David S. Pumpkins
David S. Pumpkins | |
---|---|
SNL season 48, episode 4 | |
Created by | Mikey Day Bobby Moynihan Streeter Seidell |
Portrayed by | Tom Hanks |
Voiced by | Tom Hanks |
In-universe information | |
Full name | David Simon Pumpkins |
Origin | Ibiza |
David Simon Pumpkins is a fictional character played by American actor Tom Hanks who first appeared on the October 22, 2016, episode of Saturday Night Live in a sketch written by Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell. The character developed a cult following and served as the basis for an animated Halloween special in 2017 and has subsequently returned to SNL multiple times.
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 writers bought a pumpkin-themed suit for $12.99 at Party City, intending to use something that looked cheap.[2]
The initial idea for the sketch, which did not include the Pumpkins character, involved a "creepy hotel" which resembled Disney's Haunted Mansion, later changed into a Tower of Terror-style ride.[4] Day credits Pumpkins' eventual creation to his love of "stupid suits".[4] The first version of Pumpkins had more dialogue, which Hanks cut back while "playing with the character".[4] There were plans at one point to include Lady Gaga, the episode's musical guest, as "Mrs. David Pumpkins", but she passed on it because "her musical set was pretty involved".[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
Two episodes later, SNL host Dave Chappelle made a reference to David S. Pumpkins in a sketch titled "Jheri's Place". After the "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 season's finale hosted by Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, Pumpkins reappears in a prerecorded music video called "Rap Song", using the name David S. Pimpkins and wearing a furry hat and jacket.[14] Alongside other fictional featured artists,[15] Pimpkins pesters the character played by Kenan Thompson,[16][17] in a pastiche of "overstuffed all-star rap videos" like DJ Khaled's "I'm the One".[18] David S. Pumpkins' parts of the segment are solo, he never appears with any of the other characters in the sketch.
In 2022, Hanks and Moynihan returned in the
The Halloween Special
On September 28, 2017, NBC announced that Pumpkins would star in a 30-minute animated special to be produced by Bento Box Animation.[20] Hanks, Day and Moynihan reprised their roles, with Seidell and Peter Dinklage joining the cast.[21] Two weeks prior to the announcement, Hanks posted a picture of the special's script, titled "The David S. Pumpkins Song", on social media.[22][23][24]
The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special aired October 28, 2017.[25] It 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 siblings ride in Pumpkins' "pumpkinmobile" (a strawberry car) while the mysterious villain named the Raincoat Man is stealing 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.[26][27]
Reception
When the character was first performed, his appeal was unclear to some but he immediately developed a fan following.[9] Airing 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.[28] 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]
Hanks's performance as an SNL host, including the Pumpkins sketch, earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017.[29][30]
The character's apparent meaninglessness was referenced in the original skit.
References
- ^ Fox, Jesse David (October 23, 2017). "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ a b Meyers, Seth (September 21, 2017). "Bobby Moynihan Reveals the Story Behind "David S. Pumpkins"". Late Night with Seth Meyers. Episode 580. NBC. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Bradley, Bill (November 29, 2016). "Here, Finally, Is What The 'S' In 'David S. Pumpkins' Stands For". HuffPost. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c Fox, Jesse David (May 16, 2017). "'David Pumpkins' Almost Didn't Feature David Pumpkins". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- ^ Fox, Jessie David. "An Oral History of 'David Pumpkins'". Vulture. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Canfield, David (September 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks wanted Chris Hemsworth to play David S. Pumpkins on SNL". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Parker, Ryan (September 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks Tried to Get out of 'SNL' David S. Pumpkins Sketch, Bobby Moynihan Says". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (October 26, 2016). "Saturday Night Live recap: Season 42, Episode 4". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Fox, Jesse David (October 28, 2016). "SNL's David Pumpkins Sketch Works Because It Confused You". Vulture.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b Sims, David (October 24, 2016). "The Joy of David S. Pumpkins". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ Moore, Jack (October 28, 2016). "Proof David S. Pumpkins Is Frightening in Any Horror Movie". GQ. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ 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 August 18, 2017.
- Vulture.com. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Jensen, Erin (May 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks brings David S. Pumpkins back to 'Saturday Night Live'". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Clark, Noelene (May 21, 2017). "Tom Hanks' David S. Pumpkins makes his glorious SNL return". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ Marcus, Stephanie (May 21, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins Returned To 'SNL' And We Have Questions". HuffPost. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Robinson, Joanna (May 21, 2017). "S.N.L.: Tom Hanks Brings Back David S. Pumpkins Just When We Need Him Most". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (May 21, 2017). "Watch Katy Perry, David S. Pumpkins Invade All-Star 'Rap Song' on 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Forward, Devon (October 30, 2022). "Tom Hanks Revives 'SNL' Character David S. Pumpkins and Leaves Fans Howling". Yahoo. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (September 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks to Star in David S. Pumpkins Animated Special for NBC". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Nordine, Michael (September 16, 2017). "Tom Hanks Teases David S. Pumpkins Script on Twitter: Any Questions?". IndieWire. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Tweets Picture of David S. Pumpkins Script, Asks 'Any Questions?' We Have a Few". Vulture. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Mazza, Ed (September 15, 2017). "Tom Hanks Hints That David S. Pumpkins May Be Coming Back". HuffPost. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Schwartz, Ryan (October 28, 2017). "SNL: David S. Pumpkins Gets Animated — Grade Tom Hanks Halloween Special". TVLine. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (October 28, 2017). "Tom Hanks' David S. Pumpkins Saves Halloween in 'SNL' Animated Special". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Izadi, Elahe (October 23, 2016). "Trump and Clinton on SNL are funny. David Pumpkins is classic". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ "Nominations Search". Television Academy. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Mehta, Maitri (July 13, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins May Actually Get Tom Hanks An Emmy". Bustle. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Elderkin, Beth (October 23, 2016). "Let's Celebrate SNL's David S. Pumpkins, the New Halloween GIF". io9. Gizmodo. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (October 31, 2016). "Tom Hanks is going as David S. Pumpkins for Halloween". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Lobo, Freia (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates' latest Reddit AMA is unintentionally hilarious". Mashable. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Ng, Alfred (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates channels David Pumpkins to promote Ask Me Anything". c|net. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Peyser, Eve (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates Made a David S. Pumpkins Video and I Want to Die". Gizmodo. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Warren, Tom (February 27, 2017). "Bill Gates does David S Pumpkins parody four months late". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Bevil, Dewayne (October 9, 2017). "David S. Pumpkins now stands at Madame Tussauds Orlando". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.