The comedian, motivational speaker, author, academic, and Paralympian is famous for many things.
But what made him an internet sensation was his creative Halloween costumes, which he started around a decade ago.
Over the years, Josh has dressed up as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, Gingy the Gingerbread Man from Shrek, a foosball player, and even a flamingo.
Josh, who originally hails from Virginia, lost his leg to cancer when he was just nine years old. But it didn’t stop him from enjoying life to the fullest.
He never let his disability come in way of anything he wanted to do and went on to become a Paralympic ski racer, later leaving it for writing, comedy, and motivational speaking.
“In high school, I wore a prosthesis all the time and didn’t want anyone to find out I was missing a leg,” Josh wrote on his website.
“But now I’m more comfortable with who I am and what I look like, and I guess with these Halloween costumes you could even say that I celebrate what makes me different.”
Josh has turned his disability into something which makes millions of people smile across the globe. And he is getting better at it every year.
Speaking to Bored Panda, Josh revealed why he decided to go for the Pixar lamp.
He said: “I wanted to dress as the Pixar lamp because I thought it would be funny to see a human-sized desk lamp with a functioning light hopping around.
“Also, my internet followers have been requesting this costume for many years. I feel like this costume will be difficult to top next year. My DMs are open if anyone has ideas.”
Here are Josh’s previous Halloween getups.
2010: “From Shrek. Not the gumdrop buttons!”
2012: “My wife Ashley suggested this idea, a reference to the movie ‘A Christmas Story’.”
2013: “I was just at the zoo one time and I noticed that flamingos look like me doing a crutch handstand. So yeah.”
2014: “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.”
2015: “It’s a classic amputee joke. This year I decided to anthropomorphize it.”
“If my career as a motivational speaker doesn’t work out, I could probably get a job at IHOP,” he joked.
2016: “Lumiere—He’s Disney’s most famous monopod.”
2017: “Here’s my Halloween costume! Tigger!”
2018: “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!”
Josh says he is ‘addicted’ to 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 said.
The inspiring guy also opened up about the challenges he faced after losing his leg.
“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,” he told Bored Panda.
The motivational speaker also has some advice for those who are facing problems in their life.
He said: “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.”
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