Mum's fury as son in tears after being bullied over Halloween costume

Bullies told the 10-year-old he looked "stupid". Photo / Facebook / Jill Struckman

A US mum has shared a heartbreaking message to other parents after her 10-year-old son was bullied on the school bus over his "Iron Man" costume.

Jill Struckman had proudly shared a picture of son Evan dressed up as Tony Stark for a Halloween party at his Missouri school.

But just 20 minutes later she got a call from its office to say he'd been bullied and they had tearful Evan on the phone.

"Apparently some kids on the bus (who weren't even wearing costumes) told him he looked stupid," she wrote on Facebook.

"Evan got to school and immediately went to the bathroom and washed his face."

She added her son was "crying" on the phone and was so hurt by the remark he didn't want to stay for the Halloween party.

The heartbroken mum described feeling as if her heart had "dropped" after receiving the call and headed straight back to pick him up.

After collecting him from school, Jill was able to talk Evan into going back to the party. Photo / Facebook / Jill Struckman

But his make-up – which included black goatee, beard and moustache with slicked-back hair – had already been removed by the time she got there.

"He kept saying, 'We worked so hard on it.' He was really thinking about how I would feel, which tells you a lot about him," she told Today.

Evan, who Jill said loves dressing up, felt embarrassed and defeated by the ordeal – prompting his mum to air her frustration on Facebook to share a photo of her son in tears.

Jill Struckman's son Evan dressed up as Tony Stark for his school Halloween party. Photo / Facebook / Jill Struckman

Her post clearly resonated, being shared almost 260,000 times to date, and receiving thousands of comments and likes.

Eventually, Evan was able to muster up the courage to return to school that day, something Jill describes as "a defining moment in his life".

"If he hadn't gone back, it would have broken his spirit," she said.

He also did it in full costume after his mum reapplied his make-up.

Bullies told the 10-year-old he looked "stupid". Photo / Facebook / Jill Struckman

Evan now has fans all over the world and Jill said she can barely keep up with her inbox.

In one update she wrote: "Thanks for all the sweet words (and offers to beat up 10-year-olds) lol. I do appreciate you all."