Target launches Halloween costumes for children with disabilities

'We know that design details can have a huge impact' 

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Friday 19 July 2019 16:28 EDT
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Target unveils adaptive Halloween costumes (Target)
Target unveils adaptive Halloween costumes (Target)

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Target is selling Halloween costumes adapted for children with disabilities so every child can participate in the holiday.

The retailer unveiled the four inclusive costumes, including two wheelchair cover options, through its Hyde and Eek! Boutique.

One of the options offers children in wheelchairs the chance to transform it into a purple princess carriage, while the other covering sees wheelchairs of all sizes turned into a pirate ship, complete with its own pirate flag.

The $45 coverings are easily attachable using “the hook-and-loop closures for a secure fit,” according to Target’s website.

For the full effect this Halloween, children can wear an adaptive princess dress that retails for $20 or a pirate outfit available for $25, which are sold separately.

Target unveils four adaptive Halloween costumes (Target)
Target unveils four adaptive Halloween costumes (Target)
The store is selling two wheelchair coverings (Target)
The store is selling two wheelchair coverings (Target)

According to the store, the costumes feature openings in the back for “ease of dressing”.

Target is also offering two other costumes, a unicorn and a shark, for children with unique sensory needs.

The plush costumes include “flat seams and no tags for an ultra-comfy feel,” according to the descriptions.

The plush costumes feature removable parts to 'accommodate sensitivities' (Target)
The plush costumes feature removable parts to 'accommodate sensitivities' (Target)

On the shark costume, which retails for $25 for toddlers and $30 for older children, hood and fins are “removable to accommodate sensitivities”, while the unicorn costume, available for the same prices, features a detachable hood, tail and wings.

The costumes are available for preorder now (Target)
The costumes are available for preorder now (Target)

On social media, people are praising the retail giant for the step towards inclusivity.

“I always look forward to Target Halloween stuff but was really happy to see that this year they stock wheelchair accessible costumes,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Everyone should be able to enjoy Halloween.”

Another person tweeted: “Once again leading the charge in authentic inclusivity, Target is launching specially designed Halloween costumes for disabled kids: adaptive clothing and wheelchair accessories to match!”

The inclusive costumes come two years after Target released sensory-friendly clothing items for its popular children’s line Cat & Jack.

A Target spokesperson told The Independent: “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.

“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.”

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