8-Year-Old Girl Gets Ride of Her Life with Princess-Themed Wheelchair “Costume” at Toy Fair New York

March 1, 2019 | A lucky eight-year-old girl from Boonton, NJ got the ride of her life in her very own princess carriage-themed “Magic Wheelchair” at this year’s Toy Fair New York.  

The Toy Association partnered with Magic Wheelchair to create a dream-come-true custom wheelchair “costume” for Sarah Garry, who has cerebral palsy as a result of a traumatic brain injury as an infant. Sarah was next to receive a wheelchair costume from the waitlist of more than 20 children from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who submitted requests to Magic Wheelchair for their very own wheelchair costume. The design and fabrication of the wheelchair costume was led by Brett Klisch, co-founder of Toy Fair’s Creative Factor educational series and president of Peru Meridian Studios.

“Words could not express the joy felt across the Javits Center’s Crystal Palace when Sarah was given her specially-designed Magic Wheelchair. To see this little girl’s face light up was truly amazing,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “Brett and his team did a fabulous job creating a beautiful costume. We plan to incorporate more Magic Wheelchair events at future shows, including Toy Fair Dallas in October.”

Magic Wheelchair, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to give kids in wheelchairs an unforgettable experience by creating custom costumes for them at no expense to their families, works with designers from all over the country to create specialized wheelchair “costumes,” which range from dinosaurs to Batmobiles to Moana’s sailboat, and everything in between. More than 150 costumes have been created for special needs children around the country since Magic Wheelchair was formed in 2014.

"Sarah's smile after her princess carriage Magic Wheelchair reveal was the highlight of the show! We're grateful to partner with The Toy Association to promote inclusion of children with disabilities. This is so powerful for children like Sarah, and we look forward to creating more magic in the future,"said Christine Ghetman, director of Magic Wheelchair.

Members who would like to know more about the Association’s planned support of Magic Wheelchair events at Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas are encouraged to contact Marian Bossard.