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Pumpkin Book Character Contest

The Science Channel carried the World Championship from 2009 to 2016. WCPCA and the Science Channel agreed to a new 3-year contract that ran through the 2016 WCPC. In 2009 and 2010 the “Punkin Chunkin” special aired on tape delay on Thanksgiving Day. Each year of coverage thus far has featured an hour long special titled “Road to the Chunk” that preceded coverage of the WCPC event. The previous year’s contest is shown around Halloween and sporadically throughout the year. Road to Punkin Chunkin 2011 featured three 30-minute episodes airing weekly leading up to Thanksgiving.

Teams competed in the following divisions: Air Cannon, Female Air Cannon, Centrifugal, Catapult, Torsion, Trebuchet, Human Powered, Centrifugal Human Powered, Youth Air Cannon, Youth Catapult, Youth Trebuchet, Youth Human Powered, Youth 10 & Under, and Theatrical. Each division competed strictly for distance except for the Theatrical division which relies on a fan vote. The teams get three shots, one taken on each of three consecutive days. Only a team’s longest shot is scored for official results. Spotters riding on ATVs find the impact point, and then a professional surveyor calculates the distance based on GPS coordinates of the impact and the machine. The impact point is marked with color-coded spray paint.
In May 2019, the World Championship announced its intent to relocate to Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois and return for 2019. Organizers cited better state protections against liability in Illinois compared to Delaware, Illinois’ status as the country’s most prolific pumpkin growing state, the fact that the former air force base is a brownfield that does not need to be cleared of crops (allowing the event to be held a few weeks earlier in the season), and lower costs for police and fire protection.

The organizers set a hopeful return date of 2022, potentially in North Carolina which has the liability protections the organizers seek; they are also hoping to discuss the matter with officials in Virginia. If the event organizers could not hold the event in 2022 (and indeed there was no event that year), they stated that the event, as it originally had been conceived, would be effectively over and “that we may need to rebuild the World Championship Punkin Chunkin from the ground up.” The range achieved by devices depends on their mass, shape, and size; the yield limits, stiffness, pitch, and elevation of the hurler, and the weather. The choice of pumpkin is another important variable; Casper, Lumina, and La Estrella are the most common varieties used for competitions since they tend to have thicker rinds than other varieties and can thus withstand greater forces during launch. One of the core rules for competition is that the pumpkin must remain whole after leaving the device until hitting the ground for the chunk to count. Pumpkins that burst after leaving the barrel or sling are referred to as “pie” (short for “pumpkin pie in the sky”); such launches are disqualified under WCPC rules. The event also featured amusement rides, food vendors, fireworks, live concerts, a pumpkin cooking contest, a chili cook-off, the Miss Punkin Chunkin pageant, and other attractions.No World Championship was held in 2017 because of another injury-related lawsuit; before the decision to cancel, the organizers had suggested that the 2017 championship would have been the last one due to the lawsuit and the related withdrawal of its television partner. 2018 came and went with the organization having gone silent, and no championship was held that year.

What is a storybook pumpkin?
On display in many school libraries around the district are decorated pumpkins that resemble characters from popular children’s literature. Many schools are calling this their “Storybook Pumpkin Patch”. Students who wanted to participate were instructed to select a character from a favorite book.
The first televised Punkin Chunkin special was aired by the Discovery Channel in 2002, hosted by Bryan Callen. In 2008, after a six-year hiatus, Punkin Chunkin returned to cable television on the Science channel as a 1-hour program, hosted by Brad Sherwood. 2009 brought a two-episode broadcast covering the teams heading to the event, and then the event itself, each hosted by Zach Selwyn and Mike Senese. 2010 was hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of the Discovery Channel program MythBusters. From 2011 to 2013, the special was hosted by MythBusters “Build Team” members Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara. Clip shows compiling footage of previous Punkin Chunkin events aired in 2014 and 2015.The event originated in 1986, and early in its history convened in Lewes, Delaware. Due to increasing space requirements (distance of shots, number of teams, and number of spectators) new locations in Sussex County had to be found. In 2007, WCPC moved to Bridgeville (at 38°43′20″N 75°32′08″W / 38.72222°N 75.53556°W / 38.72222; -75.53556), near the intersection of Seashore Highway and Chaplains Chapel Road. About 75 teams competed, the event drew more than 20,000 people, and grossed more than $800,000 in ticket sales and associated revenues. More than 70% of that money would be donated to a variety of community organizations. Starting with the 2014 WCPCA event, festivities were to be held at Dover International Speedway in Dover, after the landowner who hosted the event evicted the event from his property due to a 2011 lawsuit (one that was eventually settled out of court). However, the 2014 event was canceled due to logistics problems (the speedway did not have long enough of a straightaway to cover the one-mile distance the competition requires), and the contest was expected to be permanently shuttered prior to the 2015 contest due to insurance companies refusing to cover the contest.

