpkin. But this wasn’t just an ordinary pumpkin, either. It had a little string on the bottom, and when you pulled it, a smiling ghost declaring a friendly “Boo!” popped out from inside, wearing the top of the pumpkin like an oversized hat.

It’s one of those things I never really consciously thought about anymore, but the memory was always just there, hazy in the back of my mind, that my first experience with Halloween was with this interesting little relic that I found among a bunch of tiny toys that my parents kept in a little bucket under one of the lamps in the living room when I was a toddler. Every so often I would see it in my mind’s eye, a blurry vision of a little plastic pumpkin and the smiling face of a ghost.

I only started actually thinking more about it recently, after discovering ScaryRigged, a shop run by a lovely lady named Heather, that specializes in vintage Halloween jewelry. This shop has become my absolute favorite for Halloween jewelry. Everything has so much character. I often keep an eye on it for updates, and one day, lo and behold, in Heather’s Instagram story, there was the pin from my youth, that had been nothing but a hazy memory for so long.

It’s such a strange feeling, when these little relics return to my life. I didn’t know the first time I ever held this pin, that my life would one day revolve around all things relating to Halloween, but this truly was the first real piece of that puzzle. Up until I saw this for sale again, I was wondering how accurate my memory even was, but when I hold this in my hand, I know I’m holding the first little pumpkinseed that helped me grow into the pumpkin that I am.

What are your earliest memories of Halloween-related things? I would love to know!

Stay spooky, my friends.

I'm Not So Sure About This Social Media Thing//October 94th, 2026

I started this blog six years ago on New Year's Day. I had been through some major life changes in 2018/2019, and really found myself along the way. I felt as though I really had cemented a place for myself within the Halloween community on social media, and often, when I would caption my posts on Instagram with snippets of memories, or a specific feeling that maybe not many others could understand, I would get comments and messages from new friends and followers, complimenting the way I wrote, sometimes even asking for more, and so, the idea to start a blog again was born, and, silly as it may sound, I am very proud that I've managed to stick with it as long as I have. Long work hours, personal problems, bouts of anxiety and depression....none of that has ever fully stopped me from coming back and doing what I love. But, lately, I have been feeling a little off about social media in general, and that's something I really would like to talk about, as I feel it taking a to...

Tales From A Walk: April 5th, 2026; AKA Easterween/Creepster/Zombie Jesus Day, Etc.

Someone asked me once When do you stop mourning the previous Halloween and start looking forward to the next one? That's always been a hard question for me to answer, as I am always looking back or looking ahead, depending on the situation. I often see what was, and what will be again, simultaneously. But today, I went for a walk. Probably my first full walk since Christmas time. That last walk, the remnants were still there. Though it was a different holiday entirely, I still met some rotting pumpkins, and some dead leaves clinging to their brittle branches. Then two back to back winter storms came in February, burying us in two feet of snow both times. I don't know that I've ever felt more like I was in alternate reality, or farther away from Halloween. Today was different, though. When Easter comes, you hear all this talk of spring, and new beginnings, and that sort of thing. And I guess it never really hit me how that can apply to Halloween as well. Wal...

Here’s Where The Story Ends//October 337th, 2020

Everyone has moments in their life when they feel like giving up. That feeling of “This is never going to happen, so why keep trying?” Sometimes it relates to a thing that would be trivial to anyone else, sometimes it’s about something more life-altering. But, we’ve all been there. I have moments of discouragement with this blog. Times I’ve told myself, “No one cares”, or “No one will read this”, etc., but I continue on, for the joy of it. And sometimes, something amazing happens. If you haven’t read my previous post, Have You Seen This Pumpkin? , I would strongly suggest doing so before continuing on with this story. The short version is, I saw a pumpkin in someone’s window when I was twelve years old, and have spent the last twenty-one years trying to find it for myself. When I published that post, I wasn’t expecting much of a response. I was really just hoping to hear someone say, “Yes, my family had this pumpkin when I was a kid!” Or “I once saw this in a neighbor’...

Katie Pumpkinhead’s Pumpkin Patch

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