• 50 characters
  • Checked October 2026

Storybook Character Pumpkin Ideas

Press for three storybook characters to paint on a pumpkin, each with its colors and what to add.

Storybook Character Pumpkin Ideas

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  1. Jack and Jill as two small pumpkins sharing one pailAny skin colors, blue, red. A face on each; a paper pail between them; lay one of the two on its side.
  2. The Tortoise who raced the Hare, shell plates on topGreens, brown, yellow. Shell plates painted over the top half; a paper head and four paper feet taped at the base.
  3. Old Mother Hubbard's dog beside the bare cupboardBrown, white, black. A dog's face with paper ears on the front; an open empty box beside it for the cupboard.

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Nursery rhymes 12

  • The cow jumping over a pumpkin moon Pale yellow, gray, black. The pumpkin is the moon, with gray craters; a black cow painted in mid-leap across it.
  • Hickory Dickory Dock clock with the mouse running up White, black, gray. A clock face fills the front, its hands at one; a gray mouse painted on its way up the side.
  • Humpty Dumpty sitting on a brick-printed paper wall Any skin color, red, black. A face on the front; stand the pumpkin on a box wrapped in brick-printed paper.
  • Jack and Jill as two small pumpkins sharing one pail Any skin colors, blue, red. A face on each; a paper pail between them; lay one of the two on its side.
  • Little Bo-Peep with her lost sheep hidden behind her Any skin color, white, pink. A worried face on the front; three cotton-ball sheep set down behind the pumpkin.
  • Little Boy Blue asleep with his horn Any skin color, blue, yellow. Closed eyes on the front; a blue paper hat; a yellow paper horn resting against one side.
  • Little Jack Horner holding up a plum Any skin color, purple, brown. A proud grin; a paper thumb taped at one side with a purple paper plum on it.
  • Little Miss Muffet with a spider on a thread beside her Any skin color, yellow, black. A startled face; yarn hair; a paper spider hangs from the stem on black thread.
  • Mary's little lamb in cotton-ball wool White, black, pink. White pumpkin; cotton balls glued over the top; a small black face painted low on the front.
  • Old Mother Hubbard's dog beside the bare cupboard Brown, white, black. A dog's face with paper ears on the front; an open empty box beside it for the cupboard.
  • Peter Pumpkin Eater's pumpkin with a door and a window Orange left bare, brown, yellow. A brown door and one yellow window on the shell; a face looking out of the window.
  • The Queen of Hearts with a plate of paper tarts Any skin color, red, gold. A gold paper crown with one red heart at the stem; a small plate of paper tarts in front.

Fables and folk tales 12

  • The Crow beside a pitcher of pebbles Black, gray, yellow. A black bird's face with a yellow paper beak; a jar half full of pebbles and water beside it.
  • The Fox looking up at grapes tied to the stem Orange, white, purple. A fox face tilted upward; a bunch of purple paper grapes tied to the stem, out of its reach.
  • The Gingerbread Boy on the run, three pink buttons Brown, white, pink. Brown all over; wavy white icing lines around the top and base; a face; buttons down the front.
  • The Goose with one golden egg in front White, orange, gold. White pumpkin; an orange paper beak; one egg or one mini pumpkin painted gold set in front.
  • Henny Penny looking up at a piece of falling sky Brown, red, yellow, blue. A hen's face tipped upward; a red paper comb at the stem; a blue paper scrap on a wire above.
  • Jack's beanstalk climbing from the base to the stem Green, brown, white. One green vine painted up from the base and around to the stem; a small Jack painted partway up.
  • The Lion under the hunters' net with the Mouse Gold, brown, gray. A lion's face on the front; a net fruit bag draped over the top; a felt mouse sitting on the net.
  • The Little Red Hen, wheat stalks tied at her side Red, yellow, orange. Red pumpkin; a yellow paper beak; an orange paper comb; dried wheat or straws for the stalks.
  • The Three Bears in three sizes with three bowls Browns, cream. A large, a middle and a small pumpkin, each a bear face with paper ears; a bowl set before each.
  • Three little pigs: one straw, one sticks, one brick Pinks, yellow, brown, red. Three mini pumpkins with pig faces; straw glued on one, twigs on one, painted bricks on one.
  • The Tortoise who raced the Hare, shell plates on top Greens, brown, yellow. Shell plates painted over the top half; a paper head and four paper feet taped at the base.
  • The troll from Three Billy Goats Gruff, under his bridge Green, brown, white. A grumpy green face; the pumpkin sits under a bridge of craft sticks with three paper goats on it.

