Finally: Mr. Lips!

 

I've written before about Carve-O-Lantern, the company (now known as Pumpkin Masters) that brought detailed, miniature-saw-based pumpkin carving to the masses. One thing I have not done, however, is carve their iconic jack-o'lantern design: the inimitable Mr. Lips. And when I say "iconic," I mean it! Mr. Lips was on the front cover of the very first Carve-O-Lantern pattern booklet back in the late 80's.

 
 
Señor Labios would go on to be a featured element of these pumpkin carving kits for years to come, even as they metamorphosed into the Pumpkin Masters brand we know and love today.

As big of a fan as I am of these carving kits, I never actually endeavored to make my own Mr. Lips. I'm not sure why...perhaps he was overexposed? Or perhaps I was fearful of screwing up the relatively difficult, intricate pattern that made up Mr. Lips's illumined face, thus exposing myself as a carving poseur. Whatever the reason, I decided to shake off the jinx this year and finally carve a Mr. Lips of my very own.
Don't be intimidated, it's only a pattern.
 
Once made a copy of the pattern, I chopped up the page so that I could more easily wrap it around the pumpkin.

 It actually looks pretty horrific once pinned on.


The next step was the old school method of transferring the pattern onto the pumpkin by punching holes through it.


Not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty good about my progress.


 Once the pattern had manifested in pinhole form upon the pumpkin, the delicate operation began.


Bit by bit, Mr. Lips's face began to appear.


Until eventually, the procedure was completed. With trembling hands, I carried my creation into the darkened kitchen and inserted a light. After decades of delay, would my Mr. Lips cut the mustard?

Honestly...yeah, I think so!





And thus, I finally passed the Carve-O-Lantern rite of passage by bringing their most famous jack-o'-lantern into the world, albeit briefly. It is an honor to be able to present Mr. Lips to a generation of kids who weren't even born yet back when he dominated he pumpkin carving scene. Who knows...maybe some young'un will be inspired to create their own Mr. Lips! Presumably by hitting eBay to find some unused pumpkin carving kits from the 90s. They aren't as common as you might think!

On behalf of Mr. Lips, Mrs. Lips and the entire Lips family, Happy Halloween, everyone!

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