Minimates are a block-styled miniatureaction figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002, and released byDiamond Select Toys as of 2007. The basic Minimate figure design has a 2 in (51 mm) tall humanoid body with 14 points ofarticulation. 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 onMarvel Comics, with over 85 waves of figures released to date.

Designed and produced by New York City-based sculpting and design houseArt Asylum, Minimates began in 2002 with multiple lines of 3" Minimates based on several different licenses. These includedDark Angel,Star Trek,Kung Faux,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the films ofBruce Lee, along with aRock line featuringKISS,Rob Zombie,Ozzy Osbourne andAlice 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 withDiamond Select Toys, a range of 2" Minimates based upon theMarvel 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, aLord of the Rings line produced by Art Asylum andPlay 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 theDC 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 2006DC 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 theSpeed Racer cartoon (from Art Asylum) as well as both the classic and modernBattlestar Galactica TV series (from Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys).

In 2007, Art Asylum became a division of Diamond Select Toys,^[1] 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., andBattle Beasts, which they acquired the trademark for in 2009.

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 betweenToys "R" Us orWalgreens and the specialty store market. Exclusive Minimates releases have been offered at major pop culture conventions, including San Diego'sComic-Con International,New York Comic Con andC2E2.

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 asTerminator 2: Judgment Day,Back to the Future andKnight 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.^[2]

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 theDC Comics line where the heads were locked in place. Vinimates often shared licenses with Minimates, but some licenses were exclusive to Vinimates such asCaddyshack andThe Rocketeer.

In 2005, animation students at the DAVE School (The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School) producedBatman: New Times, featuring computer-generated Minimate characters, as a class project.^[3]New Times features is notable for its all-star cast includingAdam West andMark 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 asBatman: New Times was produced under the nameX-Men: Darktide.^[4] 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.

• Diamond Select Toys
• Minimate Database
• Basement24.com - Toy and Collectible Design by Barry Bradfield