5 Minion Gift Ideas (Till the next Movie Comes Around…)

Christmas is around the corner (yes, trust me, it will be sooner than you think you have time for) and for those of you who have Minion-loving friends, here are 5 Minion gift ideas you can consider getting without giving an arm or queuing up for hours at McDonald’s for:
1. Luggage Tags – These non-official items been around for quite some time and the designs are getting better (read: the minions looking more like the real thing) except some are labelled as “ME2” rather than “DM2”, hee. Oh well, it’s only S$2.50, so live with it.
2. EZ-Link Card Stickers – I love these! Just brighten up your day as you walk through the MRT turnstiles or hop onto a bus. Start from $2 and come in various designs.

3. Phone Cases – It takes a brave, not-shy friend to be able to carry this phone case off, especially if he or she has a Samsung Galaxy S4 (also available for other brands). This is for the back by the way so imagine that grinning minion on your ear when answering a call…

4. Plushies – The real Minion plushies are not cheap and I’m not even talking about the talking ones! But there are many of these cute lookalikes around – from Singapore to Bangkok to Hongkong/Taiwan – and they won’t cost you an arm or a leg either.
5. Lego Minion Minifigs – Now these really take some skills. If you really want to impress your friend (or kid), get a pack of Legos – and these are the really small ones, not the big ones of old – and create your own mini minions. Let me tell you, it ain’t easy… BUT the recipient is definitely gonna be mighty impressed! So, go for it I say!
Photos Credit: Marguerita Tan Photography (bar movie poster)

Have Yourself a Very Minion Christmas

You have to give it to the creators of the cute little minions in Despicable Me. When their popularity spread like wild fire, they just kept churning out loads of  just-as-good, just-as-funny-&-cutesy short films that are either shown on YouTube, the mobile game Minion Rush or in the Minion Mayhem ride at Universal Studios Orlando to keep interest going. Of course, not to mention the gazillions of Minion merchandise too.

Just take Minion Rush for instance, arguably one of the best mobile games there is with superb graphics, sound effects and of cos a minion cutesy interactive stuff. Just when you feel that yes, the game is getting repetitive, they will update it faster than you can say “Bello!” to keep fans hooked on for, well, another run. For instance, after Despicable Me 2 came out, new sequences depicting  portions of the sequel such as El Macho’s Lair, Minion Beach and The Mall were added to the original Gru’s lab and Residential Area.
Now, for Christmas 2013, GameLoft/Illumination Entertainment/Universal Studios has turned Gru’s Lab into a festive-lit Holiday Lab with new details, obstacles and thrills. They even added a festive sequence to the end of the introduction filmlet – in which IT minion Dave is told not to touch a red button in the lab which is like telling a minion he can’t eat a banana – that’s just how thorough they are!

There are also new characters for the season such as a snowboarder and  this Santa Minion (above)  which will cost you 400 “coins” which means that I will have to live without because I’m sticking to my stance of not having to pay to enjoy any of the games I play either on the phone or on Facebook. Anyway, I’m impressed enough with the new  animation additions which showed just how much thought have gone into it.

So before I mosey on back to Gru’s Holiday Lab, I would like to take this moment to wish every one around the world, especially those of you who manage to find something that caught your eye or interest at my blog, Musings on the M49… 🙂

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Me and my favourite Minions!
Cheers & God Bless!

Cool Street Art in JB and some even say SG

A rather cool thing happened across the border in Johor Bahru last month. Lithuanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic had painted two Lego characters – one depicting a masked man with a knife on one side of a building, waiting to mug a woman carrying a Chanel bag “around the corner”. It was cute and current in the sense cos Legoland has recently opened in the Malaysian state, which is known for – especially among us Singaporeans – for good seafood, cheap necessities, and yes – hold-ups and thefts.

Needless to say, the local city council was up in arms of what they see as insinuation that the southernmost state is a city of crime (But, but...)
What I love best about the story though is that when word went round that the authorities may “tear down” the mural, two local artists took it upon themselves to add a police officer complete with handcuffs (see above) next to the would-be mugger, hoping that will “dilute” the crime bit! How sweet is that! Alas, it was to no avail cos days later the JB authorities whitewashed the entire mural, but not before hundreds of people – including loads of Singaporeans who apparently travelled all the way to the spot just to “take picture” – have taken loads of photos of the mural. So much so that tons of copies soon appeared all over the city, in different sizes but always same positioning – on private buildings, vans, cafe corners, tee-shirts – you name it!

At times, many things can be considered as vandalism  but if there’s a funny and arty side to it – I won’t start on Singapore’s Sticker Lady but I confessed I enjoyed her funny street slogans and stickers! – I think the authorities should find a way round to support the art rather than tearing it down.

Anyway, I have since become a fan of street artist Ernest Zacharevi who was also responsible for the super cool Minions on the Block (below) in Singapore! He turned three cement barrier blocks into the loveable, instantly recognisable minions dressed in riot gear! According to my friend who saw it, it’s somewhere in Joo Chiat. I hope it’s still there when I’m in the area to “take picture”!

Photo Credit:  #1 and #3 from Ernest Zacharevi’s Facebook page; #2 – as seen in The Straits Times.

 

Minion Sugar Rush

A couple of hundreds of these and you can re-enact your own Despicable Me 2 finale!

5 Reasons Why I Don’t Need the McDonald’s Minions…

1. Cos I have a super cool pix of a giant blown-up Minion last seen at Cathay Building!

2. Cos I have a super cool pair of Despicable Me 2 3D glasses from the premiere!

3. Cos I had a picture taken with Gru the great man himself at Universal Studio Orlando!

4. Cos I have a super cool stuffed Minion which filled up my entire cabin bag and which I had to lug all the way from Orlando-New York-Singapore!

And finally #5. I already have a cool original Minion figurine from the Orlando Minion Mayhem shop itself!

So, why do I need to have those Minions from McDonald’s?

COS THEY ARE SUPER DARN CUTE THAT’S WHY!!!!!

Wonder if taobao.com have them just like they do the Hello Kitties… :p

Art at your Fingertips…

…Or rather, on your fingernails!

I love the minions but seriously this brings fandom to a whole new level! Check out the bananas on the left thumbnail!

(Kudos to an utterly creative intern who definitely seem to have too much free time on her hands…)

Minion Rush

These magical yellow movie critters have provided me with more joy in more ways than one. Cuter than cute in the first movie, provided absolute thrills in their 3D Universal Studios Orlando Ride and now has me totally smitten with their exhilarating mobile game, Minion Rush. Happy to say Despicable Me 2 doesn’t disappoint. Trailer doesn’t do it justice as the second movie is filled with as much cuteness and ROTFWL joy. Gru and his girls are back with a vengeance and so are his gazillion minions, up to their usual tricks. Monsters University could have learnt a trick or two from Despicable Me 2 – have characters that the audience would root for, and not be irritated with.

Add to that, the movie also gives us three very memorable songs. The first of course is the utterly irritatingly cute “Minion Banana Song” used for the trailer…

Then there’s the brilliant boyband tribute song, “Underwear”… (to the tune of  ‘I Swear’)

And finally, there’s the truly make-you-wanna-get-up-and-dance ‘Happy’ tune by Pharrell Williams (Update: which was eventually nominated for an Oscar for Best Song)!

Despicable Me 2 – may not be as cute to the max as the first movie but still cute nonetheless. Don’t miss it!