As Halloween draws near, it’s time once again to revisit our new favorite Halloween past time – Trumpkins. People all over the country are decorating their jack-o-lanterns to look like President Donald Trump, and it’s easy to understand why. On a superficial level, Trump’s orange-hued complexion makes him a perfect model for pumpkin-based creativity. On a deeper level, for those of us who care about the environment or basic human decency, the Trump presidency is a disaster. But there’s something to be said for facing your fears through artistic expression. With over 6,000 spooky photos on Instagram, it’s clear the “Trumpkin” has become a trend. Here are a few of the Inhabitat team’s favorites from around the web.
The first Trumpkin on our list, and possibly the most terrifying entry, is painted on the face of the pumpkin rather than carved. A tuft of real hair finishes off the eerie image. It was posted on Instagram by user @ktmod with the tasteful caption, “Grab ’em by the pumpkin.”
This Trumpkin by @lucymorey3 really encapsulates The Donald’s natural speaking style: shouting hatefully.
Instagrammer cainname’s is a hopeful expression of the future:
We’ll just let msamelak’s Trumpkin speak for itself: “Is this a jack-o’-lantern of a ‘human’ equivalent of cargo pants that zip away into shorts, a sentient orange mop, a man-sized sebaceous cyst, a Neo-fascist real estate golem, a turd, or all of the above? Asking for a friend.”
This next Trumpkin by Instagram user @petermartindk takes a more classic approach, transforming the presidential candidate into a glowing jack-o-lantern. We dig the minimalist approach here.
Spotted this on the way home tonight #trumpkin
A photo posted by @bubbeemonkey on
Instagram user @bubeemonkey may not be responsible for carving this smug-looking Trumpkin, but we’d like to thank them for sharing it with the world.
Reddit user Shazkitten decided to take a more photorealistic approach – a surprisingly detailed portrait, considering the medium.
These Sainsbury’s pumpkins have an almost sculptural quality — they’re definitely not your average pumpkin carving. They both look a bit too happy, though, given how the election last year went.
This painted masterpiece is the work of John Kettman of LaSalle, Illinois. Kettman has been painting portraits on pumpkins for about 6 years, but this autumn he took a political turn with his gourd art. In addition to his Trumpkin, he’s also created Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders pumpkins.
A photo posted by PaulsdaBurgerJoint (@paulsdaburgerjoint) on
Another pair of matching Hillary and Donald pumpkins courtesy of @PaulsdaBurgerJoint. These two look like they just stepped onto the floor of the debates.
Ohio pumpkin artist Jennette Paras chooses someone in the news as her source of inspiration in a personal tradition dating back 25 years. Last Halloween, she transformed a massive, 374-pound pumpkin into a likeness of Donald Trump – an effort that took six separate blond wigs attached to the gourd. Nearby, she’s placed a sign suggesting visitors “make pumpkins great again.”
This Trumpkin by @tangledinreverie really captures Trump’s luxurious, windswept locks.
David Jones’ Trumpkin takes a minimalist, pop-art approach that captures Trump perfectly. Unlike some of the others on this list, he’s avoided using a wig to depict Trump’s famous hair, instead repurposing the inside of the pumpkin to form some kind of squash toupee.
A photo posted by Tiffany Marz 🌟🎙🎬🕆✌ (@tiffany_marz) on
This Trumpkin by @tiffany_marz takes an interesting new approach, with the outside of the pumpkin modified with what appears to be sculpted clay, rather than painted or carved.
Imgur user Fizzgig posted a more somber approach with this contemplative Trumpkin created by their mother.
Another creative new approach to the art of pumpkin decorating by @jduran1313 — collaged instead of painted, this time.
This superb Trumpkin is the work of master pumpkin carver Hugh McMahon. If you’d like to learn how to create your own pumpkin-based masterpiece, he walked HuffPost through his process in this fantastic tutorial.
A photo posted by Erika WS (@erika_whartonshumthing) on
This defensive Trumpkin by @erika_whartonshumthing looks like it’s had better days.
If you’d like to revisit your favorite moments from last year’s debates, look no further than Valerie Miller’s Trumpkin. We can almost hear this pumpkin shouting “Wrong!” at approaching trick-or-treaters.
Images via The Daily Beast (1, 2), Reddit (3), NBC News Chicago (4), NBC San Diego (5), Dangerous Minds (6), Yahoo! News (7,9), Huffington Post (8), and Instagram (embedded)
