GoKawiilNew Mac menu bar app 'Pumpkin Lights' turns dark mode toggle into a jack-o-lantern
A free indie Mac app called Pumpkin Lights adds a ray-traced jack-o-lantern to the menu bar that can be clicked or pulled to switch between light and dark mode. The app offers customizable pumpkin designs and colors, realistic hanging physics, and alternate actions like opening apps, running shortcuts, muting sound, or keeping the Mac awake, with an optional hanging light bulb as an alternative design.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The app reflects a small but recurring trend of developers turning mundane system settings into playful, tactile interactions rather than flat UI toggles, as the developer describes wanting the action to 'feel like touching a real object.' Its timing around Halloween suggests indie developers continue to find niche seasonal hooks to attract attention in a crowded Mac utility market.
- Pumpkin Lights is a free Mac menu bar app featured in 9to5Mac's Indie App Spotlight series.
- It uses a ray-traced 3D jack-o-lantern to toggle light/dark mode and supports other customizable actions.
- The developer emphasized tactile, physics-based design as the motivation behind the app.
Source: 9to5mac.com — Michael Burkhardt, 2026-10-31
Published there as: “Indie App Spotlight: ‘Pumpkin Lights’ adds a fun jack-o-lantern to your Mac’s menu bar”
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