David S. Pumpkins

David S. Pumpkins is a fictional character played by American actor Tom Hanks. He first appeared in the October 22, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in a sketch by SNL writers Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell. Fans responded positively to the character and his catchphrase, "Any questions?"

David S. Pumpkins
Saturday Night Live character
The character dancing with skeletons in the original sketch
First appearanceOctober 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)
SNL season 42, episode 4
Created byMikey Day
Bobby Moynihan
Streeter Seidell
Portrayed byTom Hanks
Voiced byTom Hanks
In-universe information
Full nameDavid Simon Pumpkins

Pumpkins has appeared in two episodes of SNL as well as an animated Halloween special that aired on October 28, 2017.

Concept and creation

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

Saturday Night Live

Pumpkins first appeared in the fourth episode of SNL's 42nd season, in the sketch "Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins)".[8] A couple (played by Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon) enters the "100 Floors of Frights" attraction, in which Kenan Thompson plays a "Hellevator" operator and opens the doors to reveal various characters that scare the couple with typically horrific scenes until they stop on the 49th floor. The doors open revealing beat boxing skeletons and Pumpkins wearing a black and orange pumpkin-themed suit,[9] that the writers bought for $12.99 at Party City.[2] In not answering the couple's questions, Pumpkins says that he is "his own thing", and that the skeletons (Moynihan and Day) that stand next to him on many floors (73 out of 100) of the elevator are "part of it".[10][11] He 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 it stops at the final level. The door opens on just the skeletons, until Pumpkins appears right behind the guests and shout-asks "Any questions?", succeeding in scaring them.[9]

Dave Chappelle, while hosting SNL in season 42's sixth episode, references David S. Pumpkins in the sketch "Jheri's Place". After "a 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 21st episode, hosted by Dwayne Johnson and the finale of the same season, Pumpkins appears in the prerecorded music video "Rap Song", using the name David S. Pimpkins and wearing a furry hat and jacket.[14] Among other fictional featured artists,[15] "Pimpkins" pesters Thompson's character,[16][17] in a pastiche of "overstuffed all-star rap videos" like "I'm the One" by DJ Khaled.[18]

The Halloween Special
Main article: The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special

On September 28, 2017, NBC announced that Pumpkins would star in a 30-minute animated special created by Bento Box Animation.[19] Hanks, Day and Moynihan reprised their roles, with Seidell and Peter Dinklage joining the cast.[20] Two weeks prior, Hanks posted a picture of the special's script, titled "The David S. Pumpkins Song," on Twitter and Instagram.[21][22][23]

The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special, which aired October 28, 2017,[24] 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 boy and girl ride in Pumpkins' "pumpkinmobile" (a strawberry car) while the mysterious Raincoat Man steals 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.[25][26]

Reception

When the character was first performed, his appeal was unclear, though he immediately developed a fan following.[9] Aired 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.[27] 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]

The character's apparent meaninglessness was referenced in the original skit.[10][28] Tom Hanks jokingly tweeted that he dressed as Pumpkins for Halloween in 2016.[29] To promote his Reddit Ask Me Anything, Microsoft founder Bill Gates parodied the original sketch,[30][31] and received some criticism for the effort.[32][33] Hanks's performance as an SNL host, including the Pumpkins sketch, garnered him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017.[34][35] In October 2017, Madame Tussauds Orlando adapted their existing wax figure of Tom Hanks to appear as David Pumpkins.[36]

References
  1. Fox, Jesse David (October 23, 2017). "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  2. Meyers, Seth (September 21, 2017). "Bobby Moynihan Reveals the Story Behind "David S. Pumpkins"". Late Night with Seth Meyers. Episode 580. NBC. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  3. Bradley, Bill (November 29, 2016). "Here, Finally, Is What The 'S' In 'David S. Pumpkins' Stands For". HuffPost. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  4. Fox, Jesse David (May 16, 2017). "'David Pumpkins' Almost Didn't Feature David Pumpkins". Vulture.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  5. Fox, Jessie David. "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. Canfield, David (September 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks wanted Chris Hemsworth to play David S. Pumpkins on SNL". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  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 2017-09-23.
  8. Labrecque, Jeff (October 26, 2016). "Saturday Night Live recap: Season 42, Episode 4". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  9. Fox, Jesse David (October 28, 2016). "SNL's David Pumpkins Sketch Works Because It Confused You". Vulture.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  10. 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 2017-08-18.
  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 2017-08-18.
  13. Love, Matthew (November 13, 2016). "Saturday Night Live Recap: Chappelle's Show". Vulture.com. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  14. Jensen, Erin (May 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks brings David S. Pumpkins back to 'Saturday Night Live'". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  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 2017-08-18.
  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 2017-08-18.
  18. Kreps, Daniel (May 21, 2017). "Watch Katy Perry, David S. Pumpkins Invade All-Star 'Rap Song' on 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  19. Otterson, Joe (September 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks to Star in David S. Pumpkins Animated Special for NBC". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  20. 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.
  21. Nordine, Michael (September 16, 2017). "Tom Hanks Teases David S. Pumpkins Script on Twitter: Any Questions?". IndieWire. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  22. Crucchiola, Jordan (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Tweets Picture of David S. Pumpkins Script, Asks 'Any Questions?' We Have a Few". Vulture. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  23. Mazza, Ed (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Hints That David S. Pumpkins May Be Coming Back". HuffPost. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  24. 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.
  25. Schwartz, Ryan (October 28, 2017). "SNL: David S. Pumpkins Gets Animated — Grade Tom Hanks Halloween Special". TVLine. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  26. Shanley, Patrick (October 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks' David S. Pumpkins Saves Halloween in 'SNL' Animated Special". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  27. Izadi, Elahe (October 23, 2016). "Trump and Clinton on SNL are funny. David Pumpkins is classic". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  28. Elderkin, Beth (October 23, 2016). "Let's Celebrate SNL's David S. Pumpkins, the New Halloween GIF". io9. Gizmodo. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  29. Agard, Chancellor (October 31, 2016). "Tom Hanks is going as David S. Pumpkins for Halloween". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  30. Lobo, Freia (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates' latest Reddit AMA is unintentionally hilarious". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  31. Ng, Alfred (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates channels David Pumpkins to promote Ask Me Anything". c|net. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  32. Peyser, Eve (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates Made a David S. Pumpkins Video and I Want to Die". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  33. Warren, Tom (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates does David S Pumpkins parody four months late". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  34. "Nominations Search". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  35. Mehta, Maitri (July 13, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins May Actually Get Tom Hanks An Emmy". Bustle. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  36. Bevil, Dewayne (October 9, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins now stands at Madame Tussauds Orlando". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
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