Rolloween costume maker designs rigs for wheelchair users

Counting down to Halloween, “Rolloween” volunteers are busy.

They make costumes fitted to a child’s wheelchair.

Bob Murphy showed CTV News the ice-cream truck costume he made with his Rolloween volunteers on Thursday.

“We're makers,” he said. “We have to make, we have to do stuff, and might as well make something which is beneficial to those kids.”

Murphy’s been building similar designs since 2018 and, this year, Valerie Fortin’s daughter Florence will be in the driver’s seat.

“Everyone will look at her with a big smile instead of strange looks,” said Fortin.

The costume comes complete with a steering wheel and flashing lights.

A lucky girl named Florence will get to drive this Rolloween ice cream truck, designed by Bob Murphy. (Christine Long, CTV News)

“We have a second costume this year as well that wants a Lego motorbike, which he has named Supersonic,” said Murphy of the design: “La Super Moto de Harold.”

He said the children receive a costume named for them and they play a part in the creative process when they come in for fittings.

The children’s creativity sparks the inspiration to keep building Rolloween rigs.

“Very, very emotional about the whole thing,” said Murphy. “Sometimes I ask my girlfriend why do we do this again? Because we do spend a lot of hours here taking the entire week off next week and to do this and she tells me it's for the kids.”