Liesl Benecke burst into tears as she rounded a corner at Japan's Universal Studios and saw Minion Land spread out before her. To be clear, they were tears of joy. Benecke of Australia fell in love when she first saw Despicable Me, the 2010 family comedy about a supervillain and his gang of yellow minions. "I remember laughing so much at the cute, little pill-shaped henchmen. They certainly made a huge impression on me," she recalls, per the New York Post. By 2011, Benecke had acquired 20 Minions figurines. But as the movie franchise expanded, so did her collection. She now has Minion cups, magnets, stuffed toys, books, posters, blankets, costumes—even a Minion tattoo.
Excluding the tattoo, Benecke counts exactly 1,035 pieces of Minions memorabilia, now confirmed as the largest collection in the world, according to Guinness World Records. "Little did I know how my collection would grow," Benecke tells Guinness, noting Minions memorabilia can now be found "in every room" of her home "and on every spare wall." Her collection even extends to her workplace and car, where a giant Minion stuffy can sometimes be found riding shotgun. "My daughter says I need another house just to store my Minions, but I love being surrounded by their beautiful, bright yellow smiles," Benecke adds. "I'm just a big kid at heart" and "the Minions are my source of happiness." (More Guinness World Records stories.)
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