For 2020, the organizers sought to return to the eastern United States but were unable to do so because of coronavirus restrictions; the event was to be held in 2020 in an altered format, but organizers again claimed they could not find a host “in (a state) with favorable liability laws;” they also declined to hold the event in 2021, citing “many obstacles in our path in recent years – some well known and others, not so much(.)” The organizers stated that though they loved Delaware, they were convinced that “certain organizations within our state (…) will work to see that (the changes necessary to return the event to Delaware) never happen” and that it was outright illegal to host the event in Maryland due to firearms laws in that state, limiting options for returning the contest to Delmarva as they had hoped.
The 2019 event was not televised on a traditional broadcast, cable or satellite outlet. The organizers streamed most of the festivities on Facebook Live.The 2019 World Championship was substantially downsized (in terms of number of competitors) due to the relocation, as many of the Delaware regulars were unwilling to trek across several states to partake. This allowed for a more intimate experience (spectators could visit the contestants in the pits before the competition began), but also led the organizers to believe the event would run at a financial loss for them.

World Championship Punkin Chunkin (WCPC) was the name of an annual contest held the first full weekend after Halloween in Delaware from 1986 through 2013 and 2016. It is governed by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA).

Punkin chunkin, or as it is sometimes called pumpkin chucking, is the sport of hurling a pumpkin solely by mechanical means for distance. The devices used include slingshots, catapults, centrifugals, trebuchets, and pneumatic (air) cannons.
Punkin Chunkin events, usually independently organized, are held throughout the United States, with active annual contests in Clayton, New York, Ellicottville, New York and Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County, Pennsylvania.Punkin chunkin competitions, formal and informal, exist throughout the United States in the autumn, particularly in early November as a means to dispose of surplus pumpkins from Halloween. World Championship Punkin Chunkin, held annually in November in Delaware by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA), was the first and largest annual competition. The event ran annually from 1985 to 2013; a myriad of legal and logistical problems caused multiple events to be cancelled after that, and subsequent championships have been more sporadic. A European Championship has been held in Bikschote, Belgium each year since 2004.

After considering a move to a location in Maryland, the organization announced plans to revive the World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest for 2016 at its previous site in Bridgeville after the insurance concerns were addressed.
A variant of the competition, the pumpkin shoot, emphasizes accuracy over distance, as competitors aim to hit a specific target. A “Great Pumpkin Shoot” has been held in Olean, New York most years since 2010.

During taping of the 2016 festivities, one of the event’s air cannons malfunctioned and chunks of flying metal struck a member of the TV production staff in the head seriously injuring her; after the injury, Science Channel opted to discontinue filming and not air Punkin Chunkin that year. The staffer is believed to have recovered from her injuries. The producer filed a lawsuit against the WCPCA, its officers and the landowner in 2017, prompting them to cancel the World Championship for 2017. The lawsuit was dismissed in early 2019.

