With Halloween around the corner, plenty of games are getting into the spirit with Halloween-themed events, and Pokémon Pokopia is no different. The Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises event is going on now, and runs until November 1st at 4:59 a.m. local time.
What new Pokémon are in Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises?
The Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises event adds both Pumpkaboo and its evolution, Gourgeist, to Pokémon Pokopia. You’ll need to befriend them during the event to have them stay in your game once the event ends.
How do I start Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises?
First, make sure that your copy of Pokémon Pokopia has been updated to Ver. 2.0.1. You can check the version number in the upper right corner of the title screen or via the Options screen accessible via the Nintendo Switch 2 Home menu.
You can start the Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises even once you’ve rebuilt at least one town’s Pokémon Center in the base game and learned the move Camouflage from Zorua in Bleak Beach.
Your Switch 2 system date and time must be set to any time within the event time period of October 17th at 5 a.m. local time to November 1st at 4:59 a.m. local time.
Once you have met the above requirements, you will find Pumpkaboo wandering around whichever Pokémon Centers you have completed. Speak to Pumpkaboo to befriend it and start the event. Please note: Pumpkaboo will not be present at the Bubbly Basin Pokémon Center.
Can I participate in Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises in Bubbly Basin?
No, Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises will not take place in Bubbly Basin. Pumpkaboo will not spawn at the Bubbly Basin Pokémon Center, nor will it be decorated for Halloween.
How do I get Pumpkin Candy?
Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises is all about surprising the Pokémon who live in your towns so that they’ll give you Pumpkin Candy, which you can then exchange for event-themed items from Pumpkaboo at the Pokémon Center.
To surprise a Pokémon, you’ll need to use Camouflage (learned from Zorua in Bleak Beach during the progression of Pokémon Pokopia’s story) to disguise yourself as an item that they’ll like, then undo the transformation while you have their attention as that item. Once you undo the transformation, they’ll be surprised that it was actually Ditto in disguise and reward you with one to three pieces of Pumpkin Candy. You can’t surprise the same Pokémon repeatedly in a short period of time, so make sure you make your way around town surprising multiple Pokémon. However, after a small amount of time has passed, you can scare the same Pokémon again.
How do I know what disguises will surprise a Pokémon?
To figure out which objects you can disguise yourself as, open up your target Pokémon’s page in the Pokédex and press R twice to open the Specialties & Likes page. Objects that match the descriptions listed under Favorites will work to surprise that Pokémon.
Surprising Pokémon only seems to work with decorations and furniture, so disguising yourself as plants, berries, materials, and blocks won’t work to surprise them. You’ll know a Pokémon will be surprised by your chosen disguise once a speech bubble pops up pointing out the object you are disguised as.
What can I exchange Pumpkin Candy for?
Once you’ve surprised a couple of Pokémon, you should have enough Pumpkin Candy to give to Pumpkaboo in exchange for prizes. Head inside any decorated Pokémon Center to find Pumpkaboo behind the counter, surrounded by the prizes you can exchange for.
Each prize can be obtained for anywhere between one to three pieces of Pumpkin Candy. There are nine prizes you can exchange for, and obtaining one of each of them requires a total of 20 Pumpkin Candies. Each prize can be bought an infinite number of times, so make sure to stock up on your favorites during the event if you’re looking to create some Halloween-themed homes for your Pokémon.
| Item | Name | Pumpkin Candies | Description | Special Interaction? |
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Fun Balloons | 2 Pumpkin Candies | Cute Pikachu and Drifloon balloons that sway in the slightest breeze. | Yes; Will blow in the same direction as the wind. |
 |
Huge Table | 1 Pumpkin Candy | An extra-large table that can seat many – perfect for parties and all celebrations! | No |
 |
Ghost Smoke Projector | 3 Pumpkin Candies | A small, lightweight device that billows ghostlike smoke. | Yes; Inspecting with A will make this projector play eerie sounds and blow smoke shaped like the ghosts from Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Can be activated with switches and laser sensors. |
 |
Pumpkin Lantern Tower | 2 Pumpkin Candies | A small Pikachu rests on a Mimikyu. This could be placed on top of a Pumpkin Lantern. | Yes; Stackable on Pumpkin Lantern. |
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Pumpkin Lantern | 2 Pumpkin Candies | A faintly glowing pumpkin lantern. Its face looks just like Haunter! | Yes; Stack Pumpkin Lantern Tower (or other items) on top. |
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Trevenant Streetlight | 2 Pumpkin Candies | If you place two Trevenant Streetlights side by side, the connecting branches form an arch. | No |
 |
Candy Bucket | 2 Pumpkin Candies | A small bucket shaped like Pikachu filled with all kinds of candy and chocolate. | No |
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Cofagrigus Locker | 3 Pumpkin Candies | A coffin-like locker that resembles Cofagrigus. Open the door and store your stuff inside! | Yes; You can store up to 20 items inside |
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Eerie Statue | 3 Pumpkin Candies | A magnificent stone statue of Duskull, Dusclops, and Dusknoir. And when night falls… | Yes, after dark only; Duskull, Dusclops, and Dusknoir’s eyes glow, and the statue sometimes moves when you get close. |
Is there a reward for completing Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises?
If you can scare up 20 Pumpkin Candies and exchange them all for at least one of each of Pumpkaboo’s prizes, you’ll be granted a final reward for the event: the Trick or Treat frame for your in-game photos. This frame features candy, spiderwebs, Woobat, Golbat, Haunter, and Pikachu and Mimikyu jack-o-lanterns.
Are there new Pokémon Habitats in Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises?
There are two new habitats you can build using the furniture and decorations you can get as prizes in Pumpkaboo’s Sweet Surprises, and building them both will end up costing you eleven Pumpkin Candies total. These habitats can be homes for Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist, though keep in mind you’ll permanently befriend Pumpkaboo just by starting the event and they won’t move into any habitats or homes until after the event is over. You will, however, have to build Gourgeist’s habitat and befriend them during the event to have them stay permanently.
| Habitat | Name | Description | Items | Pokémon |
 |
Give Me Something Good to Eat | Trickster ghosts have been eying these delicious sweets. |
|
Pumpkaboo |
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Creepy Pumpkins | Pokémon may be drawn here by the mysterious light. |
|
Gourgeist |
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
