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David S. Pumpkins

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David S. Pumpkins
Saturday Night Live character
a man in an orange suit pointing to two flanking skeletons
The character dancing with skeletons in the original sketch
First appearanceOctober 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)
SNL season 42, episode 4
Last appearanceOctober 29, 2022 (2022-10-29)
SNL season 48, episode 4
Created byMikey Day
Bobby Moynihan
Streeter Seidell
Portrayed byTom Hanks
Voiced byTom Hanks
In-universe information
Full nameDavid Simon Pumpkins
OriginIbiza

David Simon Pumpkins is a fictional character played by American actor Tom Hanks who first appeared on the October 22, 2016, episode of Saturday Night Live in a sketch written by Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell. The character developed a cult following and served as the basis for an animated Halloween special in 2017 and has subsequently returned to SNL multiple times.

Concept and creation

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The character was created by Bobby Moynihan, Mikey Day, and Streeter Seidell. Moynihan said they wanted to make a Halloween-themed version of the viral video "Little Superstar"[1] with a character who was a "Santa Claus for Halloween".[2] The writers said the character's middle initial "S" stands for Simon.[3] The writers bought a pumpkin-themed suit for $12.99 at Party City, intending to use something that looked cheap.[2]

The initial idea for the sketch, which did not include the Pumpkins character, involved a "creepy hotel" which resembled Disney's Haunted Mansion, later changed into a Tower of Terror-style ride.[4] Day credits Pumpkins' eventual creation to his love of "stupid suits".[4] The first version of Pumpkins had more dialogue, which Hanks cut back while "playing with the character".[4] There were plans at one point to include Lady Gaga, the episode's musical guest, as "Mrs. David Pumpkins", but she passed on it because "her musical set was pretty involved".[5]

Hanks thought the character was "very bizarre" before the sketch aired and initially suggested Chris Hemsworth would be better suited for the role.[6][7]

Appearances

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Saturday Night Live

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Pumpkins first appeared in the fourth episode of SNL's 42nd season in a skit later uploaded to YouTube with the title "Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins)".[8] In it, a couple (played by Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon) enters an attraction named 100 Floors of Frights in which a "Hellevator" operator (Kenan Thompson) opens elevator doors to reveal various characters that scare the couple with traditionally scary scenes. On the 49th floor, the doors open to reveal two dancing skeletons alongside David S. Pumpkins wearing a black and orange pumpkin-themed suit.[9] Instead of being scared, the couple is mystified and asks what Pumpkins is meant to represent and why he is part of the ride. In response, Pumpkins says that he is "his own thing" and that the skeletons (Moynihan and Day) standing next to him on most floors (73 out of 100) of the elevator are "part of it".[10][11] Pumpkins insists that he is there to "scare the hell out of you", but manages only to confuse the passengers.[9] The elevator visits several other floors, at some of which Pumpkins continues to appear, until the ride stops at the final level. The door opens on just the skeletons, whereupon Pumpkins appears right behind the guests and shout-asks "Any questions?", successfully giving them a fright.[9]

Two episodes later, SNL host Dave Chappelle made a reference to David S. Pumpkins in a sketch titled "Jheri's Place". After the "sketch gone wrong", Chappelle jokingly says that he thought his failed character "was going to be the next David S. Pumpkins".[12][13]

In the season's finale hosted by Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, Pumpkins reappears in a prerecorded music video called "Rap Song", using the name David S. Pimpkins and wearing a furry hat and jacket.[14] Alongside other fictional featured artists,[15] Pimpkins pesters the character played by Kenan Thompson,[16][17] in a pastiche of "overstuffed all-star rap videos" like DJ Khaled's "I'm the One".[18] David S. Pumpkins' parts of the segment are solo, he never appears with any of the other characters in the sketch.

In 2022, Hanks and Moynihan returned in the season 48 episode hosted by Jack Harlow. Viewers began speculating on social media that there was going to be a David S. Pumpkins sketch when Hanks cameoed in an earlier sketch and Moynihan reprised his role as Drunk Uncle on Weekend Update. These suspicions were confirmed when Hanks and Moynihan reprised their roles alongside Day (still a regular cast member) as Pumpkins and the skeletons in one of the final sketches of the night. As in the original sketch, the three repeatedly show up in a jump scare–themed attraction hosted by Thompson, now set in a prison populated by famous horror movie characters. Thompson's operator explains that the ride spent most of its budget on characters like Freddy Krueger and Pennywise the Clown, so Pumpkins was needed to fill the rest of the attraction. The patrons in this sketch are a group of friends played by Harlow, Ego Nwodim, and Andrew Dismukes. Unlike in the first sketch, Nwodim's character expresses a neutral opinion of Pumpkins, while Harlow outright enjoys him—only Dismukes expresses bewilderment and frustration, particularly at the revelation that Pumpkins is apparently from Ibiza. Once again, Pumpkins delivers on his promise to "scare [the group] stupid" by surprising them at the end of the sketch.[19]

The Halloween Special

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Main article: The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special

On September 28, 2017, NBC announced that Pumpkins would star in a 30-minute animated special to be produced by Bento Box Animation.[20] Hanks, Day and Moynihan reprised their roles, with Seidell and Peter Dinklage joining the cast.[21] Two weeks prior to the announcement, Hanks posted a picture of the special's script, titled "The David S. Pumpkins Song", on social media.[22][23][24]

The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special aired October 28, 2017.[25] It starts with a live-action address from Hanks dressed as Pumpkins. In the story, Kevin (Dinklage) is embarrassed to take his younger sister trick-or-treating. After choosing the "magic pumpkin" at a pumpkin patch, David S. Pumpkins and the skeletons take them on an adventure and sing-along. The siblings ride in Pumpkins' "pumpkinmobile" (a strawberry car) while the mysterious villain named the Raincoat Man is stealing all the Halloween candy. Pumpkins and the skeletons rescue the candy from what turns out to be pre-teens who had bullied Kevin. Pumpkins uses magic to deliver the candy around the neighborhood inside of pumpkins.[26][27]