The Guinness world record shot is held by a pneumatic cannon dubbed “Big 10 Inch”, at 5,545.43 feet (1,690.25 m), on September 9, 2010 in Moab, Utah. The shot received certification from Guinness World Records in early February 2011. Big 10 Inch has also competed many times at the WCPC event in Delaware. The WCPCA World Record, which includes only shots made at the annual World Championship event, is held by Team American Chunker, captained by Brian Labrie of New Hampshire, at 4,694.68 feet (1,430.94 m) on November 1, 2013, in Bridgeville, Delaware. The difference in results between Delaware and Utah may be due to the higher, thinner, drier air found in Utah providing less resistance and drag, thus greater range.
While this particular individual was fortunate enough to extricate herself from her squashy chambers, there’s another danger associated with sticking your head inside these spooky gourds, and it’s called toxic squash syndrome.That’s the challenge. That’s the basis of the whole thing. And while it seems pretty simple and straightforward, tons of folks are getting pretty creative with the challenge. Around this time of year, there’s a huge supply of pumpkins, so while the challenge may be considered a bit on the wasteful side, the same could be said for jack-o-lanterns and other “decorative” foods. So, while wasting food is never a good thing, there generally isn’t too much harm in carving these bad boys up. However, sticking one’s head inside of a pumpkin can put folks in for a very, very bad time. Here’s why: People get their heads stuck inside of them all the time, and while those occasions make for some truly memorable viral moments that trend like crazy, it isn’t always fun and games.Social media can be a pretty predictable place. Some beautiful person uploads a photo where they look fabulous to Instagram, someone else waxes on about the importance of mental health, another launches a campaign against a “problematic” person, your racist uncle posts a weird off-color meme where the punchline is really just a mean insult, or a new challenge has folks throwing their dignity in the trash in a bid to rack up views. These days, just in time for Halloween, pumpkins are trending on TikTok. A large number of gourds, squashes, pumpkins, and other similar vegetables are sold in “ornamental” varieties, meaning that you probably shouldn’t eat them. In fact, eating them would be a very, very bad idea. It wouldn’t be the first time someone died while recording a TikTok, but it would probably be an inaugural event if someone died from a pumpkin-related TikTok accident.So, if you’re hollowing out a pumpkin, put that bad boy on your head, and happen to get one of those poisonous seeds in your mouth, then that’s not going to end well for anyone.

The inaugural Pumpkin Book Character Contest at Iverson Elementary School , 1575 S. Hollywood Blvd., featured characters from children’s literature, including Kung Pow Chicken and his sidekick Egg Drop. (F. Andrew Taylor/View)
Make an adorable DIY book pumpkin. For this fall craft, I didn’t have an old book to upcycle. Instead, I used a book that I purchased from my local Dollar Tree. Check out more BOOK CRAFTS here & here.For my pumpkins, I chose to add curly baling wire (you can buy this from your local farm or hardware store), a bow made from twine, and a simple bow made from polka dot burlap ribbon. Use hot-glue to attach your accent pieces close to the stem of the pumpkin.First thing, remove the front and back covers along with the hard spine of the book. This allows you to easily curve your book around to form a circle.

Second, remove the first page of your book and cut out a half pumpkin shape. Then, place your pattern flat side touching the binding edge of the book. Trace around the shape. (this step is similar to when you make paper hearts)

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The first step in winning pumpkin carving contests — or, really, any contests — is to read the rules thoroughly. Before you start planning your entry, check the rules to find out whether there are any restrictions on the size of your pumpkin, the theme of your carving, or other factors.

Now that you have your pumpkin, it’s time to get ready to carve it. There are a few steps that you should take before you reach for your carving knife:
It’s also a good idea to find out what the judges are looking for when they review the entries. Most contests will list their judging criteria so you know what you need to do to catch their attention. For example, they might be putting special emphasis on uniqueness, fit to a specific theme, or other criteria. Tailoring your entry to fit these criteria can give you a big boost over the competition.

It’s also important to make sure that your pumpkin will survive until you’ve entered the contest. You should look for a pumpkin without any soft spots or cuts. Another trick is to pull the stem firmly to make sure it’s not loose, indicating a pumpkin that’s closer to falling into decay. Here are some tips for ​making your pumpkin last longer.​​​
So now you’ve carved a perfect pumpkin, but you’re not quite done yet. Many pumpkin carving contests will ask you to enter by sending in a picture of your carving, and it’s important to get just the right picture to wow the judges.After you’ve cut the hole, scoop out the pulp and seeds with your ice cream scoop or spoon. Remember that the more pulp you remove, the more light will shine through the jack-o-lantern’s shell, making your pumpkin more luminescent. This is especially important when your contest entry requires a photograph of the pumpkin.

If you want to take an additional step to ensure your pumpkin doesn’t start to rot before judging begins, submerge your pumpkin in a mixture of three gallons of water to a teaspoon of bleach after carving it

How do you host a pumpkin decorating contest?
Supply a wide range of craft materials for a children’s party and let imaginations run wild.Decorate several pumpkins before the party and place them around the party area as decorative muses. … Make the party slightly competitive by awarding prizes for “best” categories. … Prepare work areas so guests have plenty of room.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.This will help kill any bacteria on the gourd’s surface, slowing decay down. Let the pumpkin air-dry thoroughly. When you’re done, rub cooking oil on all exposed edges to prevent browning.

