Funkins Artificial Pumpkins

Reported by Dana Vitek

I needed a quick and easy autumn-esque centerpiece for my daughter's 2nd birthday party. The last thing I wanted was a rotting pumpkin on my mother-in-law's table, so to get the look without the mess, I went with the Funkin Artificial Pumpkin.

The Funkin is a hollow rigid-foam piece, just like a real pumpkin without all the pumpkin guts. I hate pumpkin guts. Sorry. It's just not my thing. You know what my thing is? Flowers. Here's what I did with mine:

I cut off the top (this will only hurt for a second...)

Look ma, no guts...

See that green globby thing? That's floral clay, which I used to stick a clear plastic cup to the inside of the Funkin:

I used the clay again to stick this Oasis Anchor Pin into the cup.

I did all of this because I had to travel with the arrangement... if you're just putting it on your table, you can just stick the plastic cup in the Funkin, it should stay just fine.

After I stuck a block of soaked Oasis Floral Foam into the cup (which for some reason I didn't take a picture of...ergh), I arranged my flowers in a beautimous fashion...

and here it is... in my studio:

and at my mother-in-law's:

I like the Funkin because, honestly, it looked pretty real from a few feet away. There isn't an obvious mold-mark down the sides like some of the other artificial pumpkins I've seen. This would be a great choice for those of you who want to decorate in advance, and don't want to worry about the bugs, squirrels, rotting, and otherwise general nastiness associated with the real deal.

A word of warning though... no real flames! According to the Funkins FAQ, the low–density polyurethane foam could burn and give off harmful fumes. Luckily, there are a ton of battery-powered tea-lights on the market now... something to think about for your real pumpkins too, I might add.

Pros:

  • No mess
  • No rotting
  • You can carve an intricate work of art, and actually KEEP IT for years to come

Cons:

  • Well, it's not real, and I'm sure the pumpkin purists out there are disgusted with me
  • Flammable, and potentially toxic if burned
  • Kids will miss out on the pumpkin gutting process. Blech.

The price of the Funkin Artificial Pumpkin varies depending on the size, from $3.50 on up to, yikes... $87.99. You can get a good deal on them now, and I'll bet an even better deal on November 1st.

Have you used the Funkin for your Halloween decor, or do you like to get your hands (and kitchen, and porch) messy with the real thing? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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