It was late. 5:00 a.m. late. The kind of hour where your brain stops being a functional organ and starts acting like a lava lamp. Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan were sitting in the Saturday Night Live writers' room, staring at a blank wall, probably vibrating from too much caffeine and not enough sleep. They needed a Halloween sketch for Tom Hanks.
They didn't have a masterpiece. They had a cheap pumpkin suit from a nearby costume shop and an idea that made zero sense.
Enter David S. Pumpkins.
When the "Haunted Elevator" sketch aired on October 22, 2016, nobody expected it to work. Not the writers. Not the audience. Certainly not Tom Hanks, who actually asked to cut the sketch during rehearsals because he didn't "get" the character. But then something weird happened. The doors opened, the music started, and a legend was born.
The Weird Alchemy of the Tom Hanks Pumpkin SNL Legend
Most SNL characters are built on a trope or a celebrity impression. David S. Pumpkins is built on... nothing. That is exactly why it works.
He’s just a guy. In a pumpkin suit. With two b-boy skeletons.
When Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon play the bewildered couple on the "100 Floors of Frights" ride, they are us. They are the audience. They keep asking the questions we’re thinking: "Is he from a local commercial?" "Why are the skeletons part of it?"
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Kenan Thompson’s elevator operator gives the only answer that matters: "The scariest thing to the mind is the unknown."
Where the hell did he come from?
The origin story is as random as the character himself. The writers were inspired by a viral YouTube video from 2006 called "Little Superstar," which featured a man breakdancing to a bizarre remix of Madonna’s "Holiday." They wanted that same energy—something infectious, slightly off-putting, and impossible to look away from.
They didn't want a "good" suit. They wanted the cheapest, trashiest thing they could find. They ended up with a $12.99 polyester nightmare covered in jack-o'-lanterns.
Hanks, being the professional he is, brought a specific "upbeat and friendly" energy to the role. He wasn't playing a monster. He was playing a guy who was thrilled to be there, even if no one knew why. That finger-point dance move? That wasn't in the script. Hanks just started doing it, and the skeletons (Day and Moynihan) followed suit.
Why David S. Pumpkins Still Matters in 2026
You’d think a four-minute sketch about a guy in a suit would have a shelf life of about two weeks. Instead, we’re still talking about him ten years later. Why?
Honestly, a lot of it was the timing. The original sketch aired just weeks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The news was a dumpster fire. Everything was political. Everything was heavy. Then, suddenly, here is Tom Hanks slapping the butts of two skeletons and shouting, "Any questions?"
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It was a pressure valve. It was the only thing in America that wasn't an argument.
The "S" stands for Simon
People have spent way too much time theorizing about the character's backstory. Is he from Ibiza? Yes, the sketch says so. Does he have a middle name? Yes, it's Simon. But none of these facts actually explain him.
The 2017 animated special, The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special, tried to add some "lore" by having Peter Dinklage narrate a story about Pumpkins being a magical being who helps kids. It was fine, I guess. But most fans agree that the character is better when he's just a random guy appearing on floor 73 of a haunted attraction.
The inevitable return
SNL knows they have lightning in a bottle. They brought him back in 2022 for the "Cellblock 666" sketch. Same suit. Same skeletons. Same confusion. Even in 2026, the character remains a staple of Halloween culture because he is "his own thing."
He isn't a parody of a movie. He isn't a political statement. He is just David S. Pumpkins.
Common Misconceptions About the Sketch
A lot of people think the sketch was an instant hit in the room. It wasn't. During the dress rehearsal, the reaction was lukewarm. The writers were terrified it was going to bomb.
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- Myth: The suit was custom-made for Tom Hanks.
- Fact: It was a mass-produced "Opposuit" that you can still buy on Amazon for about $60.
- Myth: Lady Gaga was supposed to be in it.
- Fact: This one is actually true. She was the musical guest that night, and there were talks of her playing "Mrs. Nightshade" or a similar character, but she was too busy with her own performances.
The simplicity is what makes it "human-quality" comedy. It’s not trying to be smart. It’s trying to be silly.
How to Channel Your Inner David S. Pumpkins
If you're looking to recreate the magic—maybe for a party or just to annoy your roommates—the key isn't the suit. It's the commitment.
- Buy the suit. Don't go high-end. You want that scratchy, flammable polyester feel.
- Master the "finger guns." It’s all in the wrist. Shake them like you’re trying to dry off wet hands.
- The catchphrase. It’s not just "Any questions?" It’s the smug, self-satisfied look on your face when you say it.
- Find your skeletons. You need two friends who are willing to commit to the bit without ever breaking character.
At the end of the day, David S. Pumpkins is a reminder that sometimes the best ideas are the ones that happen at 5:00 a.m. when you've completely lost your mind.
If you want to dive deeper into the SNL archives, start by looking up the "Kevin Roberts" sketch featuring Larry David. It was written by the same team and acts as a sort of spiritual predecessor to the Pumpkins phenomenon. Watch them back-to-back and you'll see the exact moment the writers figured out that "weird for the sake of weird" is a comedic gold mine.
Actionable Insight: Next time you're stuck in a creative rut, stop trying to be clever. Go for the "stupid suit" idea. If it worked for Tom Hanks and a couple of skeletons, it might just work for you.
Next Steps for the Obsessed:
- Watch the original "Haunted Elevator" sketch on the official SNL YouTube channel to see the timing of the "slaps."
- Check out the "Fly on the Wall" podcast episode where Mikey Day breaks down the technical difficulties of the elevator doors.
- Locate the original "Little Superstar" video to see the bizarre dance moves that started it all.