Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002, and released by Diamond Select Toys as of 2007. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall humanoid body with 14 points of articulation. Released in both specialty stores as well as mass-market retailers, Minimates are made for both kid-friendly and adult-oriented properties. The toys are primarily based on licenses from a wide range of comic books, television series, movies, and video games. The longest-running series of Minimates is based on Marvel Comics, with over 85 waves of figures released to date.
History
Designed and produced by New York City-based sculpting and design house Art Asylum, Minimates began in 2002 with multiple lines of 3" Minimates based on several different licenses. These included Dark Angel, Star Trek, Kung Faux, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the films of Bruce Lee, along with a Rock line featuring Kiss, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper. The 3" Minimate line also included several blank or promotional Minimates. These usually bore the logo of a specific company and were used as giveaways.
Following a partnership with Diamond Select Toys, a range of 2" Minimates based upon the Marvel Comics Universe was launched. The 2" Minimate body type began to be used in place of the 3" body type, and it was announced that the 3" range would be discontinued. In 2004, a Lord of the Rings line produced by Art Asylum and Play Along Toys added a third 2.5" tall body type to further illustrate the size differences of the various races of Middle-Earth.
In 2004, Art Asylum and Play Along launched their Minimate-based C3 ("Create Construct Customize") construction sets, which could be used to build vehicles and playsets from the DC Comics universe with a primary focus on Batman and the Justice League. The license terms limited the selling of the 2" DC Minimates to the construction sets, and the line failed to gain a foothold in the market. C3 was discontinued, and in 2006 DC Direct announced that they had picked up the DC Minimates line and would release their own figures in partnership with Art Asylum. That same year, non-construction-set vehicles were introduced to the brand, in lines based on the Speed Racer cartoon (from Art Asylum) as well as both the classic and modern Battlestar Galactica TV series (from Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys).
In 2007, Art Asylum became a division of Diamond Select Toys, and the Minimates body type has since been applied to dozens of licenses from comic books (The Walking Dead, Invincible), TV (24, Star Trek), movies (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Universal Monsters, Marvel Studios), animation (The Real Ghostbusters, Peter Pan) and video games (Halo, Tomb Raider, Marvel vs. Capcom 3). DST has also developed Minimates based on its own concepts, under the brands Calico Jack's Pirate Raiders, Minimates M.A.X., and Battle Beasts, which they acquired the trademark for in 2009.
Minimate Product Types Most Minimates lines are sold as two-packs in assortments, or four-packs, both of which are available online or at local comic stores. Some were shared between Toys "R" Us or Walgreens and the specialty store market. Exclusive Minimates releases have been offered at major pop culture conventions, including San Diego's Comic-Con International, New York Comic Con and C2E2.
Due to license restrictions limiting all Marvel Minimates to the 2" scale, a range of four 8" unarticulated resin statues under the "Minimates Max" banner were announced for 2006 to represent larger-scale characters in the Minimate style. Because of the cost and unarticulated nature of the statues, the line was not well received and eventually cancelled. Only two of the four announced statues, Galactus and the Sentinel, were released.
The Minimates Vehicles line featured original ships and jets from the Calico Jack's Pirate Raiders and M.A.X brands alongside licensed vehicles from licenses such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Back to the Future and Knight Rider. Each assortment featured color variations between Toys R Us and specialty markets to differentiate between the two releases.
A carrying case that holds up to 36 Minimates was also produced, and comes with an exclusive figure. The first edition came with a Battle Beast, the second edition with a Pirate Raider, and the third, released in 2013, came with a silver 10th Anniversary Minimate.
In 2015, a line of 4" Minimates-styled figures began under the name Vinimates. The figures had pre-posed bodies with articulated necks for a range of head movement, except in the DC Comics line where the heads were locked in place. Vinimates often shared licenses with Minimates, but some licenses were exclusive to Vinimates such as Caddyshack and The Rocketeer.
Media In 2005, animation students at the DAVE School (The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School) produced Batman: New Times, featuring computer-generated Minimate characters, as a class project. New Times features is notable for its all-star cast including Adam West and Mark Hamill reprising their respective roles as the Batman and the Joker. The film was released as a download on the DAVE School website and was available as a free DVD. As a promotional item, a Batman Minimate was released to tie-in with the film.
In 2006, an animated X-Men movie in the same style as Batman: New Times was produced under the name X-Men: Darktide. Released on DVD as part of a box set containing Minimates of Magneto, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Juggernaut, the movie features those characters as well as Minimate versions of Storm, Beast, and Archangel.
Diamond Select Toys has also produced online stop-motion animation videos for its line of Walking Dead Minimates, and also its in-house brands, including Calico Jack's Pirate Raiders, Minimates M.A.X., and Battle Beasts.
