You Can Preorder Wheelchair-Adaptive Halloween Costumes For Kids At Target Now

Target is helping make sure all kids find the perfect Halloween costume this year. Launching this fall, Target will have wheelchair-adaptive halloween costumes available in-store and online. As Target spokesperson Kristen Mezzenga told Bustle over email, this is in part a response to the success the company has had with wheelchair-adaptive apparel in the past.

“Based on the response to our Cat & Jack adaptive apparel and Pillowfort sensory-friendly home items, we know that design details can have a huge impact,” Mezzenga said. “We’re now bringing that spirit of inclusivity to our new Hyde and Eek! Boutique kids’ adaptive Halloween costumes, which we hope will bring more ease and joy to our guests’ everyday lives.”

The range includes four different costumes and two wheelchair cover accessories for kids with disabilities. In addition to the two wheelchair covers, two of the costumes were specifically designed with kids who use wheelchairs in mind. There is a princess costume for $20 that comes in hot pink and has gold detailing throughout. The dress features an “opening in the back for ease of dressing and a wheelchair-friendly design,” per the product description. For $25, you can get the pirate costume, which comes complete with a vest, pants, eye patch, and hat. In addition, to the back opening, the pant legs are wide enough for a kid to put on their pants with shoes on.

The collection also includes two wheelchair covers that correspond with the princess and pirate costumes. The pirate ship wheelchair cover features a wooden ship design, a Jolly Roger flag, and decorative wheel covers made to look like ocean waves. The princess carriage halloween cover features a silver and purple ornate design and turns your chair’s wheels into elegant carriage wheels. Both covers feature a hook-and-loop closure and can be adjusted to fit a variety of wheelchair sizes. They’re available for pre-order online for $45 and will ship August 22.

The range of adaptive halloween costumes includes shark onesie and a unicorn onesie. Both include a hidden opening in the front pocket making abdominal access more easy and convenient. Many parts of both costumes are also detachable (like the shark’s fins and the unicorn’s wings) to accommodate kids’ different sensitivities. Mezzenga noted that the costumes have “flat seams and no tags, helping even more kids enjoy the festivities of the fall season.”

People who use wheelchairs are known for making creative wheelchair-adaptive Halloween costumes, in great part out of necessity and lack of wheelchair-friendly or wheelchair-specific apparel. Target’s new range will help expand the options for kids and parents who may not otherwise have access to adaptive costumes. You can shop the range of adaptive costumes is currently available to shop and pre-order online.

As Mezzenga mentioned, Target announced an adaptive apparel Cat & Jack collection in August 2017. One of the designers, Stacey Monsen, shared that her daughter was part of the inspiration behind the collection.

“I have a 7-year-old daughter, Elinor, who has autism,” Monsen said, talking about how she often has to size up to clothes accommodate her daughter’s needs or buys pieces that are “all function, no style.” “I’ve met lots of other parents who face similar challenges, including many of our guests and team members. After talking with some of my internal design colleagues I thought, why not create pieces that address some of these problems?”

The collection included pieces like tagless tees with racoons and rainbows, designed to make dressing easy, and cozy pink joggers that have both an elastic waistband with a drawstring and belt loops to ensure secure wear. Like their new Halloween range, Target’s everyday adaptive apparel range is available to shop online.