Pumpkin seeds are delicious ​when they are toasted, and good for you as well, so don’t throw them away after you’ve finished carving. If you’re not sure what to do with them, here are 12 things to do with pumpkin seeds from TheKichn.
Kids love carving pumpkins, but you need to be careful to be age-appropriate with the sharp implements. Younger children can have fun scooping out seeds and tracing stencils while you do the actual cutting. If the contest’s rules allow, you can also choose a no-carve entry to work on together with your children. Don’t forget to consider an unusual pumpkin, like a white pumpkin, if the contest rules allow for it. Color is something that could make your entry stand out from a sea of orange gourds. Now that you’ve come up with a design, it’s time to find the perfect pumpkin. Why is it important to take those steps in that order? So you can be sure to pick out the pumpkin that best suits your design. Some carving ideas look best with a tall, narrow pumpkin, others cry out for a fat, round one or one with a nearly flat face. By looking carefully, you can pick the pumpkin to make your carving shine.

What is a pumpkin roll contest?
Competitors will roll a pumpkin down a race hill • First pumpkin to cross the finish line wins! PRIZES: 1st Place: Souvenir Prize Bag, Certificate, and Photo of Winner for Social Media.
Pumpkin carving contests are a fun way to win money and prizes every time fall rolls around. Not only do many local communities hold these contests, but you can often find online pumpkin giveaways as well. If you’d like to sharpen your pumpkin carving skills and get the winning edge this Halloween, here are nine steps to help.The key to winning a pumpkin carving contest is coming up with a creative idea. You need your pumpkin to stand out from the pack, so try to think beyond the typical eyes, nose, and grimace that the judges will see over and over again. Wherever you make your opening, be sure to angle your knife slightly inwards toward the stem so that the lid won’t fall through when you replace it. It’s also a good idea to cut a notch into the opening to make it easier to tell which way you should replace the lid. Once your pumpkin has been cleaned, you can use your smaller knives or keyhole saw to cut out the pattern you traced onto your pumpkin. Remember to cut outside, not inside your lines to avoid leaving traces of your drawing behind. Also, be very careful with small pieces so that they don’t break off.You don’t need to buy anything special to carve a great pumpkin, but ensuring that you have good tools on hand will save you time and frustration. Some useful carving implements include:

First, cut a large hole in the pumpkin; for most designs, this should be at the top. Remember, however, you have other options than simply cutting around the stem. Your design might be better served by a hole in the bottom or the back of the pumpkin.After Jack passed away, he was cursed to wander the Earth at night for eternity as punishment, with only a single coal ember to guide him. Jack put his light in a hollowed-out turnip, and so people began to call him “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack-o’-Lantern” for short. To keep Jack away, the Irish began carving pumpkins in his likeness and lighting it with a candle to guide good spirits instead. When many Irish families immigrated to America in the 1800s, the tradition spread.You’ve probably been carving pumpkins since you were a child – but how did this tradition even get started? Pumpkin carving can be traced back to Celtic cultures, which later became a staple of Irish culture. In fact, the term “Jack-o’-Lantern” is from an old Irish folk tale. Legend has it that a man named Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but tricked the Devil into picking up the tab.Many pumpkin carving contests are just for fun (or designed to get to the guts of the pumpkin in order to make delicious pumpkin pies, roasted seeds, and so on). However, others can earn creative carvers some big bucks (Pumpkin Masters, for example, pays winners up to $5,000). There are also a number of TV shows dedicated to the spooky spirit of Halloween, including Outrageous Pumpkins and Halloween Wars, both which appear on the Food Network. And get this – there are even underwater pumpkin carving contests, in which divers plunge into oceans, lakes, and swimming pools and whittle underwater!According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Steve Clarke, a teacher from Pennsylvania, holds the record for carving a pumpkin at just over 16 seconds.

How do you make a pumpkin into a book character?
The idea is simple: get kids to read a book, and then decorate a pumpkin at home to either resemble one of the book’s characters or go with the book’s theme. The kids then get to bring their masterpieces to school and present both their pumpkins and book reports at the same time.
So what does it take to put on a pumpkin carving contest? First, be sure the judging criteria is clear to contestants. For example, you may want uniqueness to be a special consideration (meaning the typical eyes, nose, and grimace found on many pumpkins will likely not be a winning entry). Or, there may be a specific theme, such as “movies” or “animals.” Need some inspiration? Check out “Creative Pumpkins” on Pinterest.If you’re taking your pumpkin carving contest voting online, there’s no better tool than SurveyLegend. All you need to do is to ask contestants to take pictures of their pumpkin creations and send them to you. Then, upload all of the pumpkin images into your survey and share your survey link with others to collect votes. SurveyLegend will automatically tally up the votes in real time, which you can display live on your event page if you like to make the contest more fun and engaging. Ultimately, our free online survey tool will help you determine the pumpkin carving contest winner!

