Target’s viral Lewis the Jack O’ Lantern is dubbed a Halloween icon

‘Live laugh love Lewis’

A popular Halloween decoration has defined this year’s spookiest holiday, with The New York Times going so far as to dub the seasonal must-have a Halloween icon.

Lewis, a towering jack o’ lantern sold at Target stores nationwide for $180, has become a popular decoration amongst Halloween aficionados. The Halloween decoration has been sharing space with the typical cobwebs, traditional pumpkins, and ghoulish styrofoam headstones people love to erect on their front lawns.

But it isn’t Lewis’ eight-foot-tall stature that’s his main draw, it’s his distinct sassiness and flair that has earned him so many devoted fans this Halloween.

Lewis is programmed to say many phrases with a devil-may-care attitude, including: “Hello, hello, I’m so happy you could carve out some time to come out tonight.” Afterwards, he continues to add either “Happy Halloween my little ghouls” or “Trick-or-treat, all you creepy crawlers.”

Introduced by Target’s Halloween line, the Hyde & EEK! Boutique, Lewis has already sold out online and at most stores, a testament to his popularity. Fans of Lewis have posted TikToks of themselves pressing his step-activated button to hear one of his many catchphrases like: “I’m not a jack-o’-lantern. My name is Lewis.”

One Lewis fan named, Ariana Osten, 24, told The New York Times that she felt that Lewis’ voice was relatable. She told the outlet that her favourite Lewis quip came after pressing the button quite a few times: “I fear nothing, night or day, except a strong breeze to make me sway.”

Target, while reportedly “thrilled to see excitement from our guests,” has yet to give Lewis a backstory. The lack of details and ambiguity has only increased Lewis’ appeal, with many of Lewis’ reviews overwhelmingly positive.

Many have interpreted Lewis’ sassy attitude as a nod to the LGBTQ+ community, including Hillary Mace, 31, who told the outlet that she loved “his vibe” and was considering putting a pride flag in his hand. She noted, “As a gay person myself, I feel like representation in Halloween décor is needed. I love his sass, I love his attitude. It isn’t just the fact he says his name is Lewis. It’s the way he says it. It’s the laugh he gives at the end.”

“He’s not a big scary person, he’s just kind of funny,” she added. “He’s very confident. He’s got the ‘it’ factor.”

Viewers on TikTok seem to agree with Mace, continuing to post their funny encounters with the jack o’lantern and going viral. As of October, the TikTok hashtag “#MyNameIsLewis” has received more than 18.5 million views. “Running into celebrities at Target,” one user captioned their video, while another wrote, “Big news: I met Lewis at Target this week.”

Lewis’ popularity even reached the band, Smashing Pumpkins, who jokingly commented that they would rename their band as The Lewis Pumpkins. The band captioned its post, “Live laugh love Lewis.”