This article is about a character in a Smurfs comic book story as well as a figure of legend, not referring to a decoration that appears in Halloween.
Jack O'Lantern was a figure from Irish folklore who appeared as a character in the Smurfs comic book story, "Halloween". According to legend, he was a trickster ghost or spirit who once was a man, but was barred from Heaven after death because he had been so stingy in life, as well from as Hell because he had duped the Devil earlier into agreeing to promise not to take him. As a result, Jack was doomed by the Devil to wander the earth forever carrying a magic lantern that could light up places that were very dark and help him in finding things at night. In early versions of the legend, the lantern was carved from an enchanted turnip, but in the later American version, it was made from a pumpkin, from which the Halloween decoration of the "jack o'lantern" evolved.
In the Smurfs story referred to above, he was conjured up one Halloween by the apple tree witch and Gargamel to punish the Smurflings for playing a trick on them. But instead of granting their request, he said he would carry off into the night the one who had summoned him. Gargamel and the witch each tried to convince Jack that the other for was responsible for calling him out. Finally, he punished them both by using his magic powers to turn Gargamel into a living pumpkin and sausage links to grow out of the witch's nose.