A young student hoping to step into Book Week in the most delightful way has been dealt a cruel blow after her mother received the wrong costume just days before the parade.
While planning to attend her Melbourne school festivities as the iconic Mary Poppins, CostumeBox instead sent the 10-year-old girl a Kim Jong Un costume.
The family has been left in a scramble, racing to replace the Supreme Leader of North Korea ensemble before the parade takes place on Friday.
A receipt of the order shows that it was placed on the 23rd of August, with the retailer offering same-day and express post delivery options across the country.
The “Musical Nanny Deluxe” costume that the youngster initially wanted retails for $60 and comes with a coat, skirt, hat and a bow tie.
It’s an easy, wholesome Book Week win with just an umbrella, shoes and stockings needed to complete the overall look.
On the CostumeBox website, a mask of the dictator retails for $80, with a description promising “everyone will know who you are.”
Unsurprisingly, the family sent CostumeBox, which is promoted as “Australia’s #1 online retailer for costumes,” an email asking for an explanation.
“You sent me the wrong costume! My daughter needed the Mary Poppins costume for book week, and you send me a Kim Jong-un costume!” the angry parent writes, as shared by Aussie TV and radio presenter Jacqueline Felgate on Instagram.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The email expresses the inconvenience the wrong costume has brought, questioning how it is appropriate for a 10-year-old to wear a “Communist leader’s costume.”
“This is unacceptable. She has her parade in two days,” the email explains.
“She’s absolutely gutted.”
The store catalogue offers a range of costumes inspired by current world leaders, including Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.
Felgate’s social media post asks her followers to assist in the hunt for the costume the child initially wanted.
“Does anyone know where she can get a Mary one in time?” she wrote.
News.com.au contacted CostumeBox for comment and they directed us to a comment on the post made by CEO Nikki Yeaman.
“So … you can choose your own adventure on this one folks … either: ‘A small but determined communist uprising has occurred within our warehouse ranks. Rest assured, the rebellion has been quashed and our righteous capitalist order has been restored’. or; ‘A simple but regrettable human error has occurred in our warehouse where two address labels have been accidentally switched,’” Yeaman wrote.
“The Mary Poppins customer contacted us at 6 a.m. this morning, we responded to her at 9:05 a.m. and a new Mary Poppins costume was picked and packed by 9:35 a.m., ready to go out on the first truck today by Australia Post Express Post. All going to plan from now on, the costume should arrive tomorrow in time for the Book Week parade on Friday,” she continued.
“As for the Kim Jong customer, he is right now on his way to the post office to collect his parcel and confirm if he has indeed received Mary Poppins. If so, we are poised ready to send him out a new Kim Jong Mask, which he should also receive in time for his event this weekend. I hope this covers the matter for you all and the multiple news organizations who have contacted me this morning in their noble quest to report ‘The News That Matters.’ Cheers, Nikki CEO, Costumebox.com.au.”
Elsewhere in the comment section, people are seemingly having a heck of a time … some might say it’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
“So, this business made a mistake, not the worst thing in the world to happen. Can’t improvise with clothes at home?” one person wrote.
“I’m so sorry, but I burst out laughing,” another admitted.
A third advised: “You absolutely send your kid to school as the Supreme Leader if this happens.”
Another agreed: “Omg, I would so let her wear it.”
Someone else weighed in: “Everyone is Mary Poppins this year … she will make a real statement as the supreme leader – take the little red book as a prop.”
“I mean, let’s spare a thought for the person who ordered the “Supreme Leader” mask and is now faced with wearing a Mary Poppins costume instead,” another suggested.
