Last updated on September 9th, 2024 at 03:03 pm
DIY Disneyland Mickey pumpkin, because I’ve always wished I could take this adorable Mickey Mouse smile home with me. And now you can too!
It’s the cutest pumpkin you’ve ever seen and it totally reminds you of memories made while walking down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland. I bet you took a picture in front of the smile side or the wink side—or maybe both throughout the years.
The Disneyland Mickey Jack-O-Lantern is the center piece of the Main Street Pumpkin Festival and a highlight of Halloween Time every year.
Disneyland Mickey Pumpkin Festival
September and October are two very popular times to visit Disneyland, and for good reason! The whole resort is decked out with Halloween Time decor which pops up shortly after Labor Day Weekend.
It’s interesting to look back and see that Disneyland Resort only began decorating for Halloween in 2006. Over time this season has turned into the Main Street Pumpkin Festival we know today.
I even named one of my Halloween DIY Disneyland churros after the festival, find the recipes here!
The Pumpkin Festival has over 300 unique pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns adoring the windows and rooftops of Main Street, U.S.A. Take a closer look at the pumpkin festival here.
The most popular of them all stands 16-feet tall, Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern! If you’ve ever been during Halloween Time or before your night at Oogie Boogie Bash you’ve likely seen Mickey overlooking Main Street on both sides—one winking and one smiling.
Mickey Jack-O-Lantern Supplies
Every year when I see the adorable Mickey pumpkin inside Disneyland, I’ve wanted one for myself. This Halloween, we all can have one with our own DIY Mickey Jack-O-Lantern.
It’s best to shop for these items earlier in the season, but your favorite craft store should have an abundance of supplies in September and October.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 large faux pumpkin
- 2 small faux pumpkins
- orange, yellow and green paint
- paint brushes
- mod podge
- glue gun and glue sticks
- Mickey stencil (info below)
This is an activity you can do with the whole family. It doesn’t have to be perfect to bring some Disney magic into your house for Halloween Time, so kids can join in too.
Bonus tip! Get ready to see the giant Mickey pumpkin in person by booking your Disneyland vacation with my travel partners here.
Make Your Disneyland Mickey Pumpkin
This project is a really simple DIY. The most skill you need is waiting for the paint to dry! If you want to be super careful and make your Mickey Pumpkin look show-worthy, be sure to make long smooth strokes with your paint brush.
Here’s the step by step directions to create your Disneyland Mickey Jack-O-Lantern:
- Remove any ornamental stems from your smaller pumpkins if needed, this will become the bottom of the ears so the holes won’t be visible.
- Set up your painting area and paint your 3 pumpkins orange for consistency in color. Once they dry, paint another layer of orange for complete coverage.
- Paint the tops of your pumpkins green as desired. Apply a second coat once they dry.
- Use a hot glue gun to place the ear pumpkins in the desired location.
- Print out a Mickey Jack-O-Lantern template to use for Mickey’s face. I found mine by googling “mickey mouse jack o lantern printable” and scaled the print out to a larger size so it would fit my pumpkin perfectly.
- Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth from the printed template to use as a stencil.
- Place stencil on your painted pumpkin and paint with yellow. Remove the stencil and make any touch-ups; apply a second coat as needed.
- Once all the paint is dry, apply a coat of Mod Podge for a glossy finish.
Another note on finishing touches—this project is very forgiving. I am not a craft person. In fact, when my husband saw me doing this he said, “Wow, I haven’t seen you craft in years!” And it’s true. I kinda hate crafting because I hate following directions.
You can even play my Disneyland Halloween playlist while you paint and create your DIY Mickey jack-o-lantern.
These directions can be mixed and matched in the order and even kids can help paint orange, green and yellow. But if you want something a little more show worthy, just remember those long, complete paint strokes from top to bottom that follow the curve and lines of your pumpkin.
See more Disneyland Halloween Time tips and at home ideas here.
Real Mickey Jack-O-Lantern
Are you ready to carve a real life pumpkin with your favorite mouse in mind? There are plenty of free Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern templates just for you from our friends at Disney Family. Will you be carving pumpkins this year or will the faux DIY Mickey pumpkin do the trick?
Here’s a few of my favorites Disney carving templates to help you get started:
- Classic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse jack-o-lantern template
- Vampire Mickey pumpkin carving template
- Cruella De Vil jack-o-lantern template
- Cheshire Cat pumpkin carving template
- Toy Story Alien jack-o-lantern template
I would love to see your Disneyland Mickey pumpkin creations whether you following this DIY, make your own twist or carve pumpkins—please share them with me via email!