Pumpkin

The Pumpkin is the third defensive plant in the game. Unlike the Wall-nut or Tall-nut, it does not occupy a garden space for itself, allowing other plants (besides another Pumpkin, aquatic plants (doesn't count Lily Pad and Cattail) or a Cob Cannon) to be planted, and protected, in the same spot. Other plants can also be placed in an empty Pumpkin. Pumpkins have the same health as the Wall-nut. Like the Wall-nut and the Tall-nut, you can plant a new Pumpkin over a damaged one without replanting it if you have purchased Wall-nut First Aid from Crazy Dave's shop.

Suburban Almanac Entry
Pumpkin

Pumpkins protect plants that are within their shells.

Toughness: high

Special: can be planted over another plant

Pumpkin hasn't heard from his cousin Renfield lately. Apparently Renfield's a big star, some kind of, what was it, sports hero? Peggle Master? Pumpkin doesn't really get it. He just does his job.

Cost: 125

Recharge: slow

Overview
Absorbs 72 bites. Appearance changes at 24 bites and 48 bites before being swallowed at 72 bites.

Strategy
Pumpkins are excellent on later levels, where the player needs to take out as much space as possible.

Catapult Zombies and Bungee Zombies always target the plant inside the Pumpkin first, so they are useless as protection against them. They can be used to buy time so that your plants have more time to take out Digger Zombies. The best plant to put inside a Pumpkin (for defensive purposes) is the Tall-nut, so Pole Vaulting Zombies or Dolphin Rider Zombies cannot jump over them, and the zombies will have to eat the Pumpkin and the Tall-nut. Note, however, that it is not as efficient, sun-wise, as a Tall-nut alone; a Tall-nut and Pumpkin combo costs as much as two Tall-nuts, yet has less health than two. They are also useful for plants that the Imitater duplicates, because it protects them as they transform.

Don't put plants that are supposed to be eaten into a Pumpkin, such as Garlic or Hypno-shrooms. The zombies will have to eat the outside Pumpkin before eating the plant, so doing so will result in a waste of Sun. Pumpkins are usually good along with Potato Mines, as they give the Potato Mine time to arm, and once the zombies break through the Pumpkin, they will have come together onto one spot and will all be hit by the Potato Mine. The only problem with this is that, because of their larger horizontal hit-box, Football Zombies will trigger the Potato Mine while it is inside the Pumpkin, only killing some of the zombies as they will not all count as in range. As a result, it may make more sense to use a Wall-nut to protect the Potato Mine instead as it is cheaper and will allow time for all of the zombies to get in range. Try to plant them on every plant except for Cob Cannons and types of Spikeweed, Garlic and Hypno-shroom.

Survival Mode
Almost all setups on Survival Mode use these. These are also very useful in Survival: Endless because they are excellent space savers, and can be used to protect your more valuable plants (Winter Melon, Gloom-shroom, Twin Sunflower) from Zombies. If a Zombie makes it through your defenses and you're vulnerable, Pumpkins might be the only thing saving you from the Zombies successfully eating your Brains.

Trivia

 * The Pumpkin's Suburban Almanac description references Renfield, a pumpkin in the 2007 game Peggle, another game by PopCap Games.
 * Renfield's nose and mouth resemble Pumpkin's.
 * Maybe because they are cousins.
 * Pumpkin and Renfield are cousins, because they are pumpkins.


 * For some reason, you can place Pumpkins on top of a Spikeweed and a Spikerock. If you place a Pumpkin atop a Spikeweed when there's a zombie on it, the zombie will eat the Pumpkin and at the same time be attacked by the Spikeweed.
 * This one of the two plants without "real eyes" as his eyes are simply hollowed out of his shell. The other plant is the Chomper, which has no eyes, It also does not have a real mouth, because like it's eyes, it's simply hollowed out of his shell, this makes Pumpkin the only plant without eyes and a mouth.
 * A Puff-shroom is too small for a Pumpkin, but when it shoots a spore, the spore somehow passes through the Pumpkin's shell and still damages the zombies which is unusual.
 * Maybe it's shooting out of a hole.
 * When a Pumpkin with a plant inside is Squashed, it will have a flattened animation of the plant above a flattened Pumpkin instead of a flattened version of the plant in the Pumpkin.
 * A Starfruit lies on it's back if it's Pumpkin-less, but if a Pumpkin is added then it would be standing up, due to otherwise, you can't see the Starfruit.
 * Bungee Zombies can't take Pumpkins if they're surrounding another plant, except Lily Pad and Flower Pot. However, if a Bungee Zombie attempts to take a Cattail from a Pumpkin, it will cause the Cattail to downgrade to a Lily Pad. The same thing happens if you try to dig a Cattail from inside a Pumpkin. This is so the Pumpkin does just fall into the water.
 * When you plant a Pumpkin around a plant and then the Pumpkin is eaten, the zombies will have to move forward a little to continue eating the plant that is inside the Pumpkin.
 * Pumpkin can't be planted on Sea-shroom and Tangle Kelp because they are aquatic plants, but they can still be planted on Cattails, because it is the upgrade for the Lily Pad.
 * The Pumpkin is the only defensive plant that doesn't lose its smile when eaten.
 * The Pumpkin is one of the four plants in Air Raid.
 * There is a way to dig up a Pumpkin without digging up the plant inside it. It involves using the Shovel lower onto the square it is on.
 * Pumpkins cannot protect Cob Cannon, Tangle Kelp, Sea-shroom and Grave Buster, because Cob Cannon is too big to fit, Tangle Kelp and Sea-shroom have no area for the Pumpkin to rest on, and Grave Buster can't be protected because it's on a grave, and graves can't be planted on.
 * If a Chomper is in a Pumpkin, when the Chomper sways to the right its lower lip seems to get through the Pumpkin.
 * This is the only degrading plant that has an unused degrade look.
 * In the DS version it doesn't move, however in the Suburban Almanac is moving.
 * They are pretty much necessary in Survival: Endless.
 * In the iPad version, the holes on Pumpkin's top edge is missing.
 * Also, it looks rounder.
 * Pumpkin is based on a Jack o' Lantern in Halloween.
 * Also, it's eyes looks like crescent moons.
 * Pumpkins are one of five plants whose purpose is to be chewed on. The other four are the Wall-nut, Tall-nut, Hypno-shroom and Garlic.
 * Pumpkin and Cattail are the only two plants with noses.
 * A Pumpkin's nose is hollowed out.
 * A Pumpkin prevents plants such as Chomper and Squash from hitting zombies, as the Pumpkin has a slightly larger hitbox.