NEWS COPY
Parents have slammed retailers for selling a sickening ‘Burnt Zombie Child’ Halloween costume for young children in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
At least 18 children died in the horrifying inferno with experts warning tens of thousands of youngsters across the UK have been left traumatised by the disaster.
The £34.99 costume, sold by online retailer Escapade, is aimed at children aged just eight to ten years old.
Furious parents have slammed the firm for its insensitivity, with 99 per cent saying they would ban their child from wearing it.
As retailers unveil their Halloween costumes this week, the annual study from parenting site ChannelMum.com showed two thirds of parents now claim some Halloween costumes are ‘too frightening’ for young children, up from just 48 per cent last year.
One in five fear Halloween is becoming more sinister every year and two in five (41 per cent) claim costumes no longer have a traditional Halloween theme but are selected simply to terrify.
The study of 1,006 parents found 84 per cent of UK families celebrate Halloween and of these, 94 per cent allow their kids to dress up.
But there is widespread worry about the direction the celebration is taking.
Other costumes highlighted by concerned parents include a Headless Horseman with a bloodied stump for a neck and no face, aimed at children aged just eight, alongside a ‘Killer Clown’ costume for eight to ten year olds which is marketed holding a bloodied meat cleaver - despite rising levels of knife crime.
Disturbingly, there has been an in increase in the number of sexualised costumes for young girls, with 55 per cent of parents agreeing many are ‘too sexual’ for children, up from 43 per cent who felt this way last year.
Among the inapproprotae costumes on offer is the provocatively-named ‘Midnight Mischief’ sold by the Duchess of Cambridge’s parent’s Party Pieces store.
The costume, for four to six year olds, is a ‘sexy witch’ with a corset and short mini skirt.
Retailer halloweencostumes.co.uk was also slammed by shocked parents for selling a XXS version of the skin-tight Sexy Feline Catsuit Costume, with a chest measurement of just 24 inches - the same as a typical six year old.
And even the traditional ghost outfit has been given a horror makeover, with ‘Scream’ style masks added to costumes for three-year-old toddlers.
As a result, nine in ten (89%) of parents now back age-appropriate ratings on costumes, up from just 68 per cent last year.
A further 92 per cent want retailers to take more responsibility for the outfits they sell, with 67 per cent claiming stores only care about profit.
One in five parents even admitted their child had had a negative experience wearing a Halloween costume - with 16 per cent of children being so terrified by another child’s costume that they have left Halloween celebrations.
ChannelMum.com founder Siobhan Freegard said: “Have retailers fallen under an evil Halloween spell? Looking spooky and scary is great fun and what Halloween is all about - but some of these costumes have gone far too far.
“Stores have to be sensitive to the world around them. It’s time to realise it’s unacceptable to sell some of these outfits. Sexualising toddlers or pushing costumes which could traumatise simply for profit is the nastiest thing about Halloween.”
Video footage is available here:
Here are the Nasty Nine most evil costumes on sale for children this year.
1) Burnt Dead Zombie Child
Age: 8 to 10
Retailer: escapade.co.uk
Cost: £34.99
99% of parents would not let their child wear it
2) Witch
Costume Name: Midnight Mischief
Age: Ages 4 to 6 (corset and mini skirt)
Retailer: Party Pieces
Cost: £20.99
98% of parents would not let their child wear it
3) Killer Clown (shown holding meat cleaver)
Costume Name: Killer Klown Child Costume
Age: 8 to 10
Retailer: escapade.co.uk
Cost: £22.99
95% of parents would not let their child wear it
4) Black Cat
Costume Name: Sexy Feline Catsuit Costume
Age: XXS to fit 24 inch chest - typically a 6 to 8 year old
Retailer: halloweencostumes.co.uk
Cost: £42.99
98% of parents would not let their child wear it
5) Little Devil:
Costume Name: Hot Stuff Devil Costume
Age: 10 to 12
Retailer: Party Priceless on eBay
Cost: £16.98
97% of parents would not let their child wear it
6) Bat
Costume Name: Kids Spooky Bat
Age: 10 to 12
Retailer: wonderlandparty.co.uk/
Cost: £14.99
97% of parents would not let their child wear it
7) Headless Horseman
Costume Name: Headless Horseman
Age: 8 to 10
Retailer: Party Pieces
Cost: £23.99
95% of parents would not let their child wear it
8) Bloody Face Off (Jason from Friday the 13th Horror Movie)
Costume Name: Bloody Face Off
Age: 8 to 10
Cost: £12.99
94% of parents would not let their child wear it
9) Ghost
Costume Name: Child Howling Ghost
Age: 3 to 4
Retailer: joke.co.uk
Cost: £8.99
79% of parents would not let their child wear it
ENDS
