Wisconsin community outraged over sale of Slender Man Halloween costume where teen was stabbed
Tragedy struck Waukesha, Wisconsin this past May 31st when two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were arrested and charged of brutally stabbing their classmate 19 times to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man. The victim of the stabbing is recovering and hasreturned to school. But now the community is in uproar again over a Slender Man Halloween costume being sold in stores.
On Partycity.com, the costume is listed as "Teen Slenderman Partysuit" with a resale price of $39.99 online. Below is the description for the costume from their website.
Hey Creepy McCreeper, our Slenderman Partysuit for kids is perfect for an eerie night out! This partysuit looks just like a slim-fit black suit, printed with a narrow necktie and an all-white face. Made of breathable spandex, this Partysuit stretches to cover you from the top of your head down to your toes. Breathing, drinking and visibility are a cinch thanks to the double zipper for quick access in and out. Just pull on the Slenderman Partysuit, zip it up and start stalking!
Spirit Halloween, another nationwide Halloween retailer, is selling a costume very similar to the Party City's "Teen Slenderman Partysuit," but titled "Stalker Man" instead.
Spirit Halloween though was still offering an item titled "Bloody Slender Man Inflatable" seen below.
Parents in the community claim that the costume is insensitive and in poor taste after the horrific stabbing incident from this past May. Other costume retailers have chosen not to sell the Slender Man costume as well.
"We don't mind scary, but we try not to be sick," Jon Majdoch of Halloween Express told ABC affiliate WISN-TV. Halloween Express in Brookfield, WI is one of the retailers in the area that chose not to sell the costume in light of the stabbings.
Check out past Slender Man costumes below.
Public outrage over controversial Halloween costumes is not a new trend. In 2013, a Craigsville, Virginia mother came under fire over dressing her son up as a member of the Ku Klux Klan for Halloween. Last year, Wal-Mart pulled an Osama Bin Laden costume after receiving criticism from the Sikh community.
We have reached out to Party City and Spirit Halloween for comment. UPDATE: A representative from Spirit Halloween stated that they will be pulling the costume from stores in the area. Party City released the following statement below.
(Sept. 18, 2014) - "Our thoughts and condolences go out to family and friends of the victim and the entire local community. The local area stores have pulled the costume in question. Party City sells merchandise and costumes for all types of Halloween customers, and nothing we carry is meant to be offensive.
Do you think Party City and Spirit Halloween were being insensitive by selling their variations of the Teen Slender Man costume?
