This pumpkin is laughing so hard its eyes are squeezed shut! Two arched eyes like a “^ ^” and a wide-open half-moon mouth turn this pumpkin carving template into a real mood booster for your windowsill.
Why the laughing pumpkin?
Closed eyes look happy right away and are still easy to cut. The big mouth is the only part that takes real effort, the rest is slim curves. It suits anyone who likes Halloween silly rather than spooky.
Easy: two arcs and one big mouth.
The large opening lets lots of light out.
A face that gets everyone laughing along.
Great for little ones to color and prep.
✂️ How to Carve a Pumpkin with a Stencil
🧰 What You Need
- A pumpkin (carving pumpkin, or a small pie pumpkin for little faces)
- The printed stencil (100 % for a medium pumpkin, about 10–12 inches)
- Tape and scissors
- A big spoon or ice cream scoop for scooping
- A poking tool, toothpick or thick nail
- A small serrated knife or carving kit (adults only)
- An LED tea light
Cut a lid at the top, angling the knife inward so the lid won’t fall in.
Scrape out the seeds and pulp – on the face side, thin the wall to about 3/4 inch.
Trim the stencil, snip the edges so it hugs the curve, and tape it in place.
Poke holes through paper and skin along every black shape, about 1/8–1/4 inch apart.
Remove the paper and cut along the dots – small shapes first, big shapes last.
Pop in an LED tea light, put the lid back on – and turn off the lights!
⚠️ Safety: knives and carving tools belong in grown-up hands. Kids can pick and color the stencil, scoop out the pumpkin and, with supervision, poke along the outlines. Use LED tea lights instead of real candles.
Idea: A laughing parade
Pair the laughing pumpkin with two or three other faces from our collection and line them up in a row. LED tea lights keep it safe. For the window, color the stencil on tracing paper and the arcs will glow in bright colors.
📦 All 30 Stencils in One PDF
Can’t decide? Download every pumpkin face as one PDF (30 pages, A4) and take your time choosing the perfect face for your pumpkin.
📄 Download the all-in-one PDF (30 stencils)More stencils from this group:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What age can kids help?
Kids from about 4 can color the stencil and help scoop. From around 6 they can poke the lines with supervision; adults do the cutting.
Will the stencil fit my pumpkin?
Printed at 100 %, the face is about 6.7 inches wide and fits a medium pumpkin (10–12 inches). For small pumpkins, scale to 70–80 % when printing; for giant pumpkins, print on tabloid/A3 or scale up to 140 %.
Do I need to print the black areas?
The black areas show what gets cut out. To save ink, choose “draft” or “ink saver” in your print settings – the outlines will still be easy to see.
Is the stencil free?
Yes, all carving stencils and coloring pages on PureSketchy are free for personal use, preschools and schools.
Is there a German version?
Yes! You can find the German version at Lachender Kürbis.