Classic books 12

  • A white rose half painted red, as the three cards do White, red, green. Petals painted on a white pumpkin; red brushed over one half only; green leaves around the stem.
  • The Cheshire Cat: only the grin, the rest left bare White, black. One wide grin across the front and nothing else, as when the cat fades away in the book.
  • Don Quixote wearing a barber's basin for a helmet Any skin color, gray, silver. A face on the front; a foil dish upside down over the stem; a paper windmill beside it.
  • Gulliver held down by the tiny people of Lilliput Any skin color, white, brown. A surprised face on a pumpkin laid on its side; threads across it; tiny paper people.
  • The Hatter at the tea party with a paper teacup Any skin color, any hat color. A face on the front; a tall paper hat over the stem; a paper teacup taped at one side.
  • Heidi with a goat from the mountain Any skin color, white, green. A smiling face on the front; a white paper goat beside her; green paper hills behind.
  • Moby Dick, the white whale, on a pumpkin laid on its side White, gray, black. White all over; a small eye low on each side; a long mouth line; a tail painted around the back.
  • Pinocchio with wood grain and a long nose Tan, brown, red. Wood-grain lines over the whole pumpkin; a face; a stick or a rolled paper cone glued on as the nose.
  • The Sleepy Hollow pumpkin with a hat left beside it Orange left bare, black. No face at all: the pumpkin is the one in the story; a black paper hat lies next to it.
  • Tom Sawyer whitewashing a fence of craft sticks Any skin color, white, brown. A grin on the front; a craft-stick fence, half painted white; a brush at one side.
  • Tweedledum and Tweedledee as a matching pair Any skin color, two bright colors. Two pumpkins of one size with the same face; a painted collar on each, in two colors.
  • The White Rabbit in a waistcoat with a pocket watch White, pink, gold, any waistcoat color. White pumpkin; tall paper ears; a painted waistcoat; a paper pocket watch.

Fairy tales 14

  • Cinderella's coach, the pumpkin itself on four wheels Orange left bare, gold, white. Four paper wheels at the base; a door and a window painted on one side; gold swirls.
  • Donkey, dog, cat and rooster: the Bremen four in a stack Gray, brown, black, red. Four pumpkins in falling sizes, each animal standing on the one before, the donkey lowest.
  • The Emperor in his new clothes: a crown and nothing more Orange left bare, gold. A proud face and a gold crown painted around the stem; the rest is left unpainted on purpose.
  • The Frog holding the princess's golden ball Green, yellow, gold. Green all over; two eyes painted high; a wide mouth; a gold ball painted between its hands.
  • The house of bread, cake and sugar from Hansel and Gretel Browns, white, pink. A door and two windows on the front; white icing painted along the top; paper candy around it.
  • Little Red Riding Hood, red felt draped over the stem Any skin color, red. A face on the front; the felt covers the top like a hooded cape and ties under the chin.
  • The pea under twenty painted mattresses Pastel colors, green. Twenty bands around the pumpkin as stacked mattresses; a sleepy face at the top; one green pea.
  • Puss in Boots, a cat standing behind a pair of boots Orange or gray, white, brown. A cat face with paper ears and whiskers; two paper boots stood in front.
  • Rapunzel, a long yellow braid let down from the stem Any skin color, yellow. A face high on the pumpkin; a braid of yarn fixed at the stem reaches the table.
  • Rumpelstiltskin between a heap of straw and gold thread Any skin color, yellow, gold. An impish grin on the front; straw piled on one side, gold thread wound on the other.
  • Sleeping Beauty asleep beside a paper spindle Any skin color, pink, gold. Closed eyes with long lashes on the front; yarn hair; a paper spindle laid alongside.
  • Snow White in the three colors the tale names White, red, black. White pumpkin; red lips; black painted hair: white as snow, red, and black as ebony.
  • The Ugly Duckling with a paper swan behind it Gray or brown, yellow, white. A plain duckling face with a yellow paper bill; a white paper swan stands behind.
  • The Wolf dressed as Grandmother in a frilled cap Gray, white, pink. A long gray paper muzzle; a frilled paper cap over the stem; a wide smile with white teeth.

How it works

A character pumpkin works when one feature names the character. These 50 no-carve pumpkins each take a character from a nursery rhyme, a fable, a fairy tale or a classic book printed before 1900, described from its own text.

Read the full guide

One feature does it

Each title names the feature that makes the pumpkin read. The Cheshire Cat: only the grin, the rest left bare takes two colors, and Cinderella's coach, the pumpkin itself on four wheels uses the pumpkin as the one in the tale. The detail line gives the colors, then what to add.

From the text, not the film

Every character is described from its rhyme, tale or book: Snow White in the three colors the tale names is white, red and black, and no costume from a film or a recent picture book is used. Paint only holds 13 that need nothing added.

Questions and answers

What is a storybook character pumpkin?

A pumpkin decorated, without carving, as a character from a book, often for a school book project. This list keeps to nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales and classic books first printed before 1900, 50 characters in all.

Which character pumpkins are easiest to make?

The 13 under Paint only. The Emperor in his new clothes: a crown and nothing more is a face and a crown, and The pea under twenty painted mattresses is stripes with a face on top.

Why is a newer picture-book character not on the list?

Characters from recent picture books, films and shows belong to their authors and studios, so this list names none of them. Every character here comes from a rhyme, a tale or a book in print before 1900.

Can a pumpkin be the character without a face?

Yes. The Sleepy Hollow pumpkin with a hat left beside it has no face at all, because the story ends with a hat and a pumpkin by a bridge.

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