Gourgeist is a ghostly gourd-like Pokémon that varies dramatically in size. Its body is a dark brown pumpkin with a glowing, yellow-orange face carved into the front and a pair of nubby legs. The face consists of two triangular eyes and a grinning mouth; on top of the mouth is a small, triangular cutout for a nose. Poking out of the top of the pumpkin is its slender brown-orange head, which has bright yellow eyes and a small mouth but no visible nose. Gourgeist has long, light pink hair with arm-like tendrils framing its face and bangs that usually cover one eye. On top of its head is a crescent-shaped tuft that is brown on top; this tuft resembles a pumpkin's stem. In the anime, Gourgeist has shown the ability to retract its upper body into the pumpkin, giving it the appearance of a traditional jack-o'-lantern.
On the night of a new moon, Gourgeist wanders town streets while singing an eerie song. Those who hear its song will be cursed. It is also known to sing joyfully while observing prey it has entangled in its arms.
Gourgeist has four separate forms: Small Size, Average Size, Large Size, and Super Size.
Gourgeist's four different sizes determines their target for who they take into the afterlife. Small Gourgeist prefers targeting adults by pretending to be children. The large Gourgeist prefers taking children by pretending to be adults. The Supersize Gourgeist aren't picky and will target anyone.
Gourgeist, the Pumpkin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pumpkaboo. Gourgeist wander through town at the new moon, surrounding their prey with their arms which resemble hair.
Gourgeist have four different forms, each named after their respective size: Small Size, Average Size, Large Size, and Super Size.
Its size is maintained through evolution from Pumpkaboo and cannot be changed. Gourgeist typically cannot be found in the wild, and its different forms can usually only be obtained by evolving Pumpkaboo, whose larger sizes are rarer to encounter. However, in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Average Size Gourgeist can be found in the wild, and Gourgeist can also be encountered in Dynamax Adventures.
Super Size Gourgeist have different, lower-pitched cries than the other forms, and were also the only Pokémon to have the XXL size designation in Pokémon GO prior to the addition of XXL and XXS sizes for all species. The different sizes of Gourgeist do not use different menu sprites, except in Pokémon HOME.
Previously, only Average Size and Super Size Gourgeist could have their Hidden AbilityInsomnia. Average Size can be obtained with its Hidden Ability from the Friend Safari, and Super Size could be obtained with its Hidden Ability from events. Since Version 1.2.0 of Pokémon Sword and Shield, all sizes can be obtained with their Hidden Abilities via Ability Patches.
Each form has different base stats. With each increase in size, its base HP stat increases by 10 points and its base Attack stat increases by 5 points while its base Speed stat decreases by 15 points. Consequently, its base stat total does not vary with size.
Gourgeist appears to be based on bottle gourds, pumpkins, and modern jack-o'-lanterns, decorations made out of carved pumpkins for Halloween. Its multiple sizes may be a reference to the tradition of trying to grow the largest pumpkin for Halloween. Its upper body may also be based on the candles within jack-o'-lanterns themselves, with the curl being its wick and its hair-like extensions its dripping wax. It could also be viewed as a mere extension of the shape and the curl on top being its stem. The lower body's different color might also reference the tradition of decorating gourds with paint. Gourgeist's behavior of knocking on people's front doors before whisking them away, as described by its Pokédex entry in Pokémon Shield, may reference the Halloween tradition of going door-to-door for trick-or-treating.
Gourgeist also has potential connections with the famous Japanese story, Yotsuya Kaidan, in which a woman transforms into a paper lantern yōkai with long hair.
Name origin
Gourgeist may be a combination of gorgeous, gourd and geist.
Pumpjin may be a combination of pumpkin and 神 shin (deity, spirit), 人 jin (man), or jinn.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.