What started out as a $5 pumpkin from Walmart became a viral Internet sensation after an Illinois man painted Donald Trump's face on the pumpkin and dubbed it "Trumpkin."
John Kettman, of La Salle, Illinois, has since painted two more pumpkins with candidates' faces — Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The three candidates were chosen in part because the excitement they were generating on his Facebook feed.
"This year is very political," Kettman said. "We've got a lot of important topics that are representing different people, too. We've got a surgeon, we've got a billionaire, we've got Hillary Clinton."
Inspired by his sister, Kettman, who a portrait artist, painted his first pumpkin 22 years ago, he said. He picked up the hobby again about six years ago, and this year he turned political with his gourd art.
Kettman wasn't a complete newcomer to the art form, however. In the past, he dabbled in political cartoons, and he also has a collection of portraits he painted on single grains of rice, including one of Abraham Lincoln and another of Jimmy Fallon.
After the "Trumpkin" went viral, Kettman decided his next candidate portraits would be painted on foam pumpkins instead of real ones, so they'll last longer.
Kettman said he'll likely paint a few more candidates' likenesses on pumpkins, but he hasn't decided on which ones. Ben Carson is a contender, but Kettman said he wants to see what the next poll numbers show.
