Trent Rommel

October 2021 Character Design Challenge

The Theme of the Month is: Halloween University!

Challenge Prompt:
“The dark, putrescent city of Tenebra is the proud seat of Halloween University, the most prestigious educational institution in the monster's world. The spookiest and more promising young critters from around the globe gather here to study merciless, gruesome, and effective new ways to terrifying and torture the body and souls of puny, mortal humans. Internationally famous teachers such as Ph.D. Doctor Frankenstein, Professor Pinhead, and Instructor Nessie Lochness are just some of the many estimated scholars teaching at the university under the oppressive supervision of Supreme Director Cthulhu, possibly the most accomplished monster working in the field of Terror & Despair studies. The hell bells for the new academic year are already ringing, and new students are taking their seats in the classrooms...”

I explored what a fan of the university team might look like! The character needed to be a monster, and for immediate readability, I wanted to stick within the classic Halloween monsters: Dracula, ghosts, werewolf, mummy, etc. I figured a zombie was the most appropriate for the horde (haha) of fans in the stands.

My specific prompt became: design a zombie fan of the Halloween University football team. The submission needed to scream this idea, leaving no doubts as to who this character is and what their role is in relation to where this role takes place: Halloween University!

Like the best football superfans, this character needed to fanatically sport their team colors, and nothing screams HALLOWEEN as loudly as orange and black. Every football team needs a good mascot or identifier beyond their team colors, like the Cheeseheads of the Green Bay Packers. Pumpkins are the symbol of Halloween. Spiders, monsters, and gravestones abound during the scary season, but their meanings and symbolism branch far beyond Halloween itself. Thus, the Pumpkinheads of Halloween University came into being.

What makes a superfan beyond adorning themselves with the team colors in every conceivable way? I brainstormed a list after doing some visual research. Face paint and body paint was essential, and a key identifier to university football fandom. Foam fingers, team jerseys, fake hair, sunglasses (most of these events are outdoors after all), and team flags, scarves, and accessories completed the superfan look.

What makes a zombie a zombie? I needed to avoid simply designing a typical human in a goofy pose. The costume design needed to be specific to a zombie character, not just a football fan skin that could wrap around any monster. Zombies have their undead shambling poses, their contorted, half-alive malfunctioning limbs, and most importantly: they’re usually still sporting the means of their demise. (Gunshot wounds, missing limbs, the classic axe in the head, etc.) In this case, our zombie was stabbed by wooden stakes! Fortunately, this zombie’s means of death allows him to better support his favorite team with signs and team flags.

I could not resist using the simple outcry that graces every live sporting event at some point or other… and just so happens to be synonymous with scary Halloween, “Boo!” Low-hanging fruit, no doubt, but it’s Halloween University…

What good is a live sporting event without delicious concessions? Of course, at an institution such as Halloween University, the comestibles are not standard human food. The humans are more likely to be the food… And besides, zombies prefer brains over hotdogs. So if brains are the concession of choice, what better way to serve up such a treat than in a classic pumpkin bucket?

For a university team, the initials of the school frequently become their logo. At a Boston University hockey game, you hear, “Go BU!” more often than, “Go Terriers!” So with Halloween University, I needed a good H logo. Readability with any logo is paramount, so I sought to keep the design minimal. Spikes are a universal symbol for danger, and Halloween University is a school for monsters, so a spiky H fit the bill.

Thanks for checking out the development background on this character! See him in the glory of his final form below.