For those looking for a fun animated Halloween-themed cartoon show to watch this spooky season, look no further than The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special, starring two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks. Based on the popular Saturday Night Live sketch (see below), the cartoon depicts a brother and sister encountering a strange Halloween spirit during their night of trick-or-treating.
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But for our purposes here, the cartoon show is unique from the sketch in that it includes Hanks singing a song about his character, his “origin story.” Hanks, one of the most celebrated actors of the past 50 years, is not known as a singer, despite roles in movies like Elvis (2022), and several other musical offerings. Check out the link below for further evidence of his singing.
[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Tom Hanks Actually Sings]
SNL
Originally, Hanks guest starred in the SNL sketch “Haunted Elevator” in which a couple is taken on a Halloween-themed park ride. The couple sees various characters from scary movies but then out of nowhere they encounter Hanks as David S. Pumpkins, who is with his trusty sidekicks, the skeletons.
The encounter is odd, the couple on the ride wonders who was that guy? Was he a known Halloween character? No, he is not. The awkwardness and the confusion are the basis for the joke and the fact that Hanks is at the center of this off-kilter humor makes it all the better.
Amazingly, Hanks even reprised his role on SNL after the first sketch. You can check out both sketches below.
The Halloween Special
Now for the singing! Hanks voices and sings the story of the titular character David S. Pumpkins. When the main character’s brother and sister meet David Pumpkins, they are introduced to him with lyrics that are as vague as possible. Hanks sings,
When I was born, I was a baby
To my mother, who was my mom
But the father I had
Well, he was my dad
And I come from the place where I’m from.
(Yes, he comes from the place where he’s from!)
Hanks continues,
I wasn’t always this way, to be sure
I used to be the way I used to be before
But as I’m sure that you’ve heard
Some occurrences occurred
And on a night so strange, everything changed
And I became… David S. Pumpkins!
Unfortunately, the special isn’t available on YouTube today, but industrious seekers can find it on Apple+ or even iTunes.
Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
