Magic Wheelchair Gifts Child with Power of Marvel Infinity Gauntlet at Toy Fair

March 2, 2020 | As any Marvel fan knows, not just anyone can wield the power of the Infinity Gauntlet; it takes a super powerful being to do so. Fortunately for Magic Wheelchair, the non-profit that builds epic costume for kids in wheelchairs, one special boy from Connecticut was up to the challenge at this year’s Toy Fair New York.

The Toy Association partnered with Magic Wheelchair to gift 11-year-old Chad Chlebowski, who has Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, with his very own Marvel-themed “Magic Wheelchair” during a special ceremony held at Toy Fair New York last week. The wheelchair costume, designed in collaboration with Four Horsemen and BB Props, featured two of Chlebowski’s favorite Marvel characters reaching for the Infinity Stones: Thanos on one side and Iron Man on the other.

A crowd gathered at the entrance to the show floor at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday morning, February 23, for the reveal. Carlo’s Bakery also gifted Chlebowski with a one-of-a-kind Thanos/Iron Man cake.

“Seeing Chad’s face light up when his custom Magic Wheelchair was revealed brought joy to everyone who attended the event,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “The team at Magic Wheelchair, Four Horsemen, and BB Props truly made Chad’s dreams come true. We at The Toy Association could not be happier to continue our partnership with Magic Wheelchair. Be on the lookout at Toy Fair Dallas in October for the next magical reveal!”

Chlebowski is the most recent recipient of a wheelchair costume from Magic Wheelchair. Magic Wheelchair’s mission is to give kids in wheelchairs an unforgettable experience by creating custom costumes for them at no expense to their families. The non-profit works with designers from all over the country to create specialized wheelchair costumes, which range from princess carriages to Batmobiles, to Star Wars vehicles, and everything in between. To date, it has built costumes for more than 226 families nationwide since it was founded in 2014. This year, Magic Wheelchair is on track to deliver more than 100 costumes.

“Toy Fair is such an incredible opportunity to highlight the kiddos we serve, and we are so grateful to everyone at The Toy Association for hosting another Magic Wheelchair reveal,” said Christine Getman, executive director of Magic Wheelchair. “It has been an honor to connect with the industry at the show on the importance of inclusion and highlighting their fans by building these wheelchair costumes. I look forward to creating meaningful partnerships and being able to serve even more children on the wait list together.”

Magic Wheelchair costumes are built on a first-come, first-serve basis and based on state-by-state builder availability and funding. If the request is time sensitive due to terminal illness, the child is bumped the top of the list. For more information, visit magicwheelchair.org.