Halloween is a time for kids to get dressed up as their favourite characters, superheroes, or athletes, and some parents really knock the holiday out of the park.
Especially if you're all-time rockstar dad, DJ Oetting.
Oetting, who said he "had to get creative," gave his special needs son, Easton, a spectacular inclusive Halloween costume this year.
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Five-year-old Easton Oetting will be rolling down the Edmonton streets in style on Halloween, in the form of an Oilers zamboni driver.
Easton has duplication syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which keeps his bound to a wheelchair. The young boy can't walk and is mostly non-verbal so his dad — a handyman — builds costumes tailored specifically to his son's needs.
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Oetting says it took him five hours to build the wood-framed zamboni, which can be integrated on top of Easton's wheelchair.
Born and raised in Ontario, DJ says he became a diehard Oilers fan after his aunt and uncle moved to Alberta when he was a young boy. Edmonton's deep run into the Western Conference Finals in 2022 helped this year become a special bonding time for the Oetting family — especially for young Easton who took a liking to the team.
DJ says him and his family were sporting Oilers jerseys throughout the team's NHL playoff run and he decided to incorporate the zamboni into this year's Halloween costume — while sporting the jersey of #97, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
Besides grabbing the attention of local news outlets and neighbours, DJ and Easton's zamboni costume grabbed the attention of the NHL itself, who called it the "costume of the year."
On his social media handles, DJ says as an Oilers fan, it was obvious for him to create "this masterpiece for [Easton] to cruise around on."
Easton’s Dad Certainly Makes Halloween His Son’s Time to Shine
Easton's creative "Oilers zamboni" costume is not the young boy's first venture into imaginative and inspiring Halloween costumes.
Easton, who's lives in Sarnia, Ontario, had previously rocked Halloween as a hot dog vendor, a bulldozing contractor, and the grandpa from the Pixar movie, Up — all custom-made to fit his wheelchair.
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On social media, people have shared overwhelming positive support for the Oetting family, calling it "incredible" and "a blessing you two have each other," some commenting that DJ is the "best dad ever."
Keep up the inspiring dad-of-the-year costume work, Mr. Oetting and Happy Halloween, Mr. Zamboni Driver!
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