Halloween is officially a “thing” in Australia. Deal with it.
We’ve done the usual triangle-eyes-and-toothy-grin jack-o’-lanterns in my home plenty of times. We’ve carved pumpkins, we’ve painted pumpkins, we even did this one year for whatever reason:
We’re ready for a new challenge, so this year, we’re letting my son’s passions be our guide as we decide what to carve: We’re getting our inspiration from video games.
The idea started when I stumbled upon this Instructables guide to creating a Minecraft jack-o’-lantern. The post doesn’t include a printable version of the pattern, but the directions are easy enough that you could create one on your own. (Or you can download and print this creeper and follow his instructions.)
Important Minecraft jack-o’-lantern note: To create an authentic Minecraft look, the Instructables writer, Dammo3, says it’s key to keep the edges crisp. Rounded corners ruin the pixel effect.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/10/10-lazy-halloween-party-costumes-that-actually-look-amazing/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/10/Costume-410×231.jpg” title=”10 Lazy DIY Halloween Costumes That Actually Look Amazing” excerpt=”Like it or loathe it, Halloween has permanently plonked itself on the Aussie calendar and continues to gain mainstream popularity with every passing year. While it’s easy to ignore sprogs knocking on your door, dodging Halloween parties is slightly more difficult; especially if you work in a “zany” office that loves an excuse to dress up.
If you’ve been invited to a Halloween do and have left your costume to the last minute, here are ten impressive looking outfits that don’t require much money or effort.”]
My son likes Minecraft, but he’s way more into Pokémon and Mario at the moment, so my quest for other video game-inspired jack-o’-lantern patterns continued. Pumpkin Pile has a few dozen video game pumpkin carving templates, primarily from Minecraft, Angry Birds and Mario, but also a few other options, including Pac-Man, Fortnite and Sonic. Here are a few particularly good ones:
There are also 12 impressive Star Wars templates here (Darth Vader and Yoda are classic choices).
And I know that emojis don’t exactly fit into the video game genre, but a poop emoji carving will be a kid-favourite every single time. (Right-click and “Save As” or drag to your desktop to save and print.)
If you’re a carving novice — or, like me, you’re just not particularly good at it — Pumpkin Pile has detailed instructions with a push-pin technique that I’ve somehow never heard of and will be trying this year.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/10/trick-or-treat-isnt-american-stop-being-a-jerk-to-kids/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/10/Halloween-410×231.jpg” title=”Trick-Or-Treat Is NOT American – So Don’t Be A Jerk To Kids” excerpt=”Tonight, millions of kids around the world will partake in trick-or-treat to celebrate Halloween. For some reason, this makes a small subset of Australian adults irrationally angry. “That’s a stupid American custom,” they invariably grumble. To children. Before slamming the door in their tiny faces.
In reality, the practice of trick-or-treating predates the USA by hundreds of years. It’s no more “American” than Christmas is. In short, let the kids have their fun and stop being a grumpy arsehole.”]
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