The character's apparent meaninglessness was referenced in the original skit. Tom Hanks jokingly tweeted that he dressed as Pumpkins for Halloween in 2016. To promote his Reddit Ask Me Anything, Microsoft founder Bill Gates parodied the original sketch, and received some criticism for the effort. Hanks's performance as an "SNL" host, including the Pumpkins sketch, garnered him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017. In October 2017, Madame Tussauds Orlando adapted their existing wax figure of Tom Hanks to appear as David Pumpkins.