Our entire website, survey app, and online surveys made by our platform are highly secured. We use TLS encryption, which is used by some of the best banks in the world.If you’re holding a live event, you can use video projection to broadcast the live analytics page to all attendees. They can watch, in real-time, as the votes roll in. This makes your Halloween competition super fun!

Most hosted contests provide contestants with pumpkins and carving tools to make things fair. To determine a winner, people vote (often online). Contests can be held for fun or for cash prizes or other incentives.
Here, trust is our number 1 value and protection of the data of our customers and respondents is paramount. We have built an online survey solution with respect to your privacy and security.The easiest way to vote for the winning pumpkin is through an online ballot that includes images of each pumpkin creation. SurveyLegend is the perfect free online survey tool for doing this.Halloween is just around the corner, which means cooler weather, creative costumes, pumpkin spice lattes, fun-size candies, and of course, contests! Pumpkin carving contests are especially popular this time of year, and are held at company parties, campus gatherings, and many other events. If you’re holding a pumpkin carving contest, there’s no better way to determine a winner than with SurveyLegend. With our free online survey tool, you can add images to surveys and allow people to vote on their favorite pumpkin!

What is the pumpkin challenge?
What is the Pumpkin Challenge on TikTok? Folks carve their own jack-o-lanterns and then wear them on their faces for a photo shoot that they then upload to their TikTok account. That’s the challenge. That’s the basis of the whole thing.
Here’s a look at a pumpkin carving contest survey created using SurveyLegend. Pumpkin images for each contestant were uploaded and a spooky background and whimsical font were added in the DESIGN stage.***Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Already know what you would like to get from Amazon? Just click on this button, linked to a pumpkin paint set, then browse around and do your shopping.***In the picture below, Frankenfly is painted green and has construction paper accents. The Fly Guy book character pumpkin on the right has cups for eyes and pipe cleaners for arms, antennae and wings. Both are excellent examples of the book characters they represent.Tempera paint is best when kids are painting pumpkins. You could use acrylic paints, but when acrylic paint dries, it’s permanent, especially on clothing.***Pro tip: To keep the paint from flaking off, mix the paint with school glue in a 1 to 1 ratio. The paint will stick much better and the contest host will thank you.***

Kids just can’t get enough of books by Mo Willems. Whether it’s the pigeon who wants to drive the bus or the lovable characters of Gerald the elephant and Piggie the pig, primary-aged children want to read about their adventures. I had many pigeon, Gerald, and Piggie book character pumpkins turned in. As you can see, some of the pumpkins had the entire character depicted on the surface, while others had just the head. In one case, just the eye! It can be as simple as that. A few used construction paper accents for beaks, wings, ears, and even speech bubbles. One creative pigeon head was a construction paper cylinder perched on a long neck made of an empty paper towel roll. Other neck ideas shown include a little painted bowl or a short cylinder made of poster board. There are many possibilities, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

For years, I had wanted to try having a book character pumpkin contest in the library, but wasn’t sure of the logistics. A brave colleague took the plunge and shared her success. It really is an easy contest to run. The kids really wanted to have a winner, but it was too tough for me to judge. I ended up having students vote using a Google form. I gave each pumpkin a number, then just had each student submit the number of their favorite.
On the advice of my colleague, I had a rule that the pumpkins needed to be decorated without carving. That way, I avoided having any rotting pumpkins on my hands. I took lots of pictures, then gave out a certificate to the winner. The hand painted pumpkins the students brought in to the library for the contest were pretty amazing. I know, I know, many of them had help at home, but what a fun project for a family to do together. I put every single pumpkin out on display. I sent out the initial announcement at the beginning of October, with a final deadline about ten days before Halloween. Students had to put their name and teacher’s name in Sharpie on the bottom of their creation. After the contest was over, before Halloween, the students claimed their pumpkins and took them home to use as Halloween decor.I was thrilled to get a couple of very wicked-looking storybook character pumpkins from the Wizard of Oz. Who can forget the wicked witch’s striped tights and red shoes sticking out from under the house in the famous movie version of the story? The top pumpkin uses the pumpkin stem as the nose for a great effect, topped off with a messy wig and little hat. The wicked witch in the bottom photo was set on top of a painted black box draped with a fake black gauzy spider web.The sparkly shoes were supposed to go under the pumpkin’s box, but I could not get it all to fit on the shelf properly. A little broom made of scraps of crinkle-cut paper made the ensemble complete. You might need additional accessories and art supplies you can customize to fit the book character pumpkin you are designing. For example, you might need construction paper for ears, snouts, hats, or other decor. Here is a very creative depiction of the Very Hungry Caterpillar made with mini pumpkins. It was thoughtful to include the aluminum tray so the pumpkins had a better chance of remaining attached to each other. They were held together with glue. It was a very unique entry.

