Jack Pumpkinhead
Jack Pumpkinhead, also known as Jack Pumpkin Head or the Pumpkinhead, was a magically-animated scarecrow with a large carved pumpkin for a head. He had a helpful, gentle and inquisitive disposition.
Description
Physical appearance
Pumpkinhead was “a wooden man with a carved pumpkin for a head”. (PROSE: Century Smith and the Time Terror)
Personality
Jack Pumpkinhead was an extremely helpful and kind-hearted individual. The “Librarian” version of Pumpkinhead was notable for constantly second-guessing himself and his decisions on the basis that he knew he was not the “real” Pumpkinhead, and was therefore unsure of whether he was really acting as a Jack Pumpkinhead should. (PROSE: Century Smith and the Time Terror)
Powers and abilities
Jack could survive his head being knocked off or replaced altogether with no noticeable alterations in his core identity and personality. He also claimed to have the skill necessary to rebuild the Red Wagon after it had been disassembled, should he be given enough time. (PROSE: The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids in Oz)
Biography
Visited by Acquaintanceship
A version of Jack Pumpkinhead existed in one universe's Oz, which was visited by Acquaintanceship-982, variously known as “Jack Pumpkinhead”, “Jack Pumpkin Head” or simply “the Pumpkinhead”. He was originally brought to life using the Crooked Man's Powder of Life.
Years later, after the Imps Olite, Udent and Ertinent escaped, stole Dorothy Gale's Magic Belt and brought it back to the witch Blinkie, also stealing the Magic Picture and the Great Book of Records, Ozma convened a great number of her friends and acquaintances to a room on the first floor the Emerald Palace to discuss the situation, including Dorothy, Jack, the Wizard, Toto, Tik-Tok, General Omby Amby, Jellia Jamb, the Glass Cat, Trot, the Sawhorse, the Shaggy Man, the Gump, Flipper, Eureka, the Lonesome Duck, Cap'n Bill, the Scarecrow, the Hungry Tiger, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman, Billina, Ojo, the Woozy, the Woggle-Bug. Also brought to the meeting by mistake was Acquaintanceship-982, who had been mistaken for Tik-Tok by General Amby. The group decided to use Acquaintanceship-982's Fog Ship to quickly comb through the Land. During the rough take-off, Jack's pumpkin was damaged by Cap'n Bill tripping and falling onto Jack, prompting the latter to observe that he'd have to replace it soon.
They first landed in Munchkin Country, where the possé met the Phonograph of Oz, who had spotted the imps. During this brief stop, the Scarecrow applauded the Pathwork Girl's impromptu song trying to show off how much better a real musician was compared to a phonograph. Thanks to the Phonograph's directions, Acquaintanceship knew to fly towards Quadling Country, but on the way through the forest which separated the two Countries, they were attacked by three kalidahs. After evading them, they were blown by a magic gust of winds to the mountains of Jinxland, with Jack's head briefly popping off in the rough landing. In Jinxland, they found not only the imps, but also Blinkie. Gloating, the Wicked Witch unveiled a field full of hundreds of imp statues, which she intended to bring to life as an unstoppable army using the Powder of Life. Acquaintanceship attempted to romanticise Blinkie right there and then, but his shot missed and instead knocked the bottle Powder out of her hands. Taking his chance, Acquaintanceship grabbed the bottle and ran off with it into his Fog Ship, but Blinkie (who had yet to realise he had the Powder and thought he was just escaping) used the Belt to cause him to crash into the forest, and transformed most of the Ozites into various objects, with only Dorothy managing to escape.
Acquaintanceship was unharmed, however, although his Ship was down. Out of other options, he used some of the Powder of Life to attempt to repair his Ship, with the effect of bringing it to life as a sentient entity. Startled, he dropped the rest of the Powder onto his bow and arrows, which similarly came to life. Together, they returned to Jinxland and managed to romanticise Blinkie and the Imps, who subsequently apologised to everyone and returned the magical items. However, the Ship's inexperience with flying itself caused it to crash again with Acquaintanceship itself, injuring him this time. With the Bow and Arrows finding them, however, the Imps worked with Tik-Tok to repair both of them. Healed, Acquaintanceship was offered the chance to stay in the Emerald Palace as a permanent resident but turned it down, unlike the Ship, Bow and Arrows. (PROSE: The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids in Oz)
Meeting Century Smith
Century Smith told the “Librarian” Pumpkinhead that he had met one of the “real” versions of Jack Pumpkinhead who existed in the Multiverse. (PROSE: Century Smith and the Time Terror)
As fiction
Briar vaguely knew Jack Pumpkinhead as a fictional character. (PROSE: Century Smith and the Time Terror)
As a Librarian
Due to his status as a fictional character, a version of Jack Pumpkinhead was brought to life inside the Interdimensional Library as one of its Librarians, among numerous other such fictional characters, such as Robin Hood. Robin, who was a reference librarian, assigned Pumpkinhead to guide Century Smith, Briar and Jenny Nowhere during their shared visit to the Library. After they'd found what they were looking for, Jack let them borrow one of the Library's reference computers; though he guessed that this was against the rules, his typical uncertainty about his own reasoning turned out to be useful, giving him an excuse to let them do so anyway. (PROSE: Century Smith and the Time Terror)
Behind the scenes
Jack Pumpkinhead originates in the Land of Oz books by L. Frank Baum, having debuted in 1904's The Marvelous Land of Oz. The character is thus in the public domain.
