It’s just not Halloween without jack-o’-lanterns giving their spooky or silly greetings to all who pass. Make pumpkin decorating a fun activity for the whole family—no carving required—with these funny, frightening, festive faces that start with a trip to the grocery store. Just make sure you keep these guys on display and everyone in the house knows not to munch on the pieces!
Fruit and Veggie Faces
Did you know the produce aisle can be a good source of Halloween inspiration? Fruits and veggies make great building blocks for jack-o’-lanterns—just use toothpicks, pins, or hot glue to attach them to pumpkins. Try round shapes like radishes, cranberries, or small potatoes for eyes and ears; elongated shapes like carrots, parsnips, peppers, or green beans for a nose and mouth; and hearty greens like kale, broccoli rabe, or curly parsley for hair.
Candy Corn Hedgehog Pumpkin
No matter how you feel about candy corn, you’re sure to love the look of this furry friend. In the center of a pumpkin, draw or paint a friendly hedgehog face, then glue candy corn all over as the quills.
Mummy Pumpkin
Draw, paint, or glue over-sized eyeballs onto pumpkins, then use toilet paper to wrap them up like mummies. The more imperfect, the better!
Rainbow Pumpkin
We love all things rainbow, so we thought of a way to work them into Halloween décor. Stock up on your favorite brightly colored, bite-sized chocolate or fruit-flavored candies (such as M&Ms or Skittles) then glue them to pumpkins to create rainbow stripes or color-blocked patterns.
Bean and Seed Pumpkins
Dried beans and seeds work as a beautiful embellishment that will stay looking fresh all season long. Choose an array of beans and seeds in different colors, shapes, and sizes—or stick with a single type for a monotone look—and glue them to pumpkins to create faces or abstract designs.
Candy Clown Pumpkins
Start with miniature pumpkins or decorative gourds, and glue on an assortment of candy with different textures, colors, and shapes to make a clown face. Try candy corn, gum drops, or sour gummy candy for eyes and ears; jelly beans, hard candies, or bite-sized fruit candies for a nose; and fruit jellies, licorice, or rope-shaped candy for a mouth and hair.
Collage Pumpkins
These cut-out collage pumpkins are one part Picasso, one part Mr. Potato Head. From magazines and newspapers, cut out various eyes, noses, ears, and mouths (animal photos work, too). Use glue to attach them to pumpkins for funny faces that are ready for their close-up.