You might also need tape of various kinds. Glue might be needed. There are many miscellaneous supplies you might find useful, such as pipe cleaners, googly eyes, or yarn for hair. Have fun and use what you can find around your home, or find inexpensive supplies at Dollar Tree.
This cute Captain Underpants book character pumpkin won the student choice award. As you can see from looking at the photo, the pumpkin has a hand painted pumpkin face (use any of the books as your guide). The student added a red cape and tied it around the pumpkin, along with placing some white underwear around the base of the pumpkin. Finally, the student stuffed four panty hose legs with cotton balls. He used two of the stuffed appendages for arms and two for legs. To attach these arms and legs to the pumpkin, you could use duct tape. Although you might be tempted to use thumbtacks to attach the appendages, I would discourage this. You do not want the pumpkin to leak or stain the library shelves. Not familiar with the series? It’s pretty hilarious.If you are embarking (Ha ha! No pun intended!) upon a Clifford pumpkin decorating project, you are in good company. Clifford the big red dog pumpkin was a popular choice. You can see that the entire dog was painted on one pumpkin, while the other student chose to use the pumpkin as the head. The ears could be made out of felt or construction paper. I love the additional touch of the doghouse made out of a cardboard box. The doghouse was painted yellow, and had Clifford’s name prominently displayed. Very creative!

Yes, it’s SpongeBob with his sidekicks Patrick and Plankton. As with the Pokemon characters, even though these famous pumpkin characters did not originate in a book, there have been books written since their debut on television. I was happy to include these book character decorated pumpkins as well. You can see that they each just needed a simple paint job to be transformed into the chosen character. Plankton has a couple of brown painted pencils attached to complete the look.
How do you win the pumpkin decorating contest? In the school libraries where I work, I had the students vote for their favorite. It helps if a lot of students are familiar with the book the character is from. If you decide to run your own book character pumpkin contest, I’ve made things easy for you. Get a free book character pumpkin certificate and promotional flyer right here. These templates are customizable, downloadable, printable, and FREE!From the popular book Dog Man and Cat Kid, as well as other books in the Dog Man series, we have some simple, colorful examples. The Dog Man pumpkins were painted tan with black accents. The outfit was painted on a couple of the Dog Man pumpkins. The snout may be made out of either construction paper or a cup, painted to match the face. Construction paper or a cup may be used for Dog Man’s hat. Both examples of Cat Kid are painted with construction paper accents.

How do you make a pumpkin storybook?
How do you make a pumpkin out of a book?REMOVE THE COVER & HARD SPINE OF THE BOOK. First thing, remove the front and back covers along with the hard spine of the book. … MAKE A HALF PUMPKIN TEMPLATE. … CUT OUT THE PAGES. … USE SCISSORS TO CLEAN UP THE OUTSIDE EDGES. … PAINT THE SIDE OF THE BOOK. … GLUE. … PUMPKIN ACCENTS.
Such a terrific idea to incorporate reading into the fall season and Halloween holiday. All of the book character pumpkins are great – but the Clifford and Harry Potter ones are my two favorites. Thanks for sharing!

What is a pumpkin competition?
Punkin chunkin competitions, formal and informal, exist throughout the United States in the autumn, particularly in early November as a means to dispose of surplus pumpkins from Halloween.
This very cute book character pumpkin depicts Junie B. Jones in the book Toothless Wonder. In addition to the painted pumpkin head with glasses and a yarn wig, there is also a cardboard cutout of a shirt with buttons colored on the front and a construction paper collar. The floral pattern on the shirt is done in marker, as well as the pattern on the construction paper sleeves, which are attached behind the cardboard with glue. Junie B. has ears made of construction paper, and a little tooth necklace hanging around her neck for holding her tooth, which is hanging down below the visible area in the photo. If you decide to use this book character pumpkin idea, you probably don’t want 144 tooth necklaces. My school secretary gives them out whenever someone loses a tooth at school. If your child’s school does the same, maybe your could ask to borrow one.Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which is quite a popular series, did have a couple of entries. It was difficult to depict on a pumpkin, because the character is a black and white drawing. You could paint a pumpkin white, then paint a black line for an outline of a head. It would be helpful to look closely at the book when adding features, but it can be done. There were other book character decorated pumpkins depicting Curious George, the Cat in the Hat, and the rabbit from El Deafo. Whatever your favorite book is, you can probably find a way to make a book character pumpkin out of one of the characters in it. If you were wondering, “What is a book character pumpkin?”, I hope your question has now been answered.

