Jack O'Lantern
Director of Retail Operations

Jack-O-Lantern grew up in a small town in the French countryside. His parents were farmers who grew the best gourds and squashes in the country. A pumpkin is, of course, a gourd, and his parents grew pumpkins that were as big as beds. Prankster that he was, Jack developed a habit of hiding from his parents by carving out the giant pumpkins and hiding in them. He was entirely too good at it, and gave his parents a real fright more than once, as they really couldn’t find him.

Eventually he started giving them hints by carving little faces and designs in the pumpkins that he was hiding in, and that made it easier for him to be found. Soon, kids all around the village started carving faces in pumpkins, and it turned into an annual festival each fall.

This was great for Jack, because there was nothing he loved more than playing with the kids – even when he was a grown up. One thing led to another and Jack became known for his toys and games, and actually set up shop as a toy and costume maker and hosted fabulous parties with loads of treats for kids.

You’ve probably seen his handiwork – his silly games have become a tradition each fall when kids put on funny costumes, and carve pumpkins and go through the neighborhood playing tricks. Needless to say, Halloween, the holiday born from jack’s crazy antics, is still a big part of his life, and he is a big part of Halloween.