Mythology/Folklore

American

Associated Holidays

Halloween

Location

United States

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- The Magic Pumpkin, who appears in the Peanuts franchise, is the longest running original American created character associated with Halloween

*Rink Fact: There is debate on who is the longest running American character as The Headless Horseman first appeared in the 1820's, but some consider that story a telling of a long standing folktale and not the creation of an original character. 

*Rink Fact II: The Magic Pumpkin is never actually seen in the Peanuts comics or cartoons, as he is a symbol of Linus's faith and belief in something greater than himself.

Brief Bio

The Great Pumpkin is an unseen character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. According to Linus van Pelt, the Great Pumpkin is a legendary personality who rises from the pumpkin patch on Halloween carrying a large bag of toys to deliver to believing children. Linus continues to maintain faith in the Great Pumpkin, despite his friends' mockery and disbelief.

The Great Pumpkin was first introduced in the strip dated October 26, 1959, and Schulz subsequently reworked the premise many times throughout the run of Peanuts, notably inspiring the 1966 animated television special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The strips of October 30, 1977 and October 26, 1986 both include a thematical illustration of the Great Pumpkin in the title panel, which is not part of the story of the strip.