The Pumpkin Rainbow Stories
Halloween is a very vibrant holiday. From orange pumpkins to black cats to white ghosts and the vibrant colors of Fall. For as long as I can remember pumpkins have played a major role in our October festivities. But lately pumpkins have been coming in colors that have no correlation to the other colors you will see at a house decorated for Halloween. If you see a teal pumpkin on someone’s porch they could be conveying something to the trick-or-treaters that stop by. Purple pumpkins may be there for awareness of something that the household cares about.
You have probably seen images on Social Media breaking down what each color pumpkin stands for during Halloween. Teal represents food allergies, purple represents epilepsy, blue represents autism and pink represents breast cancer. Then there is white, red, yellow, black and the list goes on. Some houses even have a rainbow of pumpkins each supposedly meaning something. These lists usually incorporate programs that are run on a national scale mixed in with some small businesses or home made traditions that have taken off over the internet.
But there are a few that we know for sure have a story behind them…
Teal Pumpkins Keep Allergies At Bay
The teal pumpkin has become very popular over the last few years. It stands for the Teal Pumpkin Project which was created to allow children with food allergies and other issues that keep them from consuming traditional candy to enjoy trick-or-treating.
A woman by the name of Becky Basalone started this project in East Tennessee. Her son has a food allergy and she wanted him to be able to trick-or-treat like everyone else. Her family gave out items that weren’t candy and placed a teal pumpkin out front to advertise to others that they offered something besides candy. Word spread through the food allergy community and FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) took over the project in 2014. Now it is not only in her home town but has spread across the country.
One thing that people get wrong about the teal pumpkin is that it does NOT mean that the household is providing candy that is free of all allergens. There are too many allergies and people are allergic to different things. No one can provide candy that will work for every allergy. The teal pumpkin simply means that there is non candy being provided. Glow sticks, stickers, pencils, bubbles, spider rings, etc are some items that families give out.
Of course you can still have a candy bowl full of traditional candy and provide these items to those who want them. It just takes a little extra work to help some of our little ones enjoy this holiday as well. FARE is continuing the Teal Pumpkin Project and even has a campaign going for 2026.
Purple Pumpkins: Fighting Epilepsy
Purple pumpkins have a couple stories to go along with them as well. Purple is also widely associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia awareness, largely through the Alzheimer’s Association and its use of purple as its signature color. As a result, some families paint or display purple pumpkins in honor or memory of someone affected by Alzheimer’s. Unlike the Purple Pumpkin Project for epilepsy, however, there is not a nationally established Halloween program designating purple pumpkins specifically for Alzheimer’s awareness, so the meaning may depend on the person displaying one.
The Purple Pumpkin Project started in 2012 when Ron Lamontagne wanted to bring awareness to his sons diagnosis of Epilepsy.
While driving past a pumpkin patch with his family he thought of Halloween and the color purple which brings awareness to Epilepsy. He painted a pumpkin purple and figured at some point someone would ask him why it was purple and he could explain about his sons illness. He started a Facebook page in September of 2012 and it has grown beyond his home state. The Epilepsy Foundation has adopted this project and continue to bring awareness to those who suffer from Epilepsy.
Purple pumpkins don’t mean anything to the trick-or-treaters that visit the household. They simply want people to know that they care about Epilepsy. When purple pumpkins started being used during the pandemic to show that your house was trick-or-treat the Epilepsy foundation made their stance clear that purple pumpkins are used to bring awareness to those who suffer from Epilepsy. So while you may see other things on the internet about purple pumpkins we know this to be true.
Blue Pumpkin Bucket for Children With Autism
Blue pumpkin buckets are something that has been trending on social media lately. Parents are telling their children with autism to use a blue pumpkin bucket when they go trick-or-treating. This will alert the homeowner that their child may not say trick or treat or look you in the eyes when they come to your door.
I feel like this is one that can go both ways. Some parents love this and it helps their child. Others think that your child doesn’t need to be identified as having a disability when trick-or-treating. Either way there isn’t a program that is being run on a national scale to use the blue pumpkin bucket for children with Autism.
Which leads me to believe that these lists of colors and what they stand for aren’t accurate. Your child could be trick-or-treating with a blue bucket and it means nothing at all. They just have a blue bucket. Don’t feel like your child needs to explain to you why they are not saying trick or treat or looking at you. They are still a kid and deserve a piece of candy just like everyone else.
Pink Pumpkins
As we mentioned above pink is used to bring awareness to those who suffer from breast cancer. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month you will see many pumpkins painted pink. There is a company called the Pink Pumpkin Project that helps those that are suffering from breast cancer.
So your house could be displaying a pink pumpkin to honor someone who is fighting breast cancer or simply to bring awareness to the disease. I don’t know of any program that says if you have a pink pumpkin you are honoring someone who is sick with breast cancer. It could be one of those things or they just liked the color pink.
This can go for many of the other colors on the list. Some may use the white pumpkin to remember their pregnancy or infant loss. Many colors have been used to bring awareness to many things. Its hard to tell which is correct when it comes to these pumpkins.
Just a Little Color
I don’t think there is a right or wrong color when it comes to your Halloween pumpkins. The teal pumpkin and purple pumpkin both have a story behind them and can be used to help others. Maybe having all these colors that you put out means something to you and that’s great too. Who knows what could take off from one little pumpkin on your porch. The teal pumpkin did.
All of these can be done easily by adding some non candy to your bowl or painting your pumpkins purple. It takes no time at all to help others and make your Halloween a little more fun. Just know that there is no true meaning to every color of pumpkin you display this year.
When you see that odd color pumpkin this year know that there may be a reason why that person chose that color. Just don’t know that its what the image on your screen told you it was. Ask them if you have to and you may learn something new. Or it could just be a blue pumpkin!
