Dressing up for the job - and a record

New Berlin - On an unseasonably hot October afternoon last week, Angry Red Bird uncharacteristically chatted with hated enemy Big Pig King.

Milling near them was a mixture of scary, dreamy or funny fantasy characters many of whom are normally at home ripping each other to shreds in video games.

But instead of scraping, they were smashing - a world's record, that is.

A total of 425 Marios, Angry Birds, princesses, street fighters, Master Chiefs and other video characters set a Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gathering of people dressed as video game characters.

And it all happened at New Berlin's BuySeasons, 5915 S. Moorland Road, online seller of all kinds of Halloween costumes under the brand BuyCostumes.com, and seller of décor and party accessories

The costumed characters, almost all BuySeasons employees who had taken a break from their regular duties to enter history, smashed the old record of 376 costumed video characters set in May 2009 at the MCM Expo in London.

"I feel great," said Daniel Haight, BuySeasons CEO, who was dripping in the heat inside his splendidly armor-plated Master Chief costume. "These guys are working hard, especially at this time of year," he said of the employees.

One of them was Red Angry Bird Michele Baker of Greendale.

Why did she want to be part of the record-setting effort?

"Because it's really fun," she said. And Michelle chose the Red Angry Bird costume simply, "because it's easy."

But even though the costume is as easy as clicking a mouse to pop on and off, she planned to keep it on all day.

"It's super fun," said the Angry Bird.

John Testin of Muskego wore a Street Fighter costume with a necklace that looked so heavy it could slam your neck onto the ground. Working second shift for BuySeasons, he came in especially for the event even though he spends a lot of time at work anyway during this, the busy season.

He picked the costume that only a hunk would dare wear for a good reason.

"I lost a lot of weight since I've been on the job," he said. "With this I can show off a little bit."

Testin trimmed down 42 pounds from 225 pounds to 182 in six months. That's not bad for a guy who'll be 57 on Halloween day, he said.

"This job keeps you fit," said Testin who drives a truck, but also lifts plenty of boxes.

And the job keeps the fun coming. This was just one of the events that BuySeasons holds every so often, he said. Sometimes it's a day to dress up like a pirate, sometimes it's something else, he said.

"It makes a fun place to work," he said.

Nearby stood Princess Peach, a Mario Brothers games character who is the perennial damsel in distress.

Princess for a day DevonSitte of Mukwonago said she picked Princess Peach because as a little girl she loved to dress as a princess for Halloween.

"Every year, I was a different Disney princess," said Sitte, who said she planned to go back to her desk and sit proud as a princess handing out "Peachy" orders to warehouse workers.

Franklin resident Nick Anderson wound up in a Master Chief costume like the big boss.

The sight of a sea of co-workers' familiar faces on top of wild costumes was a real kick.

"I think it's great," Master Chief Anderson declared. "It's something different you don't get to do every day at work."

As a kid, he gravitated to the scaries at Halloween - vampires, ghosts and such. Then he went to cartoon characters and now to more funny characters for Halloween parties. His next appearance will be as a big foot, he said.

Terry Rowinski, BuySeasons chief operating officer, put it in a nutshell: "Where can you come to work and set a Guinness World Record?"