The self-proclaimed "Halloween enthusiast," who lost his leg to cancer aged 9, turns his disability into an advantage each year with his creative designs.
Half a decade of amazing Halloween costumes, and this might be Josh Sundquist’s best yet.
The self-proclaimed "Halloween enthusiast," who lost his leg to cancer aged 9, turns his disability into an advantage each year with his creative designs.
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It started in 2010 when he dressed as Shrek’s gingerbread man, whose leg had been nibbled off. Subsequent costumes included a flamingo, a foosball player and an “IHOP” sign. This year, he’s made his most intricate design yet: Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
Constructed over three months by his assistant and licensed carpenter Lisa McLaughlin, Sundquist premiered his costume on social media earlier this week. It was crafted from paper-mache, modeling clay, metallic fabric and poster board. The finishing touch is a large silicon nose glued to his face.
"The trick was to make it look like one cohesive outfit, but actually it’s many, many pieces," he told InsideEdition.com.
Sundquist, a motivational speaker, writer and former Paralympian, said he started brainstorming ideas for the costume over the summer and ultimately decided on Lumiere ahead of the live action Beauty and the Beast film, which will air next year.
“The most difficult part is choosing… something relevant in pop culture that I can resonate with, and [that] will resonate with other people,” he said.
The costume cost him between $200 and $300, he said. “We’ve had more expensive costumes in the past but this one was definitely most time consuming in terms of trial and error, and finding materials that were both durable but light enough to wear and move around in,” he said.
McLaughlin built two different versions of the costume – one for pictures and another that’s easier for Sundquist to move in. While the photos show him apparently standing on a pedestal, he’ll wear a gold sneaker when he leaves the house to party this weekend.
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After finishing the look, he even tweeted at senator Bernie Sanders in hopes that he would do a couples Halloween costume with him. Sanders looks just like Maurice, Belle’s father, Sundquist thinks. But “I haven’t heard anything back from him,” he said.
With a costume that’s garnered so much praise over the internet already, it’s hard to imagine how he’ll be able to follow this costume in the future – but Sundquist is more than ready for the challenge.
“The only problem is I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to make all the ideas I have for different Halloween costumes," he said. "I wish I could do one every month, but then I'd just become that weird one-legged guy who just makes costumes all the time.”
Sundquist is an author, athlete, YouTuber, and motivational speaker. His newest book “Love and First Sight” comes out in January 2017.
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