Minions (Despicable Me)  Minions () are fictional characters that appear in the "Despicable Me" franchise, which started with "Despicable Me" (2010). They are characterized by their childlike behavior and unique language, which is almost intelligible at times. They are also the official mascots of Illumination, a division of Universal Pictures, which produces the films. Following Comcast's purchase of NBCUniversal, they have been described as being a corporate icon for Universal and Comcast, on par with Disney's Mickey Mouse and WarnerMedia's Bugs Bunny, although Woody Woodpecker is still considered a mascot for Universal Studios. Kevin, Stuart and Bob are three of the most familiar minions, who appear as stars in the film "Minions". Many other Minions are mentioned by name in the films and other media in the franchise. They also made a cameo appearance in the series finale of Series 15 of "Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway". The Minions are small, yellow henchmen shaped like pill capsules. They are depicted as being roughly one-third to one-half the height of humans but they were later revealed to be tall. They have one or two eyes, and their irises are almost always brown (except for Bob, who has one green and one brown eye). They have no discernable noses but seem capable of smelling, as they are shown smelling fruit and are affected by the Fart Gun. They are also shown without ears but can hear and respond to sounds. Most minions appear either bald or with a few wispy strands of black hair on their heads. Since their coming to America in the late 1960s, their clothing consists of blue overalls emblazoned with Gru's logo, black rubber gloves, shoes, and goggles. They mostly speak incomprehensible gibberish, which is partly derived from other languages, including French, English, Italian, Spanish, and German. Although seemingly nonsensical, the English-sounding dialogue is dubbed differently for every country, in order to make the sounds somewhat recognizable. They have common English-language names, such as Dave (one of the first known minions in the franchise), Kevin, Stuart, Bob (the lead trio in "Minions") and Mel (the leader of the Minions in "Despicable Me 3"). While showed as somewhat absent-minded and have very mischievous streaks, they are shown to have exceptional engineering abilities, being able to design and construct spaceships and playthings for Gru's adopted daughters, particularly the youngest Agnes.