Josh Sundquist is an inspirational personality who gets as close to being a real-life superhero as anyone possibly can. He is a, comedian, writer, former US Paralympian and a motivational speaker who will be the first to say that you can do it. The man lost his leg to cancer when was just 9 years old. But he didn’t let that stop him from living life to the fullest. And he’s developed a great sense of humor to match his athleticism that he often shares with his audience on TikTok.
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Every year on Halloween, Sundquist dresses up in a costume that makes use of his disability and it always turns out genius. It has became a tradition and his fans are looking forward to se what he came up with. The comedian built the anticipation by posting videos reminding us what he has done previous years. Finally he has just revealed his costume for 2021 and this time he chose to embody an inanimate object which is microscope.
Josh Sundquist lost his leg to cancer when he was a 9-year-old kid
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
He's learned to thrive with his disability since then and has become an athlete and a motivational speaker
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Last year Sundquist talked to Bored Panda that the pandemic really constraint his family's celebration, because it meant they had to stay at home while they have a strong tradition of trick-or-treating at the Halloween party at Disneyworld. However, this doesn’t mean that Sundquist didn’t plan on having fun on the spookiest night of the year.
Last year he told us, “We'll be celebrating however we can in accordance with health experts' recommendations for our region. Fortunately, the costume is itself a mask and I've already taken the costume out to walk around the neighborhood handing out flowers—like Groot does in Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Sundquist had some words of wisdom to share with us about this incredibly tough year that was the beginning of what seems never-ending pandemic: “Obviously, the pandemic has been catastrophic and sad. It's presented us with innumerable limitations. But limitations can force us to be creative in ways we would not otherwise have imagined. I mean, look at my Halloween costumes.” He believes that hard times are an opportunity to grow and learn something new.
One thing that Sundquist absolutely adores is dressing up for Halloween. In 2010, he dressed as Gingy the Gingerbread Man from 'Shrek'
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
He uses Halloween as a way to celebrate what makes him different. In 2012, his wife, Ashley, gave him the idea to dress up in reference to the film 'A Christmas Story'
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
In 2013, he became a flamingo: “I was just at the zoo one time and I noticed that flamingos look like me doing a crutch handstand. So yeah”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
In 2014, Sundquist dressed up as a foosball player: “A YouTube subscriber suggested it to me at VidCon. I thought it was appropriate since last year I was also named to the US Amputee World Cup Team”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
While in 2015, he became an IHOP restaurant sign: “It’s a classic amputee joke. This year I decided to anthropomorphize it”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
“If my career as a motivational speaker doesn’t work out, I could probably get a job at IHOP,” he said
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
In 2016, he took inspiration from 'Beauty and the Beast': “Lumiere—He’s Disney’s most famous monopod”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
While in 2017, he made us smile as he dressed up as Tigger from 'Winnie-the-Pooh': “Here’s my Halloween costume! Tigger!”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
In 2018, Sundquist became Genie from 'Aladdin': “Hello, Aladdin. Nice to have you on the show. Can we call you Al? Or maybe just Din? Or how about Laddie? Kind of like, ‘Here boy! [Whistles] Come on, Laddie!”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
“When I was a child, I wanted to be a Disney animator when I grew up,” Josh told PEOPLE magazine. “I got a letter from an animator at Walt Disney who happened to be a double amputee. His name was Broose Johnson”
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
“I wanted to dress as Genie as a tribute to Broose, to Make-A-Wish, and, of course, to Robin Williams,” Sundquist said
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Last year, in 2019, Sundquist became the world-famous lamp from Pixar: "I’m dressing as the Pixar lamp for Halloween"
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
"You guys have been requesting this one in the comments for years. Hope you enjoy," he said
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Is this Sundquist wearing his costume or is it an actual still from a Pixar movie? We're not sure!
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
In 2019, Sundquist told Bored Panda more about himself and told us how we can all overcome our limitations. He said that his main ‘addiction’ is making people laugh. “As addictions go, this is a pretty good one. It has very few side effects. And it’s free (other than the annual cost of building a Halloween costume),” he joked.
He was also open about all the other challenges he faced in life. “Like any good millennial, I’ve had to work through a standard quota of mental health issues. But mental health, of course, is never finished or cured or overcome. It’s managed. It’s ongoing. It’s in progress.”
2020s Baby Groot!
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Sundquist gave everyone who’s currently struggling with problems some accurate advice on how to overcome their challenges. “If you’re carrying a heavy burden, you have three options: You can hold on a little longer, you can find someone to share the load, or you can decide it’s time to let go. All three are equally valid. Wisdom is choosing the best one for this particular moment,” he said.
Back in high school, Sundquist didn’t want anyone to find out that he was missing a leg, so he wore a prosthesis all the time. However, with time, he became more comfortable with who he is and what he looks like. His Halloween costumes are a way to celebrate what makes him different and unique.
Sundquist has dressed up as Gingy the Gingerbread Man from Shrek, a flamingo, a foosball player, Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, the incredibly famous Pixar lamp, and others. One thing’s for sure—he keeps surprising us.
Here's how he made the costume
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
For last year's costume of Groot Sundquist was inspired by the baby Groot at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 as he is a stem at that point that has to be in a pot to grow big and strong later. On his website the comedian wrote that it was a perfect shape to showcase his own single stem.
He also added, "I also love that he’s dancing, smiling and just generally having a good time despite all the challenges that the Guardians had just been through together. Dressing up as an extraterrestrial tree monster who has overcome a tough year is so 2020."
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Sundquist details the process of the costume making: he wrapped himself around with duct tape and in that way he outlined the unique shape of his body. Then he sent the 'Duct Tape Mannequin" to the cosplay master himself Calen Hoffman who used basic materials like foam, paint and duct tape to create the costume of the lovable Marvel character.
To make it even more epic, Sundquist's wife Ashley dressed up as Groot’s best friend Rocket Raccoon and they went around their neighborhood giving out flowers to cheer up the neighbors.
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Image credits: Josh Sundquist
Check out the full video about how he made the costume right here
Video credits: Josh Sundquist
After teasing his fans with old Halloween content, Josh finally reveals his 2021 costume - The Microscope, 2021
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The video of Josh Sundquist revealing his costume of 2021 was released one day before Halloween and it's not what anyone could have expected. In previous years Sundquist was largely inspired by very popular movies but there also costumes of inanimate objects in the mix. This year the item that captured the Halloween enthusiast's attention was the microscope.
In a short video that Sundquist posted on Instagram he shows how he manoeuvre himself into the microscope position. The lens is on his leg and the base is on his head. His back has a specimen stage attached to it and the man has to stand on his head to disguise himself as a microscope. It is very impressive but knowing that the comedian is also a Paralympian it is no wonder how he managed wear the costume perfectly.
Image credits: joshsundquist
Image credits: joshsundquist
2021 was eventful regarding the fight with the coronavirus as the vaccines became widely available and you may interpret the costume as an homage to all the scientists that worked hard to achieve such incredible results in such a short period of time. Maybe the comedian is pointing to the fact that in the modern days people's actions are so closely observed in social media and that we all feel like were being watched and listened to all the time. What would be your interpretation? Let us know in the comments!