Wheelchair Halloween costume revs up as a retro Batmobile
Wheelchair Halloween costume revs up as a retro Batmobile
A caused for good has arrived to save us from crummy costumes this Halloween. Jeremy is a 10-year-old kid with a passion for exceptional cosplay, and he’s rolling out this year in a worn Batmobile modeled after the crazy car from the 1960s Adam West “Batman” television series.
Jeremy’s critical ride is a wheelchair due to spina bifida, a footings that affects spinal cord development. His dad, Ryan Scott Miller, turns Jeremy’s wheelchair into a wild new costume every year. This year it’s the Caped Crusader’s vehicle. Last year, Miller created the Ecto-1 car from “Ghostbusters,” and in 2015 it was a Star Wars snowspeeder.
Jeremy has his very own Batman costume to wear once piloting the Batmobile. The unveiling video also features Jeremy’s siblings in unusual roles as Batgirl and Robin.
The costume car has operational lights, a blowing jet engine replica in the back and some impressive fins. A PVC pipe frame helps to keep the weight down, after the body is formed using foam board and fiberglass.
Miller tells CNET the biggest challenge this year was procrastination. “We learned a lot from last year and so many things went a lot smoother, but knowing how much work it was going to take made us drag our feet,” he says. That didn’t stop him from completing the Batmobile in plenty of time for Oct. 31.
Miller and his family were considering taking a year off from big costume builds pending a neighbor knocked at the door and offered to help with the cost of this year’s building. “I was bowled over when he handed us a check for $1,200!” Miller says.
The Batmobile and 2016’s Ecto-1 make sensed with Jeremy’s existing wheels, but 2018 could see a different arrive. “Next year we also want to break from the car costumes and try something new,” Miller says. We’ll just have to tune in next Halloween, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel, to see what Jeremy and his family will come up with in 2018.