How to Make Despicable Me Mini Minions (Cute, Easy, and Kid-Approved)

These little yellow troublemakers are easier to make than you think. With a few basic craft supplies and about 30 minutes, you can create a whole crew of Despicable Me mini Minions that look surprisingly good on a shelf, a birthday party table, or tucked into a lunchbox as a surprise. Whether you go the toilet paper roll route for a quick afternoon project or reach for air dry clay for something more durable, this guide walks you through both methods with specific details so nothing gets lost in translation.

What You Need Before You Start

For toilet paper roll Minions, gather empty cardboard tubes, yellow acrylic paint, a small paintbrush, black craft foam or felt, silver or gray foam for the goggles, blue felt or paper for the overalls, googly eyes (the larger the better), a black marker, and a hot glue gun or strong craft glue.

For clay Minions, you need yellow air dry clay, black and blue clay or paint, small googly eyes or tiny white and black clay balls, a toothpick for detailing, and a flat work surface.

Both versions work well with kids ages 5 and up. The toilet paper roll version is faster and great for parties. The clay version takes a day to dry but holds up better and makes a nicer keepsake.

Toilet Paper Roll Mini Minions: Step by Step

Start by painting the entire cardboard tube yellow. Two coats work better than one, and letting the first coat dry completely before adding the second saves you from streaky results. While the tube dries, cut your overalls from blue felt or paper. A simple rectangle that wraps around the bottom third of the tube does the job, with two small straps that go up the front.

For the goggles, cut a thin strip of silver or gray foam and wrap it around the tube about a third of the way down from the top. This becomes the goggle band. Cut a small circle from the same foam for the single-eye version, or two small circles connected in the middle for the two-eyed Minion. Glue your googly eye or eyes onto the foam circle.

Once everything is dry, glue the goggle piece onto the tube first. Then attach the overalls to the lower section. Use a black marker to draw a small mouth, either a straight line with a slight curve or a wide open grin if your Minion is mid-mischief. Draw tiny arms on the sides of the tube or cut small arms from yellow foam and glue them on for a more three-dimensional look.

Finish with a few strands of black yarn or short pieces of black pipe cleaner poked into the top of the tube for hair. Kevin gets a tall, spiky style. Stuart goes a little wild. Bob stays small and sweet.

Air Dry Clay Mini Minions: Step by Step

Roll yellow clay into a small cylinder shape, roughly the size of your thumb. For a classic Minion proportion, make it slightly taller than it is wide. Flatten the bottom gently so it stands on its own.

Pinch out two small arms from the sides and smooth them down. Press a tiny indented line across the lower section of the body to suggest where the overalls begin, then press a thin layer of blue clay over that area. Roll a thin blue strap and lay it up the front.

For the goggles, roll a thin snake of gray or silver clay and press it around the upper portion of the face. Shape a flat circle for the eye area and press it over the gray band. Push in a googly eye while the clay is still soft, or leave a small indent and glue in a tiny bead once it dries.

Use a toothpick to scratch in a mouth, eyebrow detail, and any small lines on the overalls like a pocket or buttons. Let your Minion dry for at least 24 hours before painting any details or handling much.

Tips for Getting the Details Right

The goggles are the part that makes or breaks a Minion craft. Take your time with that piece. A slightly off-center goggle actually adds character, but a goggle that is too small just looks like a mistake.

For the overalls, blue is the classic color, but if you are making these for a birthday party theme, you could swap in any color and call them Minion cousins.

If you want to make a whole crew, assign each one a personality before you start. Kevin is tall and one-eyed. Stuart is medium height and two-eyed with a guitar if you want to add accessories. Bob is short, two-eyed, and often holds his teddy bear. These small character differences make a finished display look intentional rather than repetitive.

For a party craft station, pre-paint the toilet paper tubes yellow the night before. Kids can then jump straight to the decorating, which keeps the momentum going and eliminates the waiting-for-paint-to-dry frustration.

Fun Ways to Use Your Mini Minions

Line them up on a windowsill or bookshelf as a little display. Arrange them around a birthday cake as free decorations. Tuck one into a gift bag as a handmade tag. Use them as placeholders at a Minions-themed party by writing a name on the overalls section of each one.

You can also use the toilet paper roll version as a pencil holder by leaving the tube open at the top. Cut the tube to a shorter height if you want it to hold crayons or markers without them disappearing inside.

Frequently Asked Questions