Australian woman obsessed with Minions acquires over 1,000 for one-in-a-minion collection
Bello (that’s Minion for ‘hello’) from sunny Western Australia, where Liesl Benecke has been collecting a curious amount of canary-coloured buddies.
Minions, that is.
Liesl has a serious love for the mischievous yellow Minions from Despicable Me, and ever since she first saw them pop up onscreen while taking her daughters to the film in 2010, she’s become obsessed with their playful antics.
“I remember laughing so much at the cute, little pill-shaped henchmen. They certainly made a huge impression on me,” she said. “I'm just a big kid at heart. Since then I have always been on the lookout for Minions everywhere I go.”
Since she started her collection almost 15 years ago, Liesl has obtained 1,035 Minions from all over the world – spanning clothing, movie posters, stuffies, keyrings, figurines, and even a tattoo.
And now ‘the Minion lady’ (as she’s affectionately known as at work) also has a Guinness World Records title confirming her largest collection of Minions memorabilia.
Liesl at work dressed as a Minion for book week. Naturally, she won first prize.
“My daughter says I need another house just to store my Minions, but I love being surrounded by their beautiful, bright yellow smiles,” she said. “They are in every room and on every spare wall.”
Her collection started small, with a squat Minion figurine filled with candy (“I wanted the figurine, not the lollies!”) and quickly grew as the beloved movie erupted into a four-film franchise with theme parks and cult following.
“In 2011, I do remember thinking to myself ‘I have so many Minion figurines I should put them together in a shadow box to display them,’” she said. “I had about 20 at that stage… haha… little did I know how my collection would grow.”
Liesl even planned a trip to Singapore in 2018 to celebrate her birthday at Universal Studios with the Minions, saying “my daughters said I never looked happier on that day.”
And she was in absolute heaven when she finally got the chance in 2023 to travel to Minion Land at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan, mentioning her daughter has a video of her crying when she rounded the corner to Minion-paradise.
“People laugh when I explain my obsession and they say they don't get it or ask if my kids are the ones I collect for,” said Liesl.
“I have had some pretty tough times in my life, but by being positive and looking at the bright side of life I have got through.
“The Minions are my source of happiness and their weird and wacky ways never fail to make me laugh.”
Now, she’s fully leaned into her title as ‘the Minion lady,’ since her daughters have grown and she can spend some money on herself. She likes being associated with the characters that bring people such joy, and is happy to share her infectious passion with other interested people (especially kids).
“My favourite is Stuart, the sassy, one eyed Minion with attitude, and he is the one I have tattooed on my arm. So many people and kids comment on the tattoo and we start talking about our mutual love of Minions,” said Liesl.
Her workplace also supports her love for the Minions, as her collection flowed over the bounds of her house and onto her work desk.
“I let everyone know in our newsletter that I was going for the record,” she said. “My friend at work, who was also my witness for the count, bought flowers, a congrats sash to wear, and confetti – little, round, yellow dots of confetti! It was wonderful to celebrate with everyone and they were all saying 'we know a World Record Holder' now!”
And she tries to take her passion for Minions everywhere she goes – literally.
“The back of my car is filled with Minions and when I stop at traffic lights I see people pointing and laughing at all the Minions in my car,” she said.
“I even take Stuart on drives – Stuart is my largest plush toy and fits nicely in the back seat – it's fun to see people's reactions when they spot him! He wears his seatbelt so he's safe and he enjoys getting out.”
And although she’s running out of space to put her memorabilia, she doesn’t think she will stop collecting anytime soon.
“I have friends and family on the lookout at all times for Minions,” she said. “They send me pictures when they are out shopping asking ‘do you have this one?’ And if I don't, I get them to buy it for me – you could say they are my Minion shoppers!”
With their help, Liesl has Minions from all over the world – Singapore, Japan, Italy, USA, Portugal, Taiwan, and China – and even acquired the Holy Grail of Minion memorabilia, four Swarovski crystal Minions from their exclusive Despicable Me partnership.
Liesl's crystal Minions
“I am a bit of a Minion snob and only buy the Minions that I like the look of. Some Minions look better than others to me,” she jokingly explained.
Although she already has a record breaking amount, Liesl says her quest for Minions will never rest, and she will try to obtain some more at Minion Land in Singapore this October.
“I will never stop buying Minions to bring home to join my Minion family,” she said. “My daughter thinks I have enough but I love them more than ever.”
Sadly those new yellow friends won’t count towards her Guinness World Records title – but Liesl says she’s always up for a future recount.
“Any excuse to buy more Minions!”