[sodajazz]

as you may know i am from england... so we dont have easy access to artificial pumpkins
whats the deal with them are they better than the real thing do you keep them forever

should i invest in any or should i stick to the real thing

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

The big maker of artificial pumpkins is Fun-kins. This year their foam pumpkins are only $20 USD (usually $30). They used to be offering many different shapes and sizes, but it looks like they might be down to just one style still available. Hmm, maybe they sold out of the rest.

These are pretty much your best option for a fake pumpkin. They're molded from real pumpkins, so the ridges and bumps look just like the real thing. The paint used on the outside of these things was actually mixed to match a real pumpkin.

The obvious benefit is that these last forever. You can store them in the box they come in when it's not pumpkin season. The down side is that they're more difficult to carve than real pumpkins. Real pumpkins are soft and forgiving. Carving foam (without a power tool like a Dremel, at least) takes more effort, and the foam is more prone to breaking, when removing the cut pieces. Although, if that happens, you can easily glue it back together.

You'll also find cheaper foam pumpkins at craft stores like Michael's. These aren't so good. They're thinner than Fun-kins, which might be easier to carve. They do okay, but light shines through them unevenly, and there's a visible seam from where the two halves of the mold came together.

So if want something realistic, go with a Fun-kin. You want something cheap, grab whatever else you find in stores.