'Minions' Is Not Based on a True Story, Despite What TikTok Videos May Claim

Viral TikTok videos have been a huge part of the latest flare-up of fascination with the minions, a group of small yellow animated characters that were first introduced in Despicable Me more than a decade ago. Around the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru, a trend emerged on TikTok that saw teenage boys dressing up in suits to watch the film. Now, another video is making claims about the origins of the characters.

In a video posted on TikTok by user truestorypage, this person claims that Minions is based on a true story.

In the video itself, we see a black and white image accompanied by claims about the origins of the characters. “Minions was actually based on a true story in 1903. Children went missing in a small town and they were used in some sort of experiment. When they were found, some of them were deformed and they couldn't speak properly," the video claims.

"The terrifying thing is that the sinister man was never found," it concludes.

Although this may seem ominous, and the image that accompanies the video seems to suggest that the story is true, all of it has been carefully crafted to look true. In reality, though, it's a lie designed to stir up the internet and make people feel like the cartoon they enjoy is based on something disturbing.

Although this specific variation on the rumor is new, rumors like this have been circulating for some time. Older versions claimed that the minions were based on Jewish children who were tortured during the Holocaust. Every variation suggests that the minions are based on some group of children who were horribly tortured and disfigured. There's no truth to these claims, though. The minions are original creations designed to be fun, marketable characters for children.

The thing that makes the claim feel real is the image, which seems to resemble what the minions actually look like. Although the video claims that the image is of children who have been tortured and disfigured, The Net Line has found the origin of the image, which is of early submarine crew members wearing suits designed to protect them.

While the image may look menacing, the suits those crew members are wearing were actually one of the earliest attempts to protect them in the event that a sub sank and the crew had to battle their way above ground. The minions' eyes certainly resemble submarine divers, but the image itself is not as terrifying as it may appear to be.

Like so many of the rumors circulating on TikTok, this one has turned out to be baseless. It's certainly a fascinating idea, although it's also a somewhat strange one. The minions are just delightful little animated characters that adults find annoying. Why do they need to be anything more?