A Minion model. Photo: Sonny Abesamis/Flickr
Ireland is once again making international headlines, though, this time, it’s for the most despicable of reasons – a giant Minion causing traffic mayhem in Santry, north county Dublin.
The inflatable 40-foot Minion, which was being used to promote a nearby temporary fairground, slipped its moorings in the high winds that swept the country on Monday evening.
The Minion balloon – modelled on one of the characters from the recent Minions movie and the Despicable Me franchise – entered the roadway, rolling along and bringing traffic to a standstill, the world’s media gleefully reported:
How the escaped giant Dublin Minion captured the world’s attention http://t.co/ae88IWiYxh pic.twitter.com/qDhY56TOzV
— DailyEdge.ie (@dailyedge) August 4, 2015
Today in WTF?! News…a giant Minion balloon wreaked havoc in Ireland: http://t.co/A7oGxCyhKe pic.twitter.com/d9bL9ew5N5
— E! Online (@eonline) August 4, 2015
Watch out! A giant ‘Minion’ breaks free and rolls down the street in Dublin. Courtesy Erin Van Londen/Facebook. pic.twitter.com/iGUvDlW4PM
— ABC News (@abcnews) August 4, 2015
Giant inflatable Minion falls across road, causing traffic jam http://t.co/UyJHBYiGs3 pic.twitter.com/DwObH3SPLu
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) August 4, 2015
A giant Minion caused a traffic accident in Ireland http://t.co/OSjXNFB9Ul pic.twitter.com/IcgogCt9Nd
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) August 4, 2015
A 30-foot inflatable Minion escaped from fairground, brought busy motorway to a halt http://t.co/3CKkv5Avf2 pic.twitter.com/cnZ11s4Hly
— PerthNow (@perthnow) August 4, 2015
Twitter was quick to poke fun, with users providing motivations for the escapee and offering commentary:
Bae: come over Me: but I’m a giant inflatable minion Bae: but my parents aren’t home Me: pic.twitter.com/uKTRN0fKs0
— E (@lena440) August 4, 2015
It’s not just that a Giant Inflatable #Minion escaped & blocked traffic in Dublin yday – it’s the look on his face pic.twitter.com/9CzGyERBKV
— Joe O’Shea (@josefoshea) August 4, 2015
Some people just can’t handle a Bank Holiday!? Spare a thought for this Minion blocking the Old Swords Rd in today! pic.twitter.com/aMNKca97cP
— Today FM (@todayfm) August 3, 2015
Go home Minion. You’re Drunk!! ? ? #DespicableBehaviour pic.twitter.com/vqEqSFIZpv
— Mary Mc Intyre (@Mc1988) August 3, 2015
Best reason to be late: “Sorry, a giant inflatable Minion was blocking the road” http://t.co/PQuuZDPy6n pic.twitter.com/yglIliZ6p3
— Megan Hess (@mhess4) August 3, 2015
A few tweeters, recognising Minion-mania as indicative of the approaching apocalypse, saw this as the first sign of the end times:
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS, THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS, NOT WITH A BANG BUT WITH A MINION!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/SErGj8xoOE
— where do (@minionsbelong) August 4, 2015
The uprise is starting earlier than expected. Fight or become a minion. Trust no one. Good luck and stay safe. https://t.co/RZNPgUEC8N
— bay (@BayleeIsAwkward) August 4, 2015
No one was injured in the incident, and the situation was dealt with quickly by Gardaí.
In spite of this, Cllr Paul McAuliffe questioned the efficacy of the fairground’s health and safety procedures, bringing us the best tweet of the day, referencing – apparently unintentionally – the Minions’ silver screen debut:
Escaped Minion at Omni in Santry may seem hilarious but its a dispicable breach of health & safety @DubCityCouncil pic.twitter.com/w443usabzb
— Cllr Paul McAuliffe (@PaulMcauliffe) August 3, 2015
… Despicable.
Main image via Sonny Abesamis/Flickr
