OUR COMMITMENT TO

CHILDHOOD

Dress-up is so much more than just putting on a costume!

Most studied in pedagogical development agree on at least one thing: through pretend play kids develop their imagination & build creative thinking skills. But we at Great Pretenders believe the benefits are even more far-reaching; pretend play develops communication skills and allows for a new outlet to express feelings and fears, as well as allows children to walk through new milestones while feeling secure. Through dressing up, kids improve their problem solving skills and test out new ideas in a safe environment. Experts at thegeniusofplay.org are quick to parrot these benefits, also speaking to the independence dress-up adds to kids via lessons in self-care and patience.

Given the numerous benefits, the team at Great Pretenders consciously design while in mind the difficulties disabled children may face when finding dress up and strive to design products for all children to explore their individuality, and unleash their imagination.

Accessibility in our Designs

Great Pretenders considers all children in the design of our costumes. Our SNAP (Special Needs Adaptable Product) designation was earned by our tunic constructions - a fan favorite among our dress-up range proudly produced in Canada. Our capes & tunics are great options for children who use wheelchairs or gait trainers!

Brooke Lax is a 17 year old female entrepreneur that we are so thrilled to work with! Brooke Founded her non-profit Packing a Smile with the mission to collect games, toys, stuffed animals and activities to deliver to sick children in the hospital in hopes of putting a smile on children’s faces.

For the month of June 2023, Great Pretenders will be donating a $20 gift for every purchase made on our website to Brooke's non-profit organization!

In December of 2022, our team wanted to give back! We partnered with our friends at the Ronald McDonald House in London Ontario.

We raised $9,656 for the Ronald McDonald House Charity. Along with a monetary donation, our team spent the evening of December 11, 2022 cooking dinner for the guests at the Ronald McDonald House. A second team of employees will return December 21st. We even brought along a special Ice Princess to visit the children!

We are proud to partner with Toys for the North during 2022 Holiday Season! Their mission to deliver children's toy to some of Canada’s most remote communities, to families that cannot afford or access children's toys, so they receive toys for the Holiday Season.

Great Pretenders is proud to make a contribuable donation and support the Toys for the North. They collected & distributed a record-breaking $470,000 in toys to children across Canada's North this year!