Here we have a few examples of Wilbur and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. You can see that the pig, Wilbur, has a simple, hand-painted face with construction paper ears. Charlotte, the spider, has googly eyes with pipe cleaner legs. What makes this display stand out is the addition of a wooden crate and a fake spider web with letters glued on to form the words “Some Pig”. Very clever!

Book character pumpkins are a fun way to let students get creative with their favorite book characters and design a pumpkin version. Get a variety of clever and fun book character pumpkin ideas without having to look any further. When we hosted a painted pumpkin decorating contest in the library, I took scads of photos. If you are looking for some terrific easy pumpkin decorating contest ideas, you’re in the right place. These book character pumpkins ideas will have you smiling and saying to yourself, “Yes! That is a simple idea we can use!” As a school librarian, I like to keep things organized, so I’ve sorted the easy pumpkin book characters into sections grouped by story or character. Ready to get inspired by some amazing storybook character pumpkins? Let’s go!
Of course, there were a variety of Harry Potter book character pumpkin entries. The most popular book character pumpkins for 4th grade were from this series of books. The Harry Potter book character pumpkin could either be a painted head all by itself, or placed on a pedestal with a tie and robe. The pedestal was made out of a coffee can (no lid so the pumpkin could rest on it securely). The real glasses were purchased at a second hand store, as was the tie. The robe was just a rectangle of black cloth draped around the coffee can, shaped to resemble a robe. The pumpkin was topped by a wig. One other decorative touch was the golden snitch you can see in the lower photo. It was a gold painted foam ball with to feathers stuck into it.Finally, you need to choose a pumpkin. I did have a few students turn in painted pumpkins that were artificial. Maybe they wanted to keep their creations forever. If that’s the case, here’s a good option if you choose to go the artificial route. Whatever you choose, it’s best if it’s not too huge. Your child should be able to carry the pumpkin, if possible. Now, let’s get to those book character pumpkin ideas.

How to do a pumpkin carving contest?
How to Win Pumpkin Carving Contests for HalloweenRead the Rules Thoroughly.Come Up with a Concept for Your Pumpkin Carving.Pick the Right Pumpkin for Your Design.Prepare Your Pumpkin for Carving.Get the Right Carving Tools.Remove the Seeds and Pulp from the Pumpkin.Carve Your Pattern.Preserve Your Jack-o-Lantern.
Grab an old skateboard and decorate a pumpkin to resemble fan favorite book character Pete the Cat. No skateboard? No problem! The one in the photo below is made out of cardboard covered with construction paper. In both photos, Pete is painted blue. You can use construction paper for the rest of the head features, or use pipe cleaners for the whiskers. In the top photo, Pete is perched on a coffee can covered with construction paper to resemble a shirt. In the bottom photo, Pete is riding on his signature skateboard with his stuffed blue pantyhose legs dangling down. Pete has a stuffed tail as well, divided into sections with rubber bands. You could also use hair ties to section the stuffed legs and tail. Use cotton, paper towels, or toilet paper to stuff the appendages, or whatever else you have on hand. The little plastic fish bowl provides a nice finishing touch. Also, notice the placement of the pupils in Pete’s eyes in the bottom photo. That captures his expression so well!

This Cinderella carriage pumpkin even has silhouettes of the fairy tale characters painted in. Little pearl beads were glued onto the mini pumpkin “wheels”, and the carriage itself was perched on a clear bowl. The effect was enchanting. Humpty Dumpty, below, came complete with his own red brick poster board “wall” which I taped onto the bookshelf below him. Add a red ribbon tie and a mini top hat headband to the painted pumpkin for a Mother Goose masterpiece.
Here we have some examples of book characters from the world of Pokemon video games. Since they have books with these characters in them as well, I am happy to have these book/movie characters in the contest. After painting these pumpkins to look like the characters, just add the accents. The ears can be made of construction paper, and in the case of Pokemon, pencils covered with construction paper were used. A yellow plastic lei with a piece of wire pushed through it formed Pokemon’s tail.What fun to decorate a pumpkin book character like Fancy Nancy. This pumpkin was dressed to the nines with sunglasses, a tiara, and even a pink feather boa. The entire pumpkin was painted, then a Sharpie marker was used to add accents. Finally, as a finishing touch, orange pipe cleaner corkscrew curls were gently poked into the top of the pumpkin. If you want to avoid poking holes into the pumpkin, you could try using a hot glue gun. That would definitely require adult supervision.

