[Zombie Pumpkins!]

The final numbers are in and the top 5 most popular patterns of 2009 are.....

1) Michael Jackson
2) Pretty Poison
3) Gelatin Skeleton
4) Pumpkin King
5) Elmo

It seems like simple and cute are what appeal to the masses. I'm slightly surprised to see Edward Cullen, Spider-man and longtime favorites Frankenstein's Monster and Freddy Krueger get pushed down the list (although they all ranked pretty high overall).

"Tribute" pumpkins to the recently fallen seem to be the most popular trend. With Heath Ledger last year and Michael Jackson this year.

I'm happy to see that Crypt Keeper performed well (one of my favorites from this year) as well as a whole lot of carves of the Trick 'r Treat Sam collection, from a movie destined to become a Halloween staple.

Overall, a fantastic year for pattern printing. A lot of this year's new designs performed great, while the classics still hold strong as they always do. No matter how cool and complex the patterns can get, Pumpkin King, Revenge of ZP, and Jack Skellington faces are always near the top.

[JMP919]

Not surprised to see MJ at the top of the list. Definately was a huge hit at my house. Also helped that I had Thriller on repeat outside.

[SuperSonic]

Sadly Michael went unnoticed to people around my area (i had to tell them when they asked) the ones who were noticed were

Harry Potter
Snape
Dumbledore
Voldemort
Undead Ted
Spiderman
Slimer (a few people noticed)
Stay-Puft (again a few people)
Bella Swan
and Edward Cullen

[CanadianCarver]

I always wondered how accurate these numbers are. I myself always print every single pattern. For 2009, that means I only had to print the new ones. If other long time members do the same, the 2009 patterns would move higher up the list. I guess if you have a membership that only allows a few patterns, you might have to really pick your favourites.

[matspud]

I too print off all of the new patterns every year just in case, so have the older ones to hand which might skew the numbers.

I am not surprised by MJ being top but thought Edward and Bella might be higher. Now if Baron Mojo had been released ...................................................

[Racer-X]

I couldn't justify a full membership this year with all of my other halloween investments (graveyard fence, 4 tombstones, spike light, zp carving tools, a ghoul and a skull), so I kept it simple.

Of the top 5 I chose the pumpkin king. The others that I d/led were ones I might make in future years, and the mermaid that my 8 year old carved.

However NEXT year - with these investments made - perhaps more may be in store, including these bonus patterns that are danced around.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

I know a lot hardcore carvers print them all. Probably printing earlier in the month (or as they are released)?

Since some patterns have been available longer than others, to give all patterns a fair chance I'm only considering the pattern count from the last few days of October. This Top 5 is based on everything after October 28th (when Crypt Keeper went up).

October 28-31 is by far the busiest time for the site. Traffic peaks big time, with the majority of the people hitting the site being first timers, actually. So by counting what the general public decides to print right at the moment of carving, I think the numbers are a pretty accurate account of pattern popularity.