Numerous Supermen and Batmen lined the streets surrounding the Nokia LA Live Theater. Dressed in outfits made of sheer cotton fabric, rubbery faux leather and crisp latex, they made their way down the street waving at cars that honked past them and smiled at bewildered faces. They were on a mission, and it wasn’t to fight crime. They were on a mission to help break a Guinness World Record.
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Costumed crusaders checked in with Stuart Claxton, an adjudicator and Guinness World Records spokesmen. His duty was to verify that all the participants adhered to the guidelines that pertained to this particular record which, according to Guinness, was that all participants must be dressed as an “easily recognized superhero who has been published in a book, comic, television program or film.”
As participants entered the theater, they were greeted with booths filled with Megamind-themed food and games. The “Blue Buffet” booth provided blue cupcakes, donuts, cookies and other blue treats, while booths like the “Minion Bowl Toss” and the “Metroman Powershot” tested super skills in the form of carnival-style mini-games. Participants were also given blue balloons at the “Megamind Balloonery” booth, which highlighted the overcast morning sky with a sea of bright blue.
Across from the booths was the main stage area, which was lined with blue flooring and was decorated with electronic movie posters that featured characters from Megamind. The floor space was crawling with super heroes and a handful of villains from various universes ranging from DC to Marvel to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. A lot of the participants were conversing and taking pictures with one another, which added to the friendly and fun environment.
All eyes were on the stage when Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks, took the stage to congratulate everyone for participating in the event. Katzenberg also introduced the director of Megamind, Tom McGrath, and praised him by saying that he was the creative force behind the film and continued on to introduce Will Ferrell, who plays Megamind in the film.
A Megamind cheerleading squad took the stage and held a mini-performance that led to the introduction of Ferrell, who appeared with a Megamind mascot. After giving a little speech and thanking everyone for coming to the event, Claxton appeared alongside a large Guinness World Record certificate and announced to everyone in the crowd that they had broken the record of 1,500 and created a new record of 1,580. With much elation for breaking the record, Ferrell jokingly told the crowd to honor MegaMonth by remaining in their costumes for the entire month.
Soon after, royal blue and metallic gold streamers exploded into the air and showered onto the superheroes as they erupted in cheers.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on October 4, 2010.
