Pumpkin King is the title of the leader of Halloween Town. While not the one running the bureacracy of the town, that job seemingly being delegated to the Mayor of Halloween Town, they seemingly plan the major events of the town's calendar and represent them in the wider world when that is required. Unlike the Mayor, whom is an elected official, the Pumpkin King instead achieves this position either through challenges or general popularity depending on the media. Their spouse, should they have one, also takes on a similar title and responsibility.
Appearance[]
He is VERY tall. He has a pumpkin for a head that is cut into a creepy face, while his body being made of straw. He has rather thin arms with sharp fingers. He wears a red long sleeved shirt that's ripped from the bottom.
Holders[]
Jack Skellington[]
The primary holder of the title, Jack became the Pumpkin King before the events of the The Nightmare Before Christmas and holds the title throughout the film.
Sally[]
During the events of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, Sally marries Jack and is granted the title of Pumpkin Queen, seemingly becoming a ruler of equivalent authority to her husband.
Edgar[]
In The Battle for Pumpkin King, Edgar appears as the previous holder of the Pumpkin King title and hosts the challenges in which the next holder would be crowned, though he ultimately seems to pass despite trying to take control of his successor.
Oogie Boogie[]
While not officially the Pumpkin King, in The Battle for Pumpkin King, Oogie did compete against Jack for the title. During the events of Oogie's Revenge, he would kidnap the leaders of the other major Holiday Worlds and declared himself the Seven-Holidays King.
Depictions[]
Oogie's Revenge[]
In the video game, "Oogie's Revenge", the Pumpkin King is one out of the three forms Jack takes in the game. The Pumpkin King uses two powerful attacks: Flamethrower and Fire Bomb.
The Flamethrower engulfs enemies in flames as it slowly lowers their health. The Fire Bomb causes Jack to send out a large, fiery explosion, blasting away enemies.
These attacks require Red Souls. The use of the Flamethrower takes away 0.1 Red Souls over time, whereas the Fire Bomb uses 1 whole Soul for every use.
The Pumpkin King[]
In the video game, The Pumpkin King, this form allows Jack to become temporarily invincible and kill enemies on the spot. Jack must obtain the Spicy Bottle from Helgamine, the Tall Witch, by also obtaining a mushroom from her sister Zeldaborn, the Small Witch, as an ingredient for Jack's Pumpkin King elixir.
Powers & Abilities[]
The holders of the Pumpkin King title do not seem to possess any inherent abilities of the office, instead each one possessing their own supernatural traits that make them a representative of the Halloween season.
Jack[]
Jack possesses a skeletal physiology, making him effectively immune to dismemberment, allowing him to remove his own head and ribs without causing him any significant discomfort. He also appears to be largely immune to burning as he ignites himself in the opening musical number and is later blown out of the sky without any significant damage to himself. Having no muscles or tendons, he can move his body in ways that might be painful to more fleshy individuals. However, aside from simply living as a skeleton, Jack seemingly possesses the least supernatural powers for a Pumpkin King.
Sally[]
As a living rag doll, Sally's body is stitched together, allowing her to take herself apart and reattach it with seemingly no issue. Her limbs act independantly even when detached, moving on their own. As a native of Dream Town, Sally is immune to Sandman's dream sand, keeping her awake while the rest of the world was forced to sleep, even the other residents of Halloween Town.
Edgar[]
Unlike his successors, Edgar in his long life had seemingly gained several magical abilities, summoning insects and manipulating wind. Physically, he seemingly lacked the prowess of his potential successors, walking with a cane and not moving as acrobatically as Jack. This is perhaps a result of his aged nature and not a trait he always possessed.
Oogie Boogie[]
In their youth, Oogie and Jack competed regularly in friendly contests, but as he grew, Oogie seemingly lacked the same physical prowess as Jack. Oogie however would later display multiple magical abilities. In Oogie's Revenge, as the Seven-Holiday King he displayed the ability to manipulate his shadow as an independent entity and to summon masses of insects and cloth to expand his already corpulent body into a vast giant.