The Minions
Minions () are a fictional all-male species of yellow capsule-shaped creatures that appear in Illumination's Despicable Me franchise, created by Eric Guillon, Pierre Coffin, and Chris Renaud. Their first appearance was in Despicable Me (2010), where they serve as the henchmen of the film's protagonist, a supervillain named Gru. The Minions are characterized by their comedic behavior and their fictional language named Minionese, which is largely unintelligible.
The Minions play a prominent role in the following three Despicable Me films, additionally starring in their own prequel series, beginning with Minions (2015) and continuing with Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) and Minions & Monsters (2026). Although they are similar in appearance, several Minions play major roles in the films, such as Kevin, Stuart and Bob. The Minions have also made appearances in short films, an animated web series, Minion Land rides and attractions at Universal Studios Theme Parks, video games and comics.
As the official mascots for Illumination, they have been promoted as corporate icons for Comcast in the years since its 2013 purchase of Illumination's parent company NBCUniversal, similar to Mickey Mouse for the Walt Disney Company. Despite starting out as supporting characters, the global popularity of the Minions has grown, resulting in them becoming ubiquitous in online memes, corporate culture and merchandise. Critics have described them as a "cultural phenomenon" due to their gibberish, childish brand of humor, and simplistic design being translatable across cultures.
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