Minion Goodie Bags From Despicable Me

My son is in love with the Minions from the Despicable Me franchise. And what's not to love? These little yellow guys have us cracking up every time they are on screen. So when it came time to have my son's birthday party, we decided a Minion theme would be perfect. There are some cute licensed items out there for your Minion party, but being crafty, I wanted to make a few things to add my own touch. I came up with the idea for these Minion Party Favor Bags and they turned out so cute that I couldn't help but share them with you. I hope you enjoy this, my first, Instructable.

This supply list will make 12 Minion bags:

• 1 twelve count package of Blue Paper Treat Bags (I purchased these from a big box party supply store)
• 1 twelve count package of Yellow Paper Treat Bags (I purchased these from a big box party supply store)
• 1 roll of double sided tape or similar adhesive. (I would not recommend glue for this project)
• 2 packages of 35mm wiggle eyes -16 ct each. This will be enough to make at least 6 Minions with 2 eyes and 6 minions with 1 eye. (I purchased these from a big box hobby and craft store)
• 1 roll of black (or Silver) Washi tape. This is Scotch brand. I couldn't find the silver tape in time for this project, but silver would be a more accurate representation of their masks. However, I do think the black looks good still.
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Optional - Red paint pen (not pictured)
• Optional - One little helper

The first step is going to be to cut your yellow bags in half. These will make the top half of your Minion bags. I didn't get pictures of this step, so I will describe it the best I can. The easiest way I found to do this was to take the unopened bag and fold it top to bottom, squaring the top (opening) end with the bottom end. Make a crease and then cut along that crease line with your scissors. You can see what this should look like in the picture. You can discard the bottom half of the yellow bag or use it for another project. My son enjoyed coloring on these and adding stickers to them.

Note: If you have paper trimmer, you could probably just measure and make the cut. Mine is currently in storage or I would have tried it.

This step is probably the most complicated of the whole project. To make the Minion head, you will need to get the top half of the yellow bag attached around the blue bag. I found it was easiest to do this while both bags were still closed, but you'll want to make sure that once the bags are opened, they line up correctly.

Once you have the bag in place, apply a 1.5-2" strip of double sided tape between the bags at the top and the bottom. Do this to the front and back of the Minion to make sure it is secure. Once the bags are open, it should stay pretty snug.

Your minion should really be coming together now!

The next step is to add the washi tape mask to your Minion. The tape should go just a bit above halfway down the yellow section. No need for exact measuring here. Each Minion is unique.

For me, the easiest thing was to unroll a strip of tape just wider than the face of the minion. Cut the extra off so it is flush with the side of the bag. If you don't like waste, you could also measure and then cut the strips. Whatever works best for you.

The next step is to add your eye or eyes. Using 2 strips of the double sided tape on the back of the eye, affix the eye(s) along the center of the washi tape.

Now we get to the really fun part. We get to make each Minion unique by drawing on a mouth and hair. For this, I used a black Sharpie and started drawing. I'm not particularly gifted at art, so this was largely trial and error. Just play around with this part and have fun.

A picture of all 12 Minions is at the beginning and the end of this Instructable, so you can get some ideas and examples. But you really can't go wrong here.

Note: If this part makes you nervous, use some of the extra eyes and the bottoms of the yellow bags to mock up the face so you can see if you like it before you commit.

If you choose to buy a red paint pen, you can have some extra fun with some of your Minions. I added a tongue to a few of mine and really liked the way it turned out. Much like the mouth and hair, just draw the tongue on using the pen. Be aware that paint pens have a tendency to splatter a bit, so use caution. (I accidentally splattered the red paint on one of mine.)

I filled my bags with an assortment of treats. I made some Minion Easter Eggs and filled them with candy. My son's birthday falls shortly after Valentine's day, so I was able to get some treats on clearance, including fun drinking straws, bouncie balls, bubbles (see picture of how I Minion-ized the bubbles), and candy. I purchased some Minion pins and stickers online and I found Minion fruit snacks at the store, which I used. I had some extras, so I used those to hold utensils.

If you are doing a movie night or sleepover, these could be used to hold popcorn. Or they would make a great craft to let older kids do at the party.

I hope you have enjoyed this Instructable. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to see your finished projects and hear how you used your Minion bags. Happy crafting!