Young John
By Amy Higgins
If you want to create a Halloween family tradition, learn about one of the pioneers of pumpkin carving: Paul “Grampa” Bardeen.
“Once I saw John Bardeen carve, his arm was (held) like petting a cat,” says Barry Brown, master pumpkin carver. “I watched him carve and I thought, I’m going to carve like that.”
It all started with the tools. John’s father, Grampa Bardeen, wanted to find a safe way for his five children to carve pumpkins. Paul experimented and eventually created the first pumpkin-carving saws using coping-saw blades inserted into wooden dowels. He also found a way to transfer patterns to the waxy gourds using a nail to poke around the design.
After Paul passed away in 1983, his children wanted to find a way to pay tribute to their father. They decided to assemble and sell pumpkin-carving kits based on Paul’s tool designs, and in 1985 Pumpkin Masters formed.
But Paul wasn’t the only visionary in the family. Shortly after the debut of the kit, John decided it needed a scooper that removes the goop inside the pumpkin. He modified an ice cream scooper until he had it right. After his family tested the tool, the scooper became a permanent part of the kit.
Brown recalls, “There was a crazy store called Alfalfa’s in Denver. I walked in and there was this carving kit; this specific pumpkin carving kit. It had these little tools and these great pictures and I thought, ‘I can really do some stuff with that.’”
John recalls creating carved pumpkins for popular television shows including Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show,” “Roseanne” and “The Arsenio Hall Show.”
“I learned a lot about my carving from Barry because he would point out the things that I just did naturally, like carving straight up and down and moving the saw by bending by elbow, not my wrist,” John says. “Barry would say, ‘I just learned this from you.’”
Pumpkin Masters sold in 1997 to Signature Brands, LLC. The company continues to sell pumpkin-carving tools you see at local retail stores today, however the tools are made overseas to keep prices lower so the original details the Bardeen’s incorporated – longer handles, larger scooper – are no longer there.
In 2012, John decided to make another pumpkin carving kit with tools made to the standard he originally intended. The Grampa Bardeen’s Pumpkin Carving Set contains 18 quality tools made with durable elements like Teflon® and steel. “It’s the original blades. It’s all made in the USA, with the handle that makes sense and the blade that makes sense,” Brown says. “It’s more expensive, but it’s right.”
Brown continues, “I wish I could say to Grampa Bardeen, ‘That moment you put that blade in that dowel was brilliant. Because of that kit there are millions of people around the world that are carrying on that pumpkin-carving tradition with their kids.’”
To create your own Halloween family tradition, you need the right tools. Get more information about the Grampa Bardeen’s Pumpkin Carving Set, visit grampabareen.com or amazon.com.