10 Stunning Pumpkin Carvings

Take a peek at these extraordinary jack-o-lanterns

By Olivia Putnal

from WomansDay.com

It’s time to break out the carving knives and head to the pumpkin patch to select this year’s victim. If you’re anything like us, just whittling the basic eyes, nose and mouth is a big task. Luckily, there are a few experts out there that can carve a jack-o-lantern like nobody’s business. Take a look below to see how these pros transformed ordinary pumpkins into masterpieces—including a dead-ringer for the Statue of Liberty and a collection of Star Wars characters.

Twins

In 2008, the infamous Michigan carver dubbed as the “Pumpkin Bumpkin” created this version of pumpkin Siamese twins. Photo courtesy of ExtremePumpkins.com.

Hallowiener

Filled with an oversized frankfurter and standard toppings, like chili, cheese and relish, this extra-long pumpkin from Halloween 2007 isn’t edible, but makes for a good laugh. Photo courtesy of ExtremePumpkins.com

Big Tooth

Famous Canadian sand and snow sculptor David Bradley Billings decided to take a stab at pumpkin carving and in 2005 created this spooky fellow, called the “Sandemon.” Photo courtesy of ExtremePumpkins.com.

The Burger Pumpkin

Tom Nardone, author of Extreme Pumpkins, created this whopper of a burger using three pounds of beef, eight slices of cheese, tomato slices, lots of lettuce and pumpkin seeds for the “bun.” Photo courtesy of ExtremePumpkins.com.

Statue of Liberty

Texas-born Scott Cummins aims to create carvings that look as realistic as possible. This 2007 pumpkin carving of Lady Liberty shows just how sharp his knife skills are. Photo courtesy of Scott Cummins via PumpkinGutter.com.

Chewbacca

Also created in 2007 by Scott Cummins (a.k.a. the “Pumpkin Gutter”), this Chewbacca pumpkin takes carving to an entirely different galaxy—one far, far away. Photo courtesy of Scott Cummins via PumpkinGutter.com.

Cats in the Window

This foam pumpkin, carved by Beckett Gladney with craft store materials, makes an easy canvas to carve—allowing for more detail (and less mess). Photo courtesy of Beckett Gladney via Flickr.com.

Winking Man

In 2007, Kathy Green attended the Malcolm Blue Farm Festival in Aberdeen, North Carolina and watched as this sly pumpkin was created by a carver who’s been in the business for over 20 years. Photo courtesy of Kathy Green via Flickr.com.

Love Birds

At last year’s Louisville Zoo’s annual Halloween festival, carver Donna dubbed her creation above “Love Birds,” but we think Hitchcock’s The Birds might be more appropriate. Photo courtesy of Mark Wells via Flickr.com.

Star Wars

Several years ago, Dayna Flores captured this carved Star Wars pumpkin collection while visiting Beloit, Wisconsin. The carver uses craft pumpkins and adds a new one to the series every year. Photo courtesy of Dayna Flores via Flickr.com.