Before the Minions Before the Minions roamed the Earth, there was Hello Kitty. In 2015, the Hello Kitty brand was estimated to be worth over $7 billion. Originating during the 1970s economic boom in Japan, Hello Kitty became popular in Northeast and Southeast Asia, eventually reaching the West as well. Since her creation, Hello Kitty has been the de facto mascot of kawaii, a Japanese subculture that fashion blogger Misha Janette describes as “a delicate cuteness, like a weak, small type of thing” that’s also “an embodiment of all that’s happy and positive.” During the last two decades, kawaii has become one of Japan’s primary cultural exports. It’s no accident — this heightened sense of cuteness inherently has a mass appeal. For children, it’s simply adorable. For adults, this imagery can be approached as either escapist or ironic. With their wondrous, large eyes and goofy, infantile demeanor, the Minions have something in common with this Japanese subculture. It's import
The Minions The Minions — small yellow creatures who dress in blue overalls and goggles — are an entertainment industry powerhouse. After appearing in the 2010 computer-animated comedy Despicable Me as the henchmen of the evil Gru, they were given their own origin-story film Minions in 2015, which eventually grossed $1.59 billion worldwide. In 2016, they officially became the mascot of Universal Studios. Not only are they a Hollywood money machine, but they have also become one of the most omnipresent internet memes. Their likenesses dominate Tumblr, Pinterest, and Facebook newsfeeds alongside mundane, innocuous jokes. Unlike SpongeBob SquarePants, Mickey Mouse, Pixar characters, and comic book superheroes, the Minions don’t have any distinctive personality traits or narrative and they are completely devoid of the heavy-handed lessons of friendship, love, and family that are essential elements for children's cartoons. They are simply subservient to antiheroes and villains. And