This Montreal kid turned his wheelchair into the Mars Rover for Halloween
Halloween is Emile Laliberte's favourite holiday. Since he was young, he always took great pride in his costumes, but this year's is truly out of this world.
"It's incredible," said the beaming 15-year-old Laliberte, who will take to the neighbourhood streets this Halloween in a special-made Mars Rover costume.
Laliberte uses a wheelchair, which means some costumes are not a great fit. At least, that was the case until he met handyman Robert Murphy and his group, Duct Tapers Anonymous.
In 2018, they got the idea to build a bespoke costume for a child with reduced mobility.
"So we grouped a whole bunch of people, designers, 3D artists, to start working on this," recalls Murphy from his garage workshop.
That's when they met Emile.
"We built a costume according to his specifications, and he wanted to be a dragon, which he named Chad."
The dragon was custom-made to fit around Emile's wheelchair.
Murphy gets emotional when he recalls the first time Emile transformed into Chad, the dragon.
"I go back to that video," said Murphy, his voice cracking. "And I see his face again, just laughing so much. So, yes, it's all worth it."
Emile Laliberte poses in his Halloween costume in Montreal, Sunday, October 28, 2018. In Halloweens past, 10-year-old Emile struggled to find costumes that wouldn't be hidden by his wheelchair.But Laliberte looks to be the envy of all the children on his block as he sets out trick or treating on Oct. 31 as a green dragon with 3D-printed scales, motorized wings and glowing animated eyes to watch over the Styrofoam castle that surrounds his wheelchair.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
ENTER 'ROLLOWEEN'
From that, Rolloween was born. On Duct Tapers' website, the organization says it will "keep making even more costumes until eventually, we have squads of happy kids rolling all over the Montreal area."
During the pandemic, they took a hiatus but are now back, and so is Emile -- who still loves Halloween.
"We asked him if he still likes to get dressed up, and he told us he did," said Murphy. "So we asked what his dream costume this year would be.'
Emile answered that he now has a new passion: outer space.
He asked if they could turn him into the Mars Rover. The answer was an emphatic yes, and for weeks, the team has been working to nail every last detail.
"Next year, he'll pass it on to another child as we build another costume," said Murphy. "Every year, we'll probably build one more, maybe two more, so eventually, we'll have an entire flotilla of costumes, just rolling on the streets of Montreal."
Murphy hopes Rolloween will inspire others to use their talents to help others.
"Make something nice for someone. Build something, fix something, help a neighbour," he said.
Laliberte plans to do just that. He was so touched by the Rolloween gang that he now wants to become an engineer so one day. he can make someone else's smile beam from ear to ear.
Just like his alter ego, Chad, the dragon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
With DNA break, police ID victim in decades-old Newfoundland case
A skull was found along a backroad near St. John's more than 20 years ago. Now, police have finally identified the victim of the homicide.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Trudeau must more publicly support ICC decisions amid Israel-Hamas war: ex-ministers
A group of prominent former politicians and current academics is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to change his tone on the possibility of arrest warrants for senior Israeli leaders.
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Defence industry, allies call for Canada to increase military investments
Canada's announcement of an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military is getting a lukewarm reception at the country's largest defence trade show, as allies and military industry companies want to see more investment from the federal government.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing plan defeated in House of Commons
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing bill has been defeated in the House of Commons with the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois voting against the legislation.