Next we have this sweet little owl pumpkin representing the Owl Diaries series. I love the little construction paper feet sticking out from under the pumpkin. Colorful feathers glued onto cardboard form the wings, and the little felt witch hat adds a Halloween touch.Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers on her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about what this website has to offer gardeners, click on over to the Garden page.

For the Hermione book character pumpkin, I had entries turned in where the whole character of Hermione was painted on the pumpkin. In the example in the photo above, the Hermione pumpkin was just a painted head with construction paper hair crimped to be bushy. Note the Gryffindor scarf draped artfully around the base. Nice touch!Would you like to have all of the ideas in this post all in one easy-to-reference location? Get the 33-page interactive eBook version of this comprehensive guide, then flip right to the page you need to see. All of the book character pumpkins detailed in this comprehensive article are included. You will have access to a downloadable, printable version of the ebook as well.For other pumpkin-related ideas, check out a guide to the best companion plants for pumpkins. You could also learn how to make no-bake mini pumpkin pie for parties and easy white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. Have a wonderful week, and may all of your book character pumpkin endeavors meet with great success!

Hey, it’s the Princess in Black! Here she is, complete with a crown and mask made of felt. She’s even sporting her trademark flower, also made of felt. Add some yarn hair and you’re all set to have her join in with the other book character library Halloween pumpkins.
The above example of a Fly Guy book character pumpkin has a painted-on smile on top of a brown painted head, two styrofoam balls for eyes, and white sheet foam cut out and drawn on to resemble wings. The wings are folded back at the bottom and attached with glue. You could also use tape, like a clear packing tape. Glue or tape may be used to attach the styrofoam balls for the eyes as well.Do you have a some favorite children’s book character pumpkins you have seen or made? I’d love to know about them. If you have never joined in a book character pumpkin decorating project before,I hope that you now realize how easy book character pumpkins can be. Yes, you can make them complicated as well, but they don’t have to be. For more book character pumpkins inspiration, check out my creative Pinterest book character pumpkins pinned in my Pinterest account. If you are looking for other fall or pumpkin inspiration, check out a list of pumpkin books for kids, funny Halloween books or excellent Thanksgiving books. Hosting a pumpkin-themed party? Try making these no-bake mini pumpkin pies. They are a yummy dessert and party activity rolled into one!

Are there pumpkin carving contests?
Many pumpkin carving contests are just for fun (or designed to get to the guts of the pumpkin in order to make delicious pumpkin pies, roasted seeds, and so on). However, others can earn creative carvers some big bucks (Pumpkin Masters, for example, pays winners up to $5,000).
I’m Lisa Mitchell, a wife, mom, and school librarian who enjoys cooking, often with garden-fresh ingredients sourced from our family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about all this site has to offer, click on over to the Welcome page. Have fun exploring!

Who won the best pumpkin competition?
A 2,560-pound Minnesota pumpkin was crowned the winner at this year’s weigh-off. Travis Gienger from Anoka, Minn., stands behind his winning pumpkin at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Monday.
On display in many school libraries around the district are decorated pumpkins that resemble characters from popular children’s literature. Many schools are calling this their “Storybook Pumpkin Patch”. Students who wanted to participate were instructed to select a character from a favorite book. Next, they had to write a description of that character and select a title to be displayed alongside their pumpkin.

This year’s pumpkins include those such as Junie B. Jones, Pete the Cat, the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, the Lorax, and many more. Some students worked individually, while others worked in groups to create these inventive pumpkins.
Through participating in this fall literacy activity, students are able to demonstrate their reading comprehension through selecting a character and sharing vital facts about that character in writing. Not only this, but these colorful projects help instill a lifelong love of reading in the students who created the pumpkins and can spark further interest in reading in those who are observing the displayed pumpkins.The prize pumpkin set a new North American record, according to organizers, but it did not beat the current world record, which was set in 2021 by a 2,703-pound pumpkin in Italy, according to Guinness World Records.