Christophe Waggoner believes every child should be able to wear a Halloween costume, and he's found a sustainable and affordable way to help.

Austin

Christophe Waggoner, a resident of Austin, Texas, spends much of his time collecting clothing from local thrift stores and transforming them into Halloween costumes. For nine years, he has hosted events where children can select costumes at no cost, aiming to ensure that all kids, regardless of their family's financial situation, can participate in Halloween celebrations.

Waggoner's initiative has grown, with more families attending his events amid rising living costs and job losses. He funds most of the project himself, spending thousands annually on materials and storage. Many families return to donate costumes back, creating a cycle of generosity that allows more children to enjoy the holiday.

Meet the Texas man known as the 'fairy godfather' of Halloween

Several times a week, Christophe Waggoner goes digging for treasure. I'm trying to see if anything catches my attention. Very deep. He sometimes strikes cold. It's usually either shiny, furry or sparkly, and he always comes away with a big haul. 789 these may seem like random pieces of clothing from a Goodwill in Central Texas, but Waggoner has a vision. I can cut that off. Sew them up, make him shorter soon. These will all be Halloween costumes. It's like winning when you find two pieces that go together. Back home in Austin, he washes. Cuts. Glues and so's so's. So's redesigning thousands of garments into something brand new. Why is it important that they feel like they're not just getting a hand me down? I want everybody, all the kids, their parents, whatever, to feel like they're getting the same thing that somebody went out and bought. And then every fall, Waggoner hosts events for kids to pick out costumes for free. While he's been doing this for nine years, he says turnout has been the biggest ever this season. There's a lot of people getting their jobs taken away from them. It everything is going up in price. The cost of costumes can be scary for some right now due to the tariffs on most goods from China. What do you say to people who think it's just a Halloween costume? There are much more important things in this economy. Putting food on the table shelter. Everybody gets to deserve a chance to be. A kid and every year his own kindness is paid for families who've gotten costumes from him return and donate the very first one I had a kid, probably six years old. Come up to me with a costume and said, my mommy said I could give this to you because I can't wear it. Maybe somebody else can. Waggoner just wants every kid to experience the universal joy of trick or treating without the financial burden for parents. I mean, with two it's it's it's nice and I have to worry about the expense. I love that he has so many people who support him and do that and bring the costumes to recycle them. The donations help because at 62 and still working a full time job, Waggoner buys garments out of pocket and spends more than $5000 a year for storage. Alone, what's the payoff? The goal is to make people better than they were before the event, and if there's somebody there to help you, then you're you're more than likely to turn around and help somebody else. Waggoner has become the fairy godfather for kids who may feel like Cinderella turning rags into regalia to keep the magic of Halloween alive.

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