Obama tops McCain in Pumpkin Poll

WEST HAVEN — It may not be scientific, but Ryan Wickstrand’s presidential pumpkin poll predicts Barack Obama will triumph over John McCain … at least on Halloween.

The 30-year-old mastermind behind West Haven-based Zombie Pumpkins, an online business that sells stencils for pumpkin carving, keeps a running tally on his Web site of who is the more sought-after candidate.

So far it’s Obama over McCain, 63 percent to 37 percent.

“I’m no political expert,” Wickstrand cautions. “I don’t know, but for some reason I think that the people who carve pumpkins are a cross-section of America, so I would not be surprised if the percentages are similar.”

With Election Day only four days after Halloween, Wickstrand will find out soon enough.

“It’s a big election. We are going to have someone new next year,” he says. “Seems only right to get in on the media buzz.”

Wickstrand’s business works like this: About 180 of his hand-drawn designs are available at www.zombiepumpkins.com. Users can order, pay for and download stencils of their favorite designs — anything from Frankenstein to Ozzy Osbourne to Harry Potter — and use them to carve pumpkins. The business is in its sixth year, and Wickstrand counts 450,000 downloads so far this year alone. His is not the only pumpkin stencil Web site, but he likes to think his is unique in that he designs all the stencils himself. Read more …

(Video) Jack O’Lantern is the Original Prankster

***THIS IS A FAN VIDEO!!! FAN VIDEOS DO NOT CONTAIN FULL, UNABRIDGED, UNEDITED CONTENT OF THE SERIES. IT IS SIMPLY SOMETHING FANS MAKE FOR FUN TO PROMOTE THE SHOW!!! TURNER EVEN AGREED, WHEN THEY HAD THEIR COPYRIGHT CLAIM HERE ON YOUTUBE, TO NOT DELETE ANY FAN VIDEOS OF THEIR SHOWS!!! SO DO NOT TAKE THIS DOWN!!!***

Hey, just in time for Halloween!
This is a video idea I’ve had in my head for quite a while, since Jack is the first person I thought of when I heard this song. Besides, he needed a tribute. He’s that awesome.
Special thanks to my uncle, who gave me his Offspring CD. XD Read more …

Pumpkin Masterpiece News

It doesn’t bother Inegah Mandra that some of his best pieces of art end up in the garbage.

Actually, the 35-year-old transplant from Bali kind of prefers it that way. Which really helps when your canvas is a pumpkin.

“I actually really like that part,” he said of the ephemeral nature of his work. “It means you always have a chance to start again.”

But it’s not like it’s easy to part with Mandra’s work. His pumpkins are intricate tapestries in orange where dragons chase each other amid flowers and symbols rooted in Asian mythology. Jack-o’-lanterns they are not.

Mandra doesn’t hollow out his pumpkins. They remain intact, his carving tools rarely cutting more than a few sixteenths of an inch into the apricot-colored flesh.

Pumpkins don’t offer a very broad palette to begin with, and by not hollowing out the fruit Mandra also gives up the ability to use candlelight shining from inside to produce a range of shades. So his colors are limited to dark orange, light orange and near-white.

“What I’m trying to do is make a contrast with those three colors and bring out the pattern,” he said.

Mandra isn’t a pumpkin artist by trade. He’s working part time at Cafe Lucky Noodle in Eugene while taking classes at Pacific University, preparing to be an elementary school teacher.

But his hobby is carving elegant masks and reliefs in wood, skills he applies to his pumpkins. He does it mostly for pleasure, but he’s taken on a few commissions as his work has become noticed and now does about a dozen stylish pumpkins each Halloween season. Read more …

Carve out Some Halloween Fun

There’s more than one way to carve a pumpkin. And there’s more than one way to enjoy these wonderful orange orbs.

For Lael Dorociak Lehman, a second-grader at Highwood School, it’s all about diving in headfirst.

“I like to get messy with all the gooey stuff and seeds,” she confessed while wearing an immaculate dress.

Though once thought to be a child’s activity, hand-carving pumpkins is booming in popularity with teenagers and adults, too.

Web sites offer elaborate patterns and yearly competitions.

Brooke Mizler, a freshman at Belt School, looks forward to carving pumpkins each year with her mother.

“We don’t do anything fancy,” she admitted. “We just carve pumpkins.”

The Mizlers do, however, add a special touch to each carved creation.

“We sprinkle cinnamon inside the pumpkins after we carve them,” Mizler said. “The heat from the candle makes them smell so good.”
Endless possibilities

When it comes to carving pumpkins it’s all about using your gourd to come up with some clever creations.

Start by finding a pumpkin that can standsteadily on its own.

Don’t cut a round top or you might not be able to figure out how it lines up again. Instead, cut a noticeable notch or shape into the top and angle your carving saw toward the center of the pumpkin so the lid has a ledge to sit on.

Start carving at the center of the design and work out toward the edges. Save small, intricate cuts for last.

To keep the heat from the candle from cooking or collapsing your pumpkin, cut a vent hole in the top of the pumpkin or leave the top off. Read more …

Why Jack O Lanterns Shouldn’t Drink Ohhhh…..mmm

Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Oz book series by L. Frank Baum. He first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Jack’s tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs. He has a jack o’lantern for a head which is where he gets his name.

Jack was made by a little boy named Tip (Princess Ozma in the form of a boy) to scare his guardian, an old witch named Mombi. From Mombi’s chest he took some old clothes for Jack; purple trousers, a red shirt, a pink vest with white polka dots, and stockings, to which he added a pair of his shoes. However, instead of being frightened, when Mombi saw Jack she almost smashed him to pieces, but then she decided to test her new Powder of Life on him. The powder worked and Jack came to life.

Jack is not known for his intelligence which seems to depend on the quality and number of the seeds in his pumpkin-head at that time. However he does manages to come up with random bits of wisdom and common sense often, For example, after bringing Jack to life, Mombi has the following exchange with him:

Even Mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked:

“What do you know?”

“Well, that is hard to tell,” replied Jack. “For although I feel that I know a tremendous lot, I am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. It will take me a little time to discover whether I am very wise or very foolish.” Read more …