Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world, magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, th ...

and appears in several of the classic children's series of

Oz books The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books. All of Baum's b ...

by American author L. Frank Baum.

The Classic Oz Books

Jack first appeared as a main character in the second Oz book by Baum, ''

The Marvelous Land of Oz ''The Marvelous Land of Oz: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman'', commonly shortened to ''The Land of Oz'', published in July 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and th ...

'' (1904). Jack's incredibly tall and skinny figure is made from

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

limbs and jointed with wooden pegs. He has a large carved

jack-o'-lantern A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin or a root vegetable such as a rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the reported phen ...

for a head which is where he gets his name (unlike most jack-o'-lanterns, the seeds and other pumpkin guts were not removed so it substitutes for his brain). Jack was made by a little boy named Tip to scare his guardian, an old

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

named Mombi. From Mombi's chest he took some old clothes for Jack; purple trousers, a red shirt, a pink vest with white polka dots, and stockings, to which he added a pair of his shoes. When Mombi saw Jack, she almost smashed him to pieces. Instead, she decided to test her new Powder of Life on him. The powder worked and Jack came to life. Jack is not known for his intelligence which seems to depend on the quality and number of the seeds in his pumpkin-head at that time. However he manages to come up with random bits of wisdom and common sense often. For example, after bringing Jack to life, Mombi has the following exchange with him: :''Even Mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked:'' :''"What do you know?"'' :''"Well, that is hard to tell," replied Jack. "For although I feel that I know a tremendous lot, I am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. It will take me a little time to discover whether I am very wise or very foolish."'' Although Jack Pumpkinhead would not get tired from walking, his joints would still wear out. To remedy this, Tip created the

Sawhorse In woodworking, a saw-horse or sawhorse (saw-buck, trestle, buck) is a trestle structure used to support a board or plank for sawing. A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, forming a scaffold. In certain circles, it is also known as a ' ...

to serve as Jack's mode of transportation. By the end of the second Oz book, Tip, who was originally born Ozma, is changed back into a female by the same magic that made him male. Jack notes that he no longer has a father. In the fifth Oz book ''

The Road to Oz ''The Road to Oz: In Which Is Related How Dorothy Gale of Kansas, The Shaggy Man, Button Bright, and Polychrome the Rainbow's Daughter Met on an Enchanted Road and Followed it All the Way to the Marvelous Land of Oz.'' is the fifth of L. Frank B ...

'' (1909), Jack has settled in a large

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

-shaped house near the

Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book '' ...

's castle in

Winkie Country The Winkie Country is the western region of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's classic series of Oz books, first introduced in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). The Winkie Country is in the West, noted by later being ruled by the Wi ...

. Jack spends much of his time growing pumpkins to replace his old heads, which eventually spoil and need to be replaced.

Princess Ozma Princess Ozma is a fictional character from the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the Oz series except the first, '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). She is the rightful ruler of Oz, and Baum ...

, now recognized as his mother, carves new heads for Jack when necessary. The old heads are buried in a graveyard on his property. In the sixth Oz book ''

The Emerald City of Oz ''The Emerald City of Oz'' is the sixth of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Land of Oz books. It was also adapted into a Canadian animated film in 1987. Originally published on July 20, 1910, it is the story of Dorothy Gale and her Uncle Henry and Aunt ...

'' (1910), it is revealed that Jack designed a five-storey, jewel-encrusted, corn-shaped mansion for the

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesle ...

to live in.

In Thompson and Neill

In the continued series after Baum's death in 1919, Jack Pumpkinhead had to wait until the 23rd Oz book to get a book named after himself along with the starring role. ''

Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz ''Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz'' (1929) is the twenty-third of the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and continued by other writers; it is the ninth Oz book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. Synopsis A r ...

'' was written by

Ruth Plumly Thompson Ruth Plumly Thompson (27 July 1891 – 6 April 1976) was an American writer of children's stories, best known for writing many novels placed in Oz, the fictional land of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' ...

, the writer who continued the Oz books after the death of L. Frank Baum. In the book, Peter (the little-boy baseball pitcher from Philadelphia), while reminiscing about his previous visit to Oz, suddenly finds himself landing right into Jack Pumpkinhead's front yard in the Winkie Country. Peter and Jack set off together for the Emerald City, but take a wrong turn, ending up traveling through the

Quadling Country The Quadling Country is the southern division of L. Frank Baum's fictional Land of Oz, first introduced in '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). It is distinguished by the color red, worn by most of the local inhabitants called the Quadlings as ...

. At one point in the book, Peter combats darkness by lighting a candle and placing it in Jack's empty head. Jack notes that it makes him feel "brighter," but also "A little light headed." John R. Neill includes Jack in his final Oz book, '' The Runaway in Oz''.John R. Neill, ''The Runaway in Oz'', edited by

Eric Shanower Eric James Shanower (born October 23, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his Oz novels and comics, and for the ongoing retelling of the Trojan War as '' Age of Bronze''. Early life Eric Shanower was born on October 23, 1963. Upon hi ...

; New York,

Books of Wonder Books of Wonder is an independent bookstore and publisher based in Manhattan. It was established in 1980 by Peter Glassman and James Carey and is focused on selling antique, classic and new children's books. It has been called "New York City's ol ...

