MEDIA and YOUR MONEY

are pumpkins no longer sacred?

 

Outside of Christmas, Halloween is the largest celebratory event of the year for children of all ages.

Front lawns are decorated with RIP headstones, skeletons, witches and children dress up to walk the streets in weird dress as they go to collect free candy and treats under the old threat of "Trick or treat." - i. e., give me treats or I will do something nasty to you or your home.

And, off course, scooping out pumpkins and carving out eyes and mouths with sharp or oddly shaped  teeth is a hallowed Halloween tradition.

What would this celebration of a pagan night of the living dead - --renamed and commemorated by the Catholic  Church as All Saints' Day - be without such carved and illuminated glowing orange pumpkins?

But that is soon to change in the name of commerce and mass marketing.  Home Depot, and others I am sure, are now selling  pumpkin decorative plastic add-ons with the body parts of Disney and Marvel movie characters. 

You can add Mickey's 3D plastic head, arms, body and legs to the side of a pumpkin thanks to plastic spikes.

In theory,  since pumpkins have 4 sides, up to 4 such Hollywood characters could be added -- creating an ongoing cavalcade parade.

If people are eager to buy USB thumb drives made to look like Mickey Mouse or Spiderman or Olaf from Frozen or some Peanuts or Warner Brother cartoon character -- I confess that I  have bought Marvin the Martian, Tweety and Sylvester thumb drives for our family --

does adding such characters to Halloween Jack O Lanterns cross some ethical and moral line?

As a traditionalist,  I say yes.  People may still hollow out pumpkins for roasting seeds and making pumpkin pie and soup, but without those spooky and individualized, carved faces --  and openings for a candle or L.E.D. light to eerily illuminate the dark--  it will not be the same!

Hollywood has gone too far and I hope the buying public and children will draw the line and say NO to such purchases. 

Otherwise, expect Santa Claus to add Disney or Marvel or Peanuts character logos on the front or back - or both sides -- of his red suit and cap.

And maybe some company will pay him millions to do so with his plain, boring white beard.