The world's heaviest jack-o'-lantern weighs 3,156 pounds, breaking a Guinness World Record in Salem after 32 hours of elaborate Halloween carving.
Carving a pumpkin for Halloween is usually a pretty straightforward affair. Grab a knife, cut out a spooky face, and hope you don't accidentally remove something important. But what happens when your pumpkin weighs as much as a compact car?
That's precisely what happened in Salem, Massachusetts, where a gigantic 3,156-pound (1,431.5-kilogram) pumpkin was transformed into the world's heaviest jack-o'-lantern. The enormous creation officially earned a Guinness World Records title on October 27, 2026, just in time for Halloween.
From the World's Heaviest Pumpkin to a Halloween Masterpiece
The pumpkin was grown by Ron Wallace, a Rhode Island gardener who had already made history earlier that month when his creation became the first pumpkin to officially exceed 3,000 pounds. Apparently, one world record wasn't enough for this particular vegetable. Technically, it's a fruit, but we doubt anyone wants to argue with something that weighs more than their car.
Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves acquired the enormous pumpkin and brought it to Salem Common as part of the city's 400th anniversary celebrations. Professional carvers Eric Jones, Monique Hawk, and William Wilson then spent approximately 32 hours transforming it into an elaborate Halloween spectacle.
The finished jack-o'-lantern featured flying bats, a terrifying witch, a frightened skeleton, and even a bubbling cauldron of Raising Cane's signature sauce. Graves and his daughter Sophia also helped with the decorations, while competitive pumpkin grower Travis Gienger provided additional guidance.
Rather than throwing away the leftover pumpkin pieces, the team cleverly reused them as three-dimensional decorations. Once illuminated, the enormous creation looked more like an elaborate Halloween movie prop than something that originally grew in someone's garden.
Two World Records, One Very Unfortunate Pumpkin
Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric confirmed the achievement, with the jack-o'-lantern retaining its original record weight of 3,156 pounds. This comfortably surpassed the previous record of 2,749 pounds, established in 2023 by Travis Gienger.
The massive pumpkin became a centerpiece of Salem's Halloween celebrations, drawing curious visitors eager to photograph the unusual attraction. Unfortunately, its impressive career was always going to be short-lived.
After remaining on display through November 1, the pumpkin was scheduled to be dismantled and donated to a New Hampshire farm, where its remains would serve as pig feed.
It's a rather unceremonious ending for a double world-record holder, although the pigs probably won't complain. At least Wallace can take comfort in knowing his pumpkin achieved more in a month than most Halloween decorations manage in a lifetime.