, 1995. In both the Thompson and Neill books, Jack loses his head for varying periods of time; In Neill, his headless stick body is dragged about the countryside of Oz by his companions.

In comics

Jack Pumpkinhead was one of the Freedom Fighters in the 1995 comic book '' Oz,'' created by Ralph Griffth, Stuart Kerr, and Bill Bryan, and published by Caliber Comics. Jack was killed during the company-wide crossover, ''Daemonstorm,'' after having been possessed by one of the demons. Jack also appears in the comic book ''The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles,'' created by Ben Avery and Casey Heying, which is published twice a year by Buy Me Toys. In Neil Gaiman's '' The Sandman'' series a handyman figure named Mervyn Pumpkinhead, clearly modeled on Jack, works for Morpheus in the Dreaming, painting and building dreams. In issue 101 of '' Fables'', Bufkin the winged monkey finds his way back to Oz's neighboring country Ev. He runs across Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, and Bungle, and upon hearing of their resistance to the

Nome King The Nome King is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is introduced in Baum's third Oz book ''Ozma of Oz'' (1907). He also appears in many of the continuing sequel '' Oz'' novels also written by Baum. Although the ch ...

, pledges to lead them in revolution. This is an allusion to the Baum novel ''

Ozma of Oz ''Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Billina the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People Too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein'', p ...

'' and/or the comics series '' Oz'' mentioned above.

In film

Jack was one of the main characters in '' The Wonderful Land of Oz'' (1969), '' Journey Back to Oz'' (1974), ''Dorothy in the Land of Oz'' (1980), and ''

Return to Oz ''Return to Oz'' is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by Walt Disney Pictures, co-written and directed by Walter Murch. It stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her first screen role. The film ...

'' (1985).

Portrayals

Jack Pumpkinhead was first portrayed on stage by Hal Godfrey in the 1905 stage play, ''The Woggle-Bug'' by Baum and Frederic Chapin. The play failed in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and was never revived or recast. Bronson Ward, Jr. played the role in the 1908 film, ''

The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays ''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays'' was an early attempt to bring L. Frank Baum's Oz books to the motion picture screen. It was a mixture of live actors, hand-tinted magic lantern slides, and film. Baum himself would appear as if he were giving a ...

''. Although photographs suggest something more realistic than the makeup worn by Godfrey was used for the film, the popular character makes no appearances in the productions of The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. George Wadsworth plays "Jack the Pumpkinhead" in

Barry Mahon Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon (February 5, 1921 – December 4, 1999) was an American film director, cinematographer and producer. Early years Mahon was born in Bakersfield, California and attended the Page Military Academy (now Page ...

's '' The Wonderful Land of Oz'' (1969). Without a first name, Jack appears, voiced by

Paul Lynde Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely closeted homosexuality, Lynde was we ...

, in the animated movie sequel '' Journey Back to Oz'' (which had a different outcome for the character).

Carl Beck Carl Linnwood Beck (August 8, 1897 – April 16, 1963) was a professional football player from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After attending high school, Beck attended the West Virginia University, Bucknell University and Lafayette College. He m ...

played Jack Pumpkinhead in the original production of ''

'' by Thomas W. Olson, Gary Briggle, and

Richard Dworsky ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

. The Minneapolis production was presented on television and home video.

Robert Ridgely Robert Ridgely (December 24, 1931 – February 8, 1997) was an American actor, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work. Biography Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Ridgely worked as a cabaret entertainer.Staff"Robert Ridgely, 6 ...

voices Jack Pumpkinhead in the 1980 Thanksgiving special '' Dorothy in the Land of Oz''. Stewart Larange, an exceptionally thin actor, portrayed Jack in the live-action movie ''

'' (1985) while Brian Henson was the animatronic puppeteer and provided his voice. Ross Maplettoft who played Jack Pumpkinhead Sr. in the animated TV series ''

The Oz Kids ''The Oz Kids'' is an American direct-to-video animated fantasy comedy-drama series produced by Hyperion Animation based on '' The Wizard of Oz'', L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel, and its various sequels. Nine episodes were released between ...

'' (1996-1997) He has a son named Jack Pumpkinhead Jr. His son likes to adventure with his friends. Viktor Sukhorukov provided the voice of Jack Pumpkinhead in the 2000 Russian adaptation of ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'', ''Adventures in the Emerald City: Princess Ozma''.

Gerran Howell Gerran Lyn Howell (born 25 February 1991) is a Welsh actor, director and writer of short films, best known for playing "Vladimir Dracula" in ''Young Dracula'', a CBBC (TV channel), CBBC television series that initially aired in 2006. Early life ...

portrayed Jack in the NBC series '' Emerald City''. Jack Pumpkinhead appears in the animated series ''

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz ''Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz'' is an American animated children's television series loosely based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its subsequent books, as well as its 1939 film adaptation. The series debute ...

'' voiced by JP Karliak. First appearing in "Halloween Heist," Jack was created by Wilhelmina to give Dorothy and her friends a scare on Halloween. However, he is too simple-minded and friendly to be scary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pumpkinhead, Jack Oz (franchise) characters Fictional scarecrows Fruit and vegetable characters Literary characters introduced in 1904 Male characters in literature