Licenses (Current and Past) +Licence / SeriesSub-Licence(s)First ReleaseFormats2420072" MinimatesAlice: Madness Returns20112" MinimatesAlice Through the Looking Glass20162" Minimates, VinimatesAliensAlien, Aliens, Aliens (Comic Books), Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Alien Covenant20152" Minimates, Deluxe Sets, Vehicles, VinimatesAll Elite Wrestling (AEW)20232" Minimates, Deluxe Sets, VinimatesBack to the FutureBack to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part 320072" Minimates, Vehicles, VinimatesBattle Beasts20132" Minimates, Carrying CasesBattlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (1978), Battlestar Galactica (2004), Battlestar Galactica: Razor20062" Minimates, VehiclesBeetlejuice20172" Minimates, VinimatesBeverly Hills CopUnreleased2" MinimatesThe Big Bang Theory20142" MinimatesThe Black Hole2019VinimatesBruce Lee20022" Minimates (Unreleased), 3" Minimates, Vinimates (Unreleased)Buck RogersBuck Rogers in the 25th Century20152" MinimatesCaddyshack2017VinimatesCalico Jack's Pirate Raiders20112" Minimates, VehiclesCelebrity Death Match20033" MinimatesCharm City Cakes20082" MinimatesComic Book HeroesBattle Beasts, Chew, Hack / Slash, Ninjak, Revival, Shadowman 20162" MinimatesCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon20023" MinimatesCthulhu2018VinimatesDark Angel20023" MinimatesThe Dark Tower20172" Minimates, VinimatesDC Comics20042" Minimates, 2.5" Minimates, Construction Sets, VinimatesDC Comics Animated SeriesThe Batman, Justice League, Teen Titans Go!20042" Minimates, VinimatesDC Comics FilmsAquaman, Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Justice League, Shazam!, Wonder Woman2017VinimatesDC Comics Television SeriesArrow, Gotham, The Flash, Supergirl20152" Minimates, VinimatesDC Comics Video GamesBatman: Arkham Asylum, Injustice 22018VinimatesDesperately Seeking Susan20082" MinimatesDollars TrilogyA Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly20082" MinimatesDragon Age20152" MinimatesDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons (TV Series)20232" MinimatesElf20172" Minimates, VinimatesThe ExpendablesThe Expendables, The Expendables 220122" MinimatesFemme FatalesDarkchylde, Dawn, Lady Death, Tarot20112" MinimatesForbidden Planet20172" Minimates, VinimatesG.I. Joe20212" MinimatesGhostbustersGhostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters (2016), The Real Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: The Video Game20092" Minimates, VinimatesThe GodfatherUnreleased2" MinimatesGodzilla20142" Minimates, VinimatesGrimm Fairy Tales20152" MinimatesHaloHalo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST20102" Minimates, VehiclesIndie ComicsDawn, Kabuki, Magdelena, Witchblade20052" MinimatesInvader Zim2018VinimatesThe Iron Giant20172" Minimates, VinimatesIt2019VinimatesiZombie20162" MinimatesJohn WickJohn Wick (film)20192" Minimates (Unreleased), VinimatesKill BillKill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 220142" MinimatesKingdom Hearts20182" Minimates, VinimatesKISS20023" MinimatesKnight Rider20122" Minimates, VehiclesKung Faux20033" MinimatesThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King20042" Minimates, 2.5" Minimates, 3" MinimatesLost in Space2" Minimates, VinimatesMarvel Animated SeriesAvengers Assemble, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United, Marvel's Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, What If...?20132" MinimatesMarvel Cinematic UniverseMarvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One, Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two, Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Three (not including Spider-Man: Far From Home), Black Widow20082" MinimatesMarvel Comics20032" MinimatesMarvel FilmsThe Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Deadpool, Ghost Rider (Unreleased), Logan, Punisher: War Zone, Spider-Man 3, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine20062" MinimatesMarvel Television SeriesDaredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage20162" MinimatesMarvel vs Capcom 320112" MinimatesMass Effect20142" MinimatesMaximum Zombies20112" MinimatesMighty Morphin Power Rangers20222" MinimatesMobile Action Xtreme (M.A.X.)20102" Minimates, Carrying Cases, VehiclesThe Munsters20122" Minimates, VehiclesThe Nightmare Before Christmas20152" Minimates, VinimatesPathfinder20142" MinimatesPeter Pan20132" Minimates, VehiclesPirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales20172" Minimates, VinimatesPlants vs. ZombiesPlants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare20142" MinimatesPlatoon20082" MinimatesPulp Fiction20142" MinimatesRebel Moon20242" MinimatesRock n' RollAlice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie20023" MinimatesThe Rocketeer2020VinimatesRocky20072" MinimatesThe Silence of the Lambs20082" MinimatesSin City2" MinimatesSkyboundInvincible, Thief of Thieves20132" MinimatesSModCo2015VinimatesSonic the Hedgehog20192" Minimates, VinimatesSony PlayStationJak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves20112" MinimatesSpeed Racer20062" Minimates, VehiclesThe Spirit20092" MinimatesSpongeBob SquarePants20152" MinimatesStar TrekStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stark Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan20022" Minimates, 3" MinimatesStreet Fighter II