Peter Pots Pottery’s Ceramic Pumpkins Are Back for 2026

Peter Pots Pottery has spent nearly eight decades making the kind of mugs and dinnerware that quietly become part of everyday life. About 10 years ago, the West Kingston potters added a few ceramic jack o’lanterns to the mix. A handful became hundreds, and this year, nearly 1,000 pumpkins are waiting for their turn to glow.

Keeping up with that kind of fall enthusiasm requires a surprisingly early start. The team begins making pumpkins on March 1, more than six months before the first batch reaches shoppers in September. Each one begins as a blank clay form, but what happens next depends entirely on the potter holding the carving tools.

“We only make a few each day, so they vary greatly from piece to piece depending on who’s doing the carving and their inspiration,” says Jeffrey Greene, whose parents founded Peter Pots Pottery while studying at RISD in 1948. “Most are silly and fun but others become very serious undertakings.”

The finished patch reflects that creative freedom. Some pumpkins flash familiar toothy grins, while others become intricate characters detailed enough to earn names of their own. Shoppers can choose between cheerful or spooky faces and three glazes: Matte Green, Matte White, or Pumpkin Bread, a glossy orange-brown that feels especially at home once the included LED tealight begins flickering inside.

Prices start at $45, while the most elaborate collectible designs can reach several hundred dollars.

Getting one takes a little planning. Peter Pots releases the pumpkins online in four batches at 9 PM on September 10, 17, 24, and October 1. The studio says previous releases have sold out within minutes.

Those who prefer to pick their pumpkin in person can head to the annual Pumpkin Bash on Saturday, October 10 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Pumpkins won’t be available in the store before the event, and the studio does not accept pre-orders.

“Starting in September everyone can finally see what we’ve been working on all year,” Greene says.

For a pottery studio built on pieces meant to spend years around the dinner table, it feels fitting that a playful seasonal experiment has grown into a tradition of its own. Visit PeterPots.com for the Pumpkin Patch, release details, and more information.