Every parent's favorite retail giant, Target is already known for leading the inclusivity movement with its progressive product offerings, from adaptive kids' fashion to sensory-friendly furniture. Now, the red bull's-eye is zeroing in on Halloween: debuting a line of adaptive and adorable costumes fit for every little trick-or-treater out there.
"[Parents with kids who have specific needs] told us again and again that they want their children to have the same exciting, magical experience other kids enjoy on Halloween," commented collection designers Mari Anderson and Stacey Monsen. Monsen was inspired by her nine-year-old daughter with autism. "Many families in the special needs community end up making their costumes," she notes. "But for those who are on a budget, are time-strapped or simply would rather not create something from scratch, we wanted to offer amazing costumes with adaptive features."
Taking inspiration from some of the store's most popular costumes from years past, the design team picked four favorite costumes to adapt — a shark, a unicorn, a princess and a pirate costume. They redefined these costumes using adaptive features and designed them with sensory considerations in mind, such as tagless construction, flat seams and extended zippers. Even cooler, two awesome wheelchair covers transform the kiddos’ wheels into a pirate ship or a royal chariot, and can be cut to fit a variety of wheelchair sizes.
The warm and comfy unicorn and shark onesies, starting at $25, come in toddler and kids’ sizes, and feature flat seams, a hidden opening in the front pocket allowing abdominal access, and extras such as hoods, tails and wings (or fins) that are removable to accommodate sensitivities.
The enchanting princess costume ($20) includes a sparkly tiara and a wheelchair-friendly pink gown and can be paired with a fabulous carriage wheelchair cover ($45), delivering your little Cinderella to the ball in royal style. And for the seafarin’ crew, a jaunty pirate costume ($25), with a back opening for ease of dressing, comes complete with a hat, eye patch, and the best part, a pirate ship wheelchair cover ($45) to get them ready to conquer the seas.
“I’ve worked hard to teach my son the importance of advocating for himself and feeling included,” says Target employee Marissa Smith, whose son Elijah poses as the dashing pirate model. “I’m beyond blessed that he is part of this much-needed movement toward inclusion.”
The online-only styles are available for order on the website, with Target promising to restock sold-out favorites throughout October.
