Sweet pumpkin for a new gardener?

My new neighbors are about to have a life changing experience. Living next to a Permie! Bwahahaha!

They really want to grow sugar pumpkins. But um, pepo squash, in my region quickly succumb to the dreaded squash bugs.

Moschatta is the way to go locally. Is there a moschatta pumpkin that is somewhat comparable to the sugar pumpkin?

My understanding is most commercial pie fillings are made with moschata squash too.

Honeynut is a hybrid  moschata variety known for being sweet + small. Might be worth a try? I haven't tried it personally but keep stumbling on rave reviews for it.

Butternut is moschata and makes a brilliant pie filling, honestly better than most sugar pumpkins I've tried. If they specifically want something round and pumpkin-shaped though, Long Island Cheese is worth a look. It's moschata, handles squash bugs well, and the flesh is sweet enough for baking without being watery.

Sounds like a learning experience waiting to happen.  Best luck to you and your neighbors ...

Yeah cause there actually are some good moschata options that get pretty close. ‘Long Island Cheese’ and ‘Musquée de Provence’ are probably the closest in terms of flavor and texture. Also ‘Dickinson’ types (what they use for canned pumpkin) are moschata and work great for pies. They won’t look exactly like sugar pumpkins, but the flesh is dense, sweet, and honestly often better for cooking.

We like Baby Pam pie pumpkin. They are easy to grow and store very well in the winter months. My sister in law's sister makes pumpkin pie with them. If there is a better pumpkin pie, I have not had it. I just take the remaining pumpkins and spread out the seeds in the spring, presto, a new pumpkin patch. Had a lot of extra pumpkins last season, some quite small, gave them to an acquaintance for a 60 kid Halloween party at his church. The kids went crazy for those little pumpkins, videos were taken, and I believe some drone footage. Could not download it but it made me smile that we made a bunch of kids happy.