“Trick or treat?”
― Jack, New Leaf
Jack (パンプキング, Panpukingu?, Pumpking), or the self-proclaimed Czar of Halloween, is a character from the Animal Crossing series who is a specter. He appears once a year for Halloween, from 6:00 PM until 1:00 AM the following day. He distributes spooky furniture, which can only be obtained through him. He wears a pumpkin on his head which, during Halloween, makes him indistinguishable from other villagers who will also ask for candy. Jack, like all other holiday-related characters, was absent from Wild World, as was Halloween and candy.
Appearance
Jack wears an orange pumpkin with hollowed out eyes, circle nose, and a jagged mouth smile, as his head. He wears a dark blue robe with lighter trim lines on his arms and the bottom of the robe. He wears black gloves on his hands and black boots on his feet.
In New Leaf, other villagers will try to dress like Jack, but he is distinguishable by his short height and has an orange pumpkin.
Purpose
In Animal Crossing
In Animal Crossing, he will be somewhere in town during Halloween. Unlike the other villagers, who wear the same clothing as him, he will not chase you. This is the same for Mayor Tortimer, who on the night will give the player a model of Katrina's tent. Upon talking to Jack, he will give the player an item of spooky furniture in exchange for candy. Doing this throughout the event will complete the set.
In Animal Crossing: Wild World
Jack does not feature in Wild World, however, it could be thought that the pumpkin that appears in the Jack-in-the-box item could be a reference to Jack.
In Animal Crossing: City Folk
Jack in City Folk
Jack returns in City Folk with Halloween and candy. He was announced on the Japanese website for City Folk, along with other characters. His role remains the same as in Animal Crossing, and he now calls himself the Czar of Halloween. He sends a letter out to players earlier in the month, warning of his arrival, and telling them to have candy ready. Nook's store starts selling candy on the 1st of October.
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf
In New Leaf, Jack reprises his role from previous games. Here, he is much more identifiable, as even though he chases you like other villagers. Impostors' costumes have noticeable differences from his own (i.e. triangular eyes, pink skin, or taller bodies). He describes candy and lollipops as his favorite treats, and gives out creepy objects and spooky furniture, the latter of which is now purchasable at stores. When the player gives him lollipops, he will always reward them with a creepy object, though there is a small chance of still receiving them while giving him candy. However, if you don't give him candy, he pulls a trick on you, which includes taking your items, and giving you stitched clothing.
Spooky Series
- Main article: Spooky Series
Jack gives a piece of furniture every time the player gives him candy. All the furniture pieces look like pumpkins or Jack O'Lanterns. They are orange and, like all holiday-exclusive furniture sets, score very highly with the Happy Room Academy.
- Spooky Wall
- Spooky Carpet
- Spooky Bed
- Spooky Bookcase
- Spooky Clock
- Spooky Lamp
- Spooky Sofa
- Spooky Table
- Spooky Vanity
- Spooky Wall Lamp
- Spooky Wardrobe
- Spooky Chair
- Spooky Dresser
- Spooky Paper
Jack O'Lanterns, Jack-in-the-Boxes, and Ragged Shirts are arguably considered part of the Spooky Series. There is also a Spooky Shirt, which is not given to the player by Jack, but by Gracie or Wisp.
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Gallery
Animal Crossing
City Folk
New Leaf
Trivia
- His Japanese name, Pumpking, reflects his self-given title, which is a portmanteau of "Pumpkin" and "King."
- Many pumpkin characters are named "Jack" through the traditional pumpkin name "Jack O'Lantern". The name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. (see references: Here)
- Jack's name could derive from the character Jack Pumpkinhead from the Oz Fantasy novels, a character with a pumpkin for a head very much like the character in this game.
- Certain dialect found within Jack's dialogue may suggest a nod to Tim Burton's acclaimed character "Jack Skellington" who similarly proclaims to be a "King of Halloween". The character is the protagonist of the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- One easy way to find Jack is to dig holes in front of everyone's house before 6:00 PM so they can't get to the player, or by wearing a matching outfit.
- The townsfolk villagers will instantaneously approach the player when trying to obtain candy when they are closer to them. This action is absent when nearing Jack. Seeing if a character comes towards the player when they stand somewhat close to them is a good test to see if they have found the true Halloween king. This method cannot be used in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
- ↑ Species navigation icons from Nookipedia by Sunmarsh, CC BY-SA 3.0