Creator of David Pumpkins knows about the Halloween Horror Nights character
Mikey Day, “Saturday Night Live” cast member and co-creator of David S. Pumpkins, is aware of the character’s likeness at Halloween Horror Nights — and loves it.
Day spoke about the development of David Pumpkins last month on the podcast “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade.” Carvey and Spade were “SNL” cast members in the ’90s; on their podcast, they interview artists connected to the show’s present and 50-year past.
Inspired by Tower of Terror
David Pumpkins was the brainchild of Day, fellow cast member Bobby Moynihan, and writer Streeter Seidell. As part of the “SNL” creative process, cast members and writers collaborate to develop sketches late into the night on Tuesdays. Day said the trio wrote David Pumpkins’ debut 2016 sketch at 4 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Disney
“I had gone to Disneyland all the time because I grew up in Southern California,” Day said on “Fly on the Wall.”
Thinking of Halloween sketch ideas the Tuesday night before Tom Hanks’ “SNL” episode, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure Park came to mind. The elevator drop ride “lends itself to a sketch format,” Day observed, because of the way the elevator doors open, close, and reopen, revealing different scenes each time they do so.
Moynihan was likewise well versed in Disney, being an outspoken super fan and having voiced Chet in “Monsters University” (and, years later, would go on to voice Louie in “DuckTales” and Okra in “Star Wars Resistance,” plus host the Muppets’ concerts in Hollywood and London).
Day, Moynihan, and Seidell incorporated familiar tropes from Tower of Terror and other theme park attractions into the sketch.
“Like You Belong There”
On Wednesdays, the “SNL” cast, writers, and guest host read through the scripts for every sketch together. Sometimes this is the host’s first exposure to specific sketch concepts. As such, the person who concocted the sketch idea needs to inform the host about how to approach the material prior to the table read.
Day’s directions to Hanks for the eccentric and still-unknown David Pumpkins? “You’re just really upbeat and friendly and like you belong there,” Day said on “Fly on the Wall.”
Hanks gave it his all, but was unsure about the character, even after Saturday’s dress rehearsal.
Image courtesy of Universal
“I don’t know if I have a read on Mr. Pumpkins yet,” Hanks told Day in the hour between the dress rehearsal and the live show. But something must’ve clicked before showtime because thereafter David S. Pumpkins quickly became another legendary personality in the “SNL” pantheon.
Mikey Day on David Pumpkins at Universal: “That’s Great”
During 2023’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) season at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, guests encountered a walk-around character version of David Pumpkins.
“How’s it hangin’?!” David Pumpkins asked as he approached guests at a Peacock-themed bar, infusing Hanks’ aggressive hand motions into his performance.
Photos by Matt Roseboom
Day is aware of his creation’s presence in the theme parks.
“There’s a dude at Universal Studios during Halloween who wanders the park as David Pumpkins,” Day said on the podcast, “which was like, ‘All right. That’s great!'” Day seemed gratified that a character he co-created has resonated with fans and the public at large.
In a way, guests at HHN who weren’t familiar with David Pumpkins acted as de facto stand-ins for the characters in the “SNL” sketch riding the drop tower attraction and being bewildered by David Pumpkins and “his own thing.”
Photo by Blake Taylor
Day admitted the character’s humor is a hard sell at first. The personality isn’t driven by jokes and the audience doesn’t have a traditional punchline at which to laugh.
“It’s all just ‘I’m weird!’ and them reacting,'” Day said.
“Some sketches are so funny, you can’t really laugh at them the first time,” Carvey extrapolated in response. Carvey continued, “Why are they in this ride? Who is this guy? There’s all these questions in your head. Then when you start to process it later on, it just makes you smile.”
That logic tracks. When David Pumpkins first appeared onscreen in 2016, the “SNL” audience didn’t laugh much until they got the hang of the character’s schtick a few minutes in. When Hanks reprised David Pumpkins in a 2022 sketch, that audience immediately burst into applause at Hanks’ appearance, now being familiar with the character.
Listen to Carvey and Spade’s full interview with Day below. They discuss David Pumpkins around 47 minutes in.
“Any Questions?”
For more thoughts on David Pumpkins at HHN and ideas for more “SNL” in Universal theme parks check out our previous story:
It’s never too early for spooky season. To relive memories from HHN over the years, browse this video playlist on our Attractions Magazine YouTube channel, with over 300 videos from the event:
