What happens on the card

A New England pumpkin patch at golden hour: a red barn, maples turning, a white fence, and in the middle a pumpkin already the size of a car. It breathes with the music: a ring shrinks onto it twice a bar, and a tap right when the ring lands waters it for a good 32 lb, more on a streak. The weight climbs on the weigh-off board at the top, past the grower's personal best, past the UK record, past 3,000. A crow lands on the stem and pecks pounds off (tap it to shoo it), and a cloud of frost drifts in from the hills (hold the finger down and the grower hugs the pumpkin warm). Then the forklift beeps in, lifts the pumpkin in its sling and carries it to the big scale by the fence: the needle swings, the crowd holds its breath on a drum roll, and the number locks. A pumpkin barely watered still beats the grower's own best, with a wink; a well-watered one takes the world record. The forklift comes back with the birthday cake and sets it on top, confetti, their name and age; with an age, the grower's entry tag carries it.

Who it is for

Rhode Islanders and New Englanders, gardeners and giant-pumpkin growers, farmers-market people, October and fall birthdays, and anyone who has ever talked to a plant to make it grow.

What to write in a pumpkin birthday card

The message is yours. If you need a start, these fit this card:

  • “Happy birthday! You are a record-breaker.”
  • “Wishing you a year that grows 50 pounds a day. Happy birthday.”
  • “Big, bright and a little bit round. Happy birthday, champion.”

How to send it

  1. Tap Make this card: the card opens with this game.
  2. Type their first name, their age and your message. The card updates as you type.
  3. Send the link on WhatsApp, by text or by email. You are told when they open it.

Questions

Can I personalise this pumpkin birthday card?

Yes. Their first name and age are written into the game itself, and you choose the title, the message, a P.S., the celebration at the end, the colours and the fonts. You can also switch to any of the other 43 games without losing your words.

How much does a pumpkin birthday card cost?

Making and previewing it is free. Sending it costs 2.60 € in the euro zone, £2.20 in the United Kingdom and $2.90 everywhere else, once, with no subscription.

How do I send a pumpkin birthday card?

As a link, on WhatsApp, by text or by email. It opens in their browser, on a phone or a computer, with no app and no account, and the link does not expire.

Can they lose the game?

No. Every game lasts about twenty seconds and always ends on the birthday cake with their name, whatever they do. A score is shown at the end, just for fun.

Also known as: giant pumpkin birthday card, fall birthday card, autumn birthday card, rhode island birthday card, gardener birthday card, farmer birthday card.