Reception

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When the character was first performed, his appeal was unclear to some but he immediately developed a fan following.[9] Airing just weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, it has been suggested that the non-political nature of the sketch helped fuel its popularity.[28] Day suggested this came from a "weird alchemy of Halloween, the best host ever, the time of the country, and just a silly song".[9] Seidell said, "The election was so intense. David Pumpkins, this dumb silly thing, was the last thing that everyone could kind of agree on, that they could talk to each other about without it ruining Thanksgiving".[9]

Hanks's performance as an SNL host, including the Pumpkins sketch, earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017.[29][30]

The character's apparent meaninglessness was referenced in the original skit.[10][31] Tom Hanks jokingly tweeted that he dressed as Pumpkins for Halloween in 2016.[32] In promotion for a Reddit AMA, Microsoft founder Bill Gates parodied the original sketch,[33][34] and received some criticism for the effort.[35][36] In October 2017, Madame Tussauds Orlando adapted their existing wax figure of Tom Hanks to appear as David Pumpkins.[37]

References

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  1. ^ Fox, Jesse David (October 23, 2017). "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Meyers, Seth (September 21, 2017). "Bobby Moynihan Reveals the Story Behind "David S. Pumpkins"". Late Night with Seth Meyers. Episode 580. NBC. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Bradley, Bill (November 29, 2016). "Here, Finally, Is What The 'S' In 'David S. Pumpkins' Stands For". HuffPost. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Fox, Jesse David (May 16, 2017). "'David Pumpkins' Almost Didn't Feature David Pumpkins". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. ^ Fox, Jessie David. "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Canfield, David (September 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks wanted Chris Hemsworth to play David S. Pumpkins on SNL". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Parker, Ryan (September 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks Tried to Get out of 'SNL' David S. Pumpkins Sketch, Bobby Moynihan Says". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  8. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (October 26, 2016). "Saturday Night Live recap: Season 42, Episode 4". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Fox, Jesse David (October 28, 2016). "SNL's David Pumpkins Sketch Works Because It Confused You". Vulture.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Sims, David (October 24, 2016). "The Joy of David S. Pumpkins". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  11. ^ Moore, Jack (October 28, 2016). "Proof David S. Pumpkins Is Frightening in Any Horror Movie". GQ. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Brown, Liz (November 13, 2016). ""Saturday Night Live" Total Recap: Dave Chappelle and A Tribe Called Quest". Hulu Blog. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. ^ Love, Matthew (November 13, 2016). "Saturday Night Live Recap: Chappelle's Show". Vulture.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Jensen, Erin (May 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks brings David S. Pumpkins back to 'Saturday Night Live'". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Clark, Noelene (May 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks' David S. Pumpkins makes his glorious SNL return". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  16. ^ Marcus, Stephanie (May 21, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins Returned To 'SNL' And We Have Questions". HuffPost. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  17. ^ Robinson, Joanna (May 21, 2017). "S.N.L.: Tom Hanks Brings Back David S. Pumpkins Just When We Need Him Most". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  18. ^ Kreps, Daniel (May 21, 2017). "Watch Katy Perry, David S. Pumpkins Invade All-Star 'Rap Song' on 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  19. ^ Forward, Devon (October 30, 2022). "Tom Hanks Revives 'SNL' Character David S. Pumpkins and Leaves Fans Howling". Yahoo. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  20. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks to Star in David S. Pumpkins Animated Special for NBC". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  21. ^ Evans, Greg (September 28, 2017). "'SNL's David S. Pumpkins Sketch Gets Animated Halloween Special: Tom Hanks To Voice Character". Deadline. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  22. ^ Nordine, Michael (September 16, 2017). "Tom Hanks Teases David S. Pumpkins Script on Twitter: Any Questions?". IndieWire. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  23. ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Tweets Picture of David S. Pumpkins Script, Asks 'Any Questions?' We Have a Few". Vulture. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  24. ^ Mazza, Ed (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Hints That David S. Pumpkins May Be Coming Back". HuffPost. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  25. ^ Weldon, Sarah (October 29, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins saves the day with a Pumpkinmobile and song in SNL Halloween special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  26. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (October 28, 2017). "SNL: David S. Pumpkins Gets Animated — Grade Tom Hanks Halloween Special". TVLine. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  27. ^ Shanley, Patrick (October 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks' David S. Pumpkins Saves Halloween in 'SNL' Animated Special". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  28. ^ Izadi, Elahe (October 23, 2016). "Trump and Clinton on SNL are funny. David Pumpkins is classic". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  29. ^ "Nominations Search". Television Academy. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  30. ^ Mehta, Maitri (July 13, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins May Actually Get Tom Hanks An Emmy". Bustle. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  31. ^ Elderkin, Beth (October 23, 2016). "Let's Celebrate SNL's David S. Pumpkins, the New Halloween GIF". io9. Gizmodo. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  32. ^ Agard, Chancellor (October 31, 2016). "Tom Hanks is going as David S. Pumpkins for Halloween". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  33. ^ Lobo, Freia (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates' latest Reddit AMA is unintentionally hilarious". Mashable. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  34. ^ Ng, Alfred (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates channels David Pumpkins to promote Ask Me Anything". c|net. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  35. ^ Peyser, Eve (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates Made a David S. Pumpkins Video and I Want to Die". Gizmodo. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  36. ^ Warren, Tom (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates does David S Pumpkins parody four months late". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  37. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (October 9, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins now stands at Madame Tussauds Orlando". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
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