So, I’ve been hearing this phrase floating around lately – “goofy ass pumpkin.” Yeah, you heard me. At first, I just sort of shook my head, figured it was another one of those things the internet coughs up, you know? But then I heard it a few more times, and my curiosity, or maybe just my desire to not be totally out of the loop, got the better of me. So, I did a little digging. That’s my “practice” for today, I guess – trying to figure out what in the world a “goofy ass pumpkin” is supposed to be.
Turns out, it’s one of those TikTok things. Kids yelling “pumpkin” really loud, or something like that, and it’s meant to be funny. The “ahh” instead of “ass” is part of the charm, I guess. Like saying “dumb ahh” instead of the full monty. Okay, I get it. Or, well, I get what they’re doing. The “why” is a bit more elusive, but hey, when has youth humor ever made perfect sense to the generation before them?
It’s just… loud. And repetitive. That seems to be the core of a lot of these things. Find a weird phrase, say it a lot, say it louder, and boom, you’ve got a trend. Lasts about a week, maybe two if it’s really catchy, then everyone’s on to the next goofy ass whatever.
My Own Brush with “Trendiness”
This whole pumpkin thing actually dredged up a memory for me. It wasn’t about pumpkins, thank god, but it was about trying to be “with it.” This was years ago, mind you. I was working at this company, pretty buttoned-up place, but we had this one department head, let’s call him Dave. Dave was probably in his late 40s but desperately wanted to be seen as cool and relatable by the younger folks in the office.
So, one day, there was this slang term making the rounds. I can’t even remember what it was now, something utterly cringeworthy, but it was everywhere for a hot minute. And Dave, bless his heart, decided he was going to incorporate it into his big presentation to the VPs. He’d clearly just heard it, hadn’t really gotten the nuance, you know? He just shoehorned it in.
The moment he said it, you could feel the air suck out of the room. It landed with such a thud.
- First, there was this dead silence.
- Then, you saw a few of the younger staff trying not to laugh, or maybe just die of second-hand embarrassment.
- The VPs, older guys, just looked completely bewildered. Like Dave had started speaking in tongues.
He tried to play it off, kind of chuckled like he’d just dropped some real cutting-edge humor. But the damage was done. Nobody thought it was cool. They just thought Dave was trying way too hard and, frankly, looked a bit foolish. I remember just sitting there, thinking, “Dude, just stick to what you know.” He was actually a smart guy, good at his actual job, but this attempt to be trendy was a spectacular own-goal.
After that meeting, the term he used became an internal joke for weeks, but not in the way Dave intended. People would say it under their breath and snicker. He never tried to be “hip” like that again, which was probably for the best.
So yeah, when I hear about “goofy ass pumpkin” or whatever the next thing is, I just kind of nod. I’ve seen the cycle. I’ve seen people try to jump on it. Sometimes it’s harmless fun, sometimes it’s just… loud. And sometimes, it’s a good reminder that not every trend needs to be adopted, especially if you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing with it. Just let the kids have their pumpkin yelling. It’s their turn to be goofy, I guess.