Mini-Me

Last updated
Mini-Me
Austin Powers character
Minime1.jpg
Photo of Mini-Me's actor Verne Troyer
First appearance Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Last appearance Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Created by Mike Myers
Michael McCullers
Based onNick Nack (The Man with the Golden Gun)
Portrayed by Verne Troyer
Danny DeVito (in Austinpussy)
In-universe information
AliasMini-Austin
NicknameMy Special Boy
Species Human clone
GenderMale
Family Dr. Evil (parent organism/surrogate father)
Scott Evil (surrogate brother)
Frau Farbissina (surrogate mother)

Mini-Me is a fictional character from the Austin Powers film franchise, portrayed by the late Verne Troyer. He debuts in the second film in the trilogy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and appears again in the third film, Austin Powers in Goldmember . [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

Before Dr. Evil was sent back in time to 1969, his minions made him a clone. The clone was similar in every manner although he was one-eighth his size (although Mini-Me is approximately one-third Dr. Evil’s size). Upon being introduced to his clone, Dr. Evil immediately declared, "Breathtaking. I shall call him... Mini-Me."

Mini-Me has almost no spoken dialogue in the films beyond an occasional frightened "Eeeee!". Otherwise, he is silent except for when he does his evil laugh with Dr. Evil. He also likes to lip sync the occasional line when Dr. Evil raps. At the beginning of Goldmember, Dr. Evil asks him to "Use your words like a big boy clone!". At one point, he asks Dr. Evil to hug him after meeting Fat Bastard, who wants to eat him. Mini-Me often uses the middle finger as a means of insulting someone (even though he only uses it once during the third movie). On most other occasions, Mini-Me prefers to express himself through written notes.

Mini-Me has a pet called Mini-Mr. Bigglesworth, which has only appeared once in the series, in which Mini-Me tried to gnaw on his ear. Mini Mr. Bigglesworth is a kitten version of Dr. Evil's cat. Mini-Me loves chocolate and disrespecting Scott Evil, Dr. Evil's son and his rival for affection. He is sometimes referred to and treated as a dog or other small objects. Scott refers to him as "That vicious little... Chihuahua thing", and Dr. Evil illustrates him like a small carry-on luggage, as "he fits easily into most overhead storage bins". Austin says upon Mini-Me being knocked out, "Poor little bugger... he's like a dog or something." In the third movie's opening scenes, Dr. Evil uses a leash to restrain Mini-Me from attacking Scott, saying, "Heel, Mini-Me! Heel!" He also tends to dry hump random things. Nigel Powers, upon seeing him, says "Blimey, I thought I smelled cabbage," thinking he is a carny (referring back to a quip from the first Austin Powers movie). Mini-Me is appropriately confused by the remark.

Despite his small size, Mini-Me is a powerful and effective fighter, once giving Austin Powers a considerable thrashing, until the spy took advantage of his small size and flushed him out into space through a toilet. Despite being a clone of Dr. Evil, Mini-Me is shown to be far stronger and tougher than his larger counterpart, as seen in Goldmember when they're lifting weights in prison. He was also given a significant beating in Goldmember, in which he was tied in a pillowcase by Powers and slammed through shelves and glass tables, only to stand up without a scratch.

A memorable gag had him passing a series of notes to Foxxy Cleopatra, first stating she was so beautiful, she must be the clone of an angel. When she smilingly disagreed, the second note asked if she was sure she didn't have a little clone in her. The third asked if she'd like to. As seen by Nigel Powers' reaction to Mini-Me's genitals ("My Word! You're a tripod!" and "If you ever get tired, you can use it as a kickstand"), he seems to have a large penis. He uses this as an advantage at the end of Goldmember when he gets Britney Spears' cell phone number.

In Austinpussy, the film within a film in Goldmember, the role is played in cameo by Danny DeVito.

Mini-Me has a brief cameo in the music video for Madonna's song, "Beautiful Stranger".

In Space Jam: A New Legacy , where Looney Tunes characters have scattered to different digital worlds based on Warner Bros. films, Elmer Fudd takes on the role of Mini-Me in the Austin Powers world, while Sylvester the Cat has become Mr. Bigglesworth.

Mike Myers has acknowledged that the character was directly inspired by the character of Majai in the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau , who is similarly a miniature version of Marlon Brando's titular villain character. [4]

In 2021, the Hungarian government party Fidesz released an ad based on Mini-Me's introduction scene. The ad's aim was to emphasize the alleged similarities between opposition candidate Péter Márki-Zay (Mini-Me) and former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány (Dr. Evil). [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Powers (character)</span> Fictional character

Sir Austin Danger Powers is a fictional character from the Austin Powers series of films, and is created and portrayed by Mike Myers. He is the protagonist of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Myers</span> Canadian-American actor, comedian, director, producer and screenwriter (born 1963)

Michael John Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, director, producer and screenwriter. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer, and producer."

