While fans can now watch new Minions film Rise Of Gru from the comfort of their home as it hits streamers, interest in the gender of the yellow creatures seems to have sparked among fans.
Minions: Rise Of Gru was released in theatres at the start of July with the new movie seeing the lovable pill-shaped characters return for a new adventure.
Throughout the Minions and Despicable Me franchises, fans have got to know Gru’s hyperactive followers in the form of Kevin, Stuart and Bob. However, over the years some have noted the lack of female Minions, prompting curiosity into why there aren’t any in the films.
Minions: The Rise of Gru | Official Trailer
Fanshave wondered why there are no female Minions for some time
The Minions were introduced in 2010 film Despicable Me. While audiences first meet them as Gru’s helpers, they have gone on to become signature characters across the franchise.
Three of the yellow creatures, Kevin, Stuart and Bob, became central characters in 2015 film Minions, with fans loving the trio even more thanks to later Despicable Me and Minions releases.
However, curiosity seems to have resurfaced over gender as the Minions embark on a new adventure in Minions: Rise Of Gru.
While female Minions have yet to feature in the films, the yellow creatures have previously donned dresses and worn wigs. Fans may remember in Despicable Me 2 that Phil wore a maid’s outfit while vacuuming.
In the Minions: Rise Of Gru, Bob dresses as a stewardess as Kevin, Stewart and new Minion Otto try to fly themselves to San Fransisco.
Why are there no female Minions? Despicable Me creator explains
French animator and Minions creator Pierre Coffin previously discussed why there are no female Minions in an interview with The Wrap.
He explained: “Seeing how dumb and stupid they often are, I just couldn’t imagine Minions being girls.”
As to how the question of how Minions might reproduce it they’re all male, Coffin would only reveal they couldn’t reproduce or self-replicate but remained tight-lipped on how Minions are created.
Fans think of Minions as genderless
While the Minions creator has established the yellow creatures are, in fact, all male, some fans believe the characters are genderless.
One Reddit user stated: “The Minions are unbound by the concept of gender, like sometimes they’ll have fake moustaches and sometimes they’ll have fake boobs, but they’re always just Minions. They’re yellow blobs with eyes.”
Another suggested that despite the characters’ male presenting names, they are “given” names meaning they don’t “cling on to traditional gendered concepts.”
Another user shared similar thoughts as they wrote: “There are also no male ones. The named ones have male names, yes. But they have no gender, nor reproductive organs.”
A fourth Redditor shared their theory on the possible anatomy of a Minion as they described them as “asexual organisms”, adding they were “neither male nor female.”