Similar pumpkin stencils
View all stencils →About this stencil
The Funny Monster pumpkin stencil is a free printable PDF template. Print it, tape the pattern on, and trace it onto your pumpkin. A round-bodied cartoon monster with an oversized fuzzy head, two large circular eyes, a wide fanged grin, spiky hair tufts, stubby arms raised to the sides, skinny stick legs, and round feet fills this pumpkin stencil. The creature's oval eye circles and the spaces between the arms and body are cut through, while the chunky body silhouette stays as solid orange skin. Carve the two circular eye openings and the small round nose dot at the top before cutting the body perimeter, so you can brace the knife against solid material. It makes a fun jack-o'-lantern design for Halloween night. It is rated Advanced. Estimated time: 90-150 minutes. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Fine details and narrow supports need careful planning. Follow the cutting and shading key in this design’s PDF.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5 to 7"): print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7 to 10"): print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11 to 13"): print at 130%
- 🎃 Giant (14"+): print at 150% on tabloid paper
Frequently asked questions
Can I resize this stencil?▾
Yes. The PDF is vector so it scales cleanly. Print the pattern at 100% for a 7 to 10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11 to 13 inch, or 150% for a giant. Use your printer's "Fit to page" or "Custom scale" setting.
What kind of paper works best?▾
Standard 20 lb letter or A4 printer paper is fine. Heavier paper is harder to bend around the pumpkin curve. If your printer supports it, set the quality to 'best' so the lines are crisp.
How long will the carved pumpkin last?▾
Usually 5 to 10 days. Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly and store the pumpkin somewhere cool overnight. Avoid direct sun. Battery LED pumpkin lights produce no heat and help it last longer.
Can I sell pumpkins carved with this stencil?▾
Yes, the carved pumpkin you make is yours. The license covers personal and small-scale commercial carving (selling carved pumpkins, photographing them, posting on social). You may not resell the PDF file itself.
What if my printer doesn't print the whole stencil?▾
Set 'Page scaling' to 'Fit' in the print dialog and uncheck 'Auto-rotate'. If it still cuts off, the design includes 0.25" of safe-area margin so a small crop won't ruin it.
How to carve this stencil
This is a cut-through stencil: the gray areas on the printable pattern are the pieces you remove, and everything white stays attached. The steps below give you the safest carving order. Plan on about 90-150 minutes from print to candle.
Set up first. Print the PDF at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper. Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the pumpkin clean, and thin the carving wall to about 1 inch where the design will sit. Tape the pattern on (snip small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve) and transfer every outline by poking dots along the lines, about one every 1/8 inch. Peel the paper away and carve dot to dot with short, straight strokes.
Carving order
- Cut the antenna ball and eyebrows. Start at the top with the small floating ball, the arrow-shaped antenna stem, and the two thin eyebrow strokes. Small enclosed pieces like these cut cleanest while the wall is fully supported.
- Cut the two round eyes. Remove the two large circle eyes at the center of the face. Keep the thin white rings around them intact where the shaggy outline pieces come close.
- Cut the grinning mouth. Work around the smile band, cutting carefully past the two white fangs that hang into the mouth opening. Cut along each side of a fang from both directions; the fangs must stay attached to the wall.
- Cut the shaggy head outline. Remove the spiky fur pieces that frame the head on both sides. Each fur point is fragile, so saw into the tips from both sides and never force a turn at a point.
- Cut the arms, hands, and body spots. Remove the two arm pieces with their rounded fingers, then the small teardrop spots on the belly and the curved band under the body. Cut each finger notch individually.
- Release the legs and feet last. Cut the two long straight legs and the oval feet, keeping the thin white strip inside each foot intact. These are the biggest plugs, so leave a small tab at the bottom of each leg until last, then support the piece and push it out from inside.
Clear loose fibers out of each opening as you go, and never twist or pry the blade against the shell; back it out and recut instead. When every piece is out, wipe the cut edges dry and drop in a battery LED puck.
Tools you'll need
For a advanced carve like this you'll want a fine-detail pumpkin saw, spoon / scoop, pin transfer tool, and small gouge if the pattern includes shading. Here's the kit we reach for, but start with whatever you already own.
Elmchee Pumpkin Carving Kit
13-piece kit with carrying case
Saws for the larger cutouts, plus a scoop for hollowing. Covers both jobs in one kit.
View on Amazon ↗
HOME MOST LED Pumpkin Lights
4-pack, battery operated, with remote + timer
Orange glow made for jack-o'-lanterns. The remote and timer light the pumpkin every evening without reaching inside.
View on Amazon ↗
Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
View on Amazon ↗
Reviews from carvers
Every rating comes from a written review by someone who downloaded this stencil.
Carved this one?
Reviews are open to carvers who downloaded the stencil. Grab the free PDF, then come back and tell everyone how it went.
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
Related stencils
More patterns with a related subject. Compare their skill levels before you choose.
AdvancedThe Stitched Stare Pumpkin Stencil
Two enormous wide eyes with hanging pupils stare beneath crackling zigzag brows, while small skull nostrils sit above a long stitched grin that stretches nearly ear to ear. The eyes are cut through around the drooping pupil tabs, the nostrils are pierced, and the mouth is one thin line crossed by vertical stitch slits. Those dangling pupils and skinny stitches make this a hard carve; keep every stitch cut short and support the pupil tabs while you saw around them.
AdvancedFang Snarl Pumpkin Stencil
Deeply wrinkled brows curl over narrowed eyes with rooted pupil tabs, a flared nose snarls in the middle, and a wide fanged grin full of jagged teeth completes this genuinely sinister face, flanked by small diamond cutouts at each temple. Everything is pierced through, and the layered brow wrinkles are why it rates hard. Cut the thin wrinkle slits with a fine-detail saw before the larger eye and mouth openings weaken the surrounding wall.
AdvancedThe Gritted Growler Pumpkin Stencil
Furrowed slash brows press down on angry eyes with squared pupil tabs, over a flat nose, cheek slits, and a wide clenched mouth divided into a grid of glowing tooth windows. Every window is pierced through, and the lattice of rind strips between them is the hard part. Cut the small mouth openings one at a time, alternating sides, so the grid never carries stress from a half finished row.
AdvancedThe Cyclops Mask Pumpkin Stencil
A huge single eye quartered by a bold plus-shaped bar dominates this monster mask, flanked by rows of diamond cutouts down each cheek, a tiny skull-like nose, and a jagged zigzag grin along the bottom. The eye quadrants, diamonds, nose, and zigzag are all cut through, with the plus bar and diamond lattice left as connected skin. This hard design demands order: carve the four eye sections first, then diamonds from the center outward, protecting that thin cross bar throughout.
AdvancedFuzzball Fright Pumpkin Stencil
A wide-eyed shaggy monster stares out with round googly eyes, a snub nose, and a jagged fanged smirk, all framed by tufts of wild fur around the edges. The face and fur spikes are cut through in many separate openings, which is where the hard rating comes from. Carve the small fur tufts and eye rings before the large mouth, and leave the skin bridges between shapes untouched so the face holds together.
AdvancedThe Wailing Howl Pumpkin Stencil
Two drooping, hooked eyes sag toward a small nose and an enormous lopsided open mouth, giving this face a wailing, ghostly howl. Every feature is pierced through, and the curled inner tips of the eyes are what sell the melting expression. This is a harder carve because the eye hooks and the long mouth curve leave narrow bridges of pumpkin, so cut those thin sections last and support the wall with your free hand.