Limited Styles Available at Brain Dead on Oct. 17
In Celebration of Illumination’s Worldwide Blockbuster Despicable Me Becoming the First Animated Franchise in History to Cross $5 billion
Universal City, CA– In celebration of Illumination’s Despicable Me, the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history and the first to cross $5 billion at the world-wide box office, Brain Dead in partnership with Illumination and Universal Products & Experiences, launches a limited-edition collection exclusively for Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort on Oct. 15, 2024, with a limited selection of styles available at Brain Dead on October 17, 2024.
The collaboration reunites two culture-defining brands, Illumination’s iconic Minions and Brain Dead, following a first-of-its-kind partnership in 2022 that featured indigenous artisans reinterpreting the Minions in incredible works of art as curated by Brain Dead. Additionally, the Minions and Brain Dead collaborated with musical artist, Faye Webster, to design a bespoke t-shirt commemorating her Coachella performances and 2024 tour, alongside a custom animation piece featuring a Faye Webster-inspired Minion. Due to high demand, a second drop of the limited-edition t-shirt was launched as part of her US tour.
“Our brands come to life inside the theme parks, and the Brain Dead collaboration brings streetwear fashion and drop culture directly to theme park guests, unlocking limited-edition merchandise for Minions fans in a way that’s never-been-done before,” said Stephanie Kraus, executive vice president product and design, Universal Products & Experiences. “Brain Dead collaborations sellout within minutes, and for the first-time ever, we’re giving our theme park guests exclusive, early access to one of these coveted limited-edition drops.”
Inspired by Gru’s daughter Margo, who wears a Brain Dead logo tee in Illumination’s blockbuster Despicable Me 4, the Minions x Brain Dead limited collection includes adult and kids’ graphic tees, hoodies and accessories with designs featuring the mischief-making Minions in rebellious poses as well as a Minion mashup with Brain Dead’s signature logo.
Prices for the capsule range from $11-$90 and are available starting Oct. 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood at Super Silly Stuff and the Animation Studio store as well as Universal CityWalk Hollywood at Cartooniversal, and in Super Silly Stuff and the UNIVRS pop-up inside the Five & Dime store at Universal Orlando Resort, with select styles online at Brain Dead beginning on Oct. 17.
About Illumination’s Despicable Me and Minions
More than ten years after their creation, Gru, the world’s greatest supervillain, and the Minions are among the most iconic animated characters of their generation. Globally recognized and beloved by fans of all ages, they have propelled Illumination’s Despicable Me and Minions into the most successful animated film franchise in history, earning more than $5.4 billion at the worldwide box office.
The franchise includes Minions, one of the top five highest-grossing animated films of all time and the most profitable film in Universal’s history, as well as the Academy Award®- nominated Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3, which made more than $1 billion at the global box office. In 2022, Minions: The Rise of Gru, shattered box office records with the highest grossing July 4th opening weekend in U.S. history and became the #1 film internationally and worldwide. Despicable Me 4, released in July 2024, opened at #1 in North America, giving the franchise the greatest number of #1 one opening weekends for an animated franchise ever.
Gru is one of the few protagonists who is also an antagonist, whose sweet and subversive qualities make him relatable to all audiences. Bright yellow, instantly unforgettable, speaking a language that no one knows but that everyone can understand, the Minions— including Kevin, Bob, Stuart and Otto —have become icons of self-expression in pop culture on every continent of the globe.
Beneath the over-the-top antics and seemingly misguided intentions of the Minions, the franchise explores themes of loyalty, friendship and an unspoken narrative about the families we choose and devote ourselves to defending. The franchise reflects the idea that whoever you are, or whatever your dreams, you can find your tribe and become a family, no matter how unconventional.
About BRAIN DEAD
Brain Dead is a catalyst for creative minds from around the world. With its unique, disruptive approach, the brand interprets the cultural landscape through clothes, objects, and artworks. A meeting place for a network of contemporary subcultures, Brain Dead bridges different worlds, scenes, and perspectives under the same roof.
Brain Dead is ultimately about people, their cultures, and their attitudes.
About ILLUMINATION
Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry's leading producers of event-animated films, including Despicable Me—the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history—as well as the record breaking The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films. Illumination’s library includes three of the top 10 animated films of all time. Illumination’s iconic, beloved franchises—infused with memorable and distinct characters, global appeal and cultural relevance—have grossed more than $10 billion worldwide. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures.
About UNIVERSAL PRODUCTS & EXPERIENCES
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, as well as engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and third-party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s lines of business include Consumer Products and Games, along with Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com.
