The most culturally dominant characters in history

Minions have become arguably the most culturally dominant animated characters in history: billions at the box office, a merchandising empire that rivals Mickey Mouse, theme parks in the US / China / Japan / Singapore that attract tens of millions of tourists yearly, and memes that are absolutely everywhere. Their Facebook meme era in the early 2010s — think motivational quotes slapped over a grinning yellow minion — became so iconic it defined a whole stereotype of older internet users.

What makes them especially unique is their dual appeal: they're embraced by young kids and ironic teen and adult audiences at the same time, which is incredibly rare. That staying power showed up again with the “Gentleminions” trend, where teenagers dressed in suits to see The Rise of Gru in theaters, and continues today with the Minions raids on Scientology buildings. Simple touches like the “ba-na-na” catchphrase and “bababooey” have been generating memes for years.

Minions pulled off something few franchises ever do — they started as a kids' movie sidekick and became a lasting, cross-generational piece of internet culture.