Now the summer is all said and done, with the nights drawing in, temperatures dropping and the Christmas stuff starting to appear in shops, thoughts turn to the end of the year. Of bonfires and fireworks, Christmas dinners and trees, and of course, pumpkins and trick or treat. And while we British don't go quite as crazy for old Hallow's Eve as our American cousins, pumpkins, treat size sweet bags and dodgy ebola nurse costumes (or whatever this year's 'offensive' get up will be) are popping up in stores across the country as we speak, clamouring for a place in the haunted festivities.
Of course, it wouldn't be Halloween without a spot of pumpkin carving - and that age old dilemma of what you should put on this year's oversized squash. Do you go for the standard spooky face? A carbon copy of Jack Skellington or one of the other Nightmare Before Christmas-ers? Or, do you push the boat out and try something a bit crazier, a bit more inventive, a bit more nerdish, like one of your favourite games characters? Over the years we've done everything from Skylanders' Wrecking Ball to Pokemon favourites Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Espurr of Tumblr fame. Yes, none of those are especially scary but… everything needs a dose of cuteness, right? And it didn't actually turn out all that bad:
#skillz
Fortunately for you Poke-fans out there, the Pokemon company have a nifty solution to all your pumpkin-related problems, and are offering some free, downloadable Pokemon pumpkin stencils! Offering a mix of more Halloween-y Dark 'mons like Gengar, Zubat and Pumpkaboo alongside not one, not two, but three different Pikachus to choose from, there's certainly plenty of choice - with Meowth and Espurr looking particularly good choices to us. Although we can't help thinking some of them will be a touch beyond our rather clumsy carving skills and end in disaster, people are already getting stuck in, posting their results on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #PokemonHalloween. So, why not head over here to take a gander at the designs on offer, bookmark your favourites ready for Halloween, and you could be making pumpkins as cool as these:
Pika!