<i>Austin Powers in Goldmember</i> 2002 American spy comedy film by Jay Roach

Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the Austin Powers film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard. Myers and Michael McCullers co-wrote the screenplay, which also features Beyoncé Knowles in her theatrical film debut, as well as Seth Green, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, and Michael Caine.

<i>Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery</i> 1997 film by Jay Roach

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the first installment in the Austin Powers series. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers, playing the roles of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, Powers' arch-enemy. Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, and Michael York. The film is a parody of the James Bond films and other popular culture from the 1960s, centering on a flamboyant, promiscuous secret agent and a criminal mastermind, arch-nemeses who go into and come out of cryostasis at the same time as each other as their conflict spans decades.

<i>Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me</i> 1999 film by Jay Roach

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is a 1999 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the second installment in the Austin Powers film series, after International Man of Mystery. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard. The film also stars Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Rob Lowe, and Elizabeth Hurley. The film's title is a play on the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The film centers on Dr. Evil returning again from cryostasis to strike at Powers from the past, using a time machine to remove Powers's charisma ("mojo") and deprive him of whatever qualities made him an effective secret agent so he can no longer interfere with Evil's plans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Roach</span> American filmmaker

Mathew Jay Roach is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers film series, Meet the Parents, Dinner for Schmucks, The Campaign, Trumbo, and Bombshell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verne Troyer</span> American actor (1969–2018)

Verne Jay Troyer was an American actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frau Farbissina</span> Character in the Austin Powers film series

Frau Greta Farbissina is a fictional character played by Mindy Sterling in the Austin Powers film series. Farbissina is a German attack and defense specialist and the founder of "the militant wing of the Salvation Army". She is also Dr. Evil's henchwoman and tries to help in his schemes to terrorize and take over the world. She has a heavy German accent and is well known for a running gag in which she shouts her orders needlessly loud and screeching, often startling Dr. Evil. For her performances, Sterling was nominated for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the BMI Film & TV Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Number One Spot</span> 2005 single by Ludacris

"Number One Spot" is the second single from rapper Ludacris' 2004 album The Red Light District. The song heavily samples "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, which was used as the theme tune of the Mike Myers James Bond parody film series Austin Powers; the films' references play a major part in "Number One Spot" and its video.

Ming Tea is a faux retro-mod band consisting of Mike Myers, Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet, Stuart Johnson, and Christopher Ward. The band was formed by Myers after he appeared on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, and appeared in the Austin Powers film series, with the members performing under pseudonyms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindy Sterling</span> American actress

Mindy Lee Sterling is an American television, film and voice actress. She portrayed Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers film series and starred in the web series Con Man, the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She has had recurring roles as Miss Francine Briggs on the Nickelodeon series iCarly, Principal Susan Skidmore on the Disney Channel series A.N.T. Farm, and Linda Schwartz on the ABC series The Goldbergs.

Austin Powers is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who also stars as the eponymous title character as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of 1997's International Man of Mystery, 1999's The Spy Who Shagged Me and 2002's Goldmember, all of which were directed by Jay Roach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat Bastard</span> Character in Austin Powers films

Fat Bastard is a fictional character in the second and third films of the Austin Powers series. A morbidly obese henchman hailing from Clydebank, Scotland, Fat Bastard serves Dr. Evil in his quest to destroy Austin Powers. The character is portrayed by Mike Myers.

<i>Austin Powers Pinball</i> 2002 video game

Austin Powers Pinball is a pinball-based video game released in 2002 and 2003 for PlayStation and Windows. The game is thematically based on the first two installments in the Austin Powers series of films and features two playable pinball machines: one for the original movie, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and one for the second movie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The third film, Austin Powers in Goldmember, released months before Pinball but is not featured.

<i>The Love Guru</i> 2008 American film

The Love Guru is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Marco Schnabel in his directorial debut, written and produced by Mike Myers, and starring Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Verne Troyer, John Oliver, Omid Djalili, and Ben Kingsley. The film was a financial failure, grossing $40 million on a budget of $62 million, and was panned by both critics and audiences. It also won 3 Razzie Awards including Worst Picture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Evil</span> Fictional antagonist of Austin Powers, a series of spy comedy films

Douglas Powers, commonly known as Dr. Evil, is a fictional character portrayed by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the main antagonist and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world, and is usually accompanied by "Number Two", his second in command who fronts his evil corporation Virtucon Industries, his cat Mr. Bigglesworth and his sidekick Mini-Me, a dwarf clone of himself.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to James Bond:

Austin Powers may refer to:

References

  1. King, Susan (1999-06-18). "'Austin's' Mini-Me Making Big Name for Troyer". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  2. Peter Hoare. "Dr. Evil & Mini-Me (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) – AskMen". Uk.askmen.com. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  3. mtv. "Val Kilmer Says He Created Austin Powers' Mini-Me". Moviesblog.mtv.com. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  4. June 11, Derek Lawrence; EDT, 2019 at 10:00 AM. "Fat Bastard and Mini-Me turn 20: Mike Myers on creating the memorable characters". EW.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. Gyurcsány show / Miniferi.