When it comes to film, people usually favor good over evil, focus on the protagonist¹ and ignore the supporting characters. But when it comes to the Minions², these conventions go right out the window.

电影观众一般都会喜欢好人，厌恶坏人；关注主角，忽视配角。但是小黄人的出现，把这一定律抛到了九霄云外。

Originally comedic background characters in the Despicable Me franchise⁴, these yellow pill-shaped screwballs, including Stuart, Kevin, and Bob among others, have totally stolen the show and turned into a pervasive⁵ meme.

小黄人原本只是系列电影《卑鄙的我》中的背景人物，然而这些外形酷似黄色胶囊状的怪人们却抢尽了主角的风头，并且已经成为了流行文化元素。

This summer the characters debuted⁶ in their own self-titled movie in theaters abroad, having the second biggest opening weekend of all time for an animated⁷ film, according to USA Today. Recently, McDonald’s has been including Minion³ toys with kids’ meals in some regions, causing loyal fans to flock to the restaurant to collect them all. Related video games, apparel, toys and other merchandise are sweeping⁸ the world.

今年夏天，小黄人在大银幕逆袭成为主角。根据USA Today的报道，电影《小黄人》首映周末取得的票房成绩，在所有动画电影中高居第二。最近，很多地区的麦当劳也在儿童套餐中加入了小黄人玩偶，铁杆粉丝们蜂拥而至，希望收集到所有的玩偶。其他周边产品电子游戏、衣服、玩具等也风靡全球。

The movie’s huge popularity even surprised its writers. “We never knew the Minions were going to be so popular. It just became a force of nature,” the film’s co-writer Cinco Paul told the Los Angeles Times.

电影的受欢迎程度甚至让编剧都吃了一惊。“我们从来没想到，小黄人会这么受欢迎。已经成为一股自然之力，”影片的联合编剧Cinco Paul在接受《洛杉矶时报》采访时表示。

So, what makes the banana-loving Minions a big hit? For many, the appeal is obviously their cuteness. Their simple, graphic⁹ nature can easily transcend¹⁰ cultures and age groups. “Even children can draw them,” Los Angeles Times reporter Rebecca Keegan wrote. Thousands of examples of fan-made Minion art, from fingernails to Halloween costumes, are visible on global social media platforms.

那么，是什么让这些热爱香蕉的小黄人们成为大明星呢？对于很多人来说，“萌”是小黄人最显著的吸引力。他们简单的图形属性的外表，轻易地跨越了文化和年龄族群间的障碍。“孩子们都可以把他们画出来，”《洛杉矶时报》的记者Rebecca Keegan写道。全球的社交媒体平台上，充斥着成千上万的粉丝自制小黄人周边，从美甲到万圣节服饰，无一不有。

But there’s more to the phenomenon¹¹ than just cuteness. US entertainment website HitFix explains that their way of communicating makes the creatures infectious as well. They largely speak in nonsense words peppered with the occasional recognizable terms like “potato”. But it seems everyone can understand them through their exaggerated movements and expressions.

然而，小黄人的成功背后绝不仅仅只有卖萌。美国娱乐网站HitFix解释道，小黄人的沟通方式同样让他们具有感染力。他们通常讲得都是一些没有意义的词汇，偶尔可以识别出“potato”这样的字眼。但是，通过他们夸张的动作和表情，几乎每个人都可以理解他们的意思。

More importantly, their childlike mannerisms and brazen¹² stupidity is a brand of humor that wins hearts. “Clumsy, foolish and helplessly herd-oriented, the Minions are the ultimate beta personalities¹³,” wrote Peter Debruge of US entertainment magazine Variety.

更重要的是，小黄人孩童般的举止以及蠢萌的行事风格，形成了他们独有的幽默品牌，从而赢得了观众的心。“笨拙、愚蠢、无可抗拒的群居倾向，小黄人代表着一种终极的懒散性格，”美国娱乐杂志Varity的记者Peter Debruge写道。（a beta personality (或者 type B) 是指那种喜欢无压力自由自在生活的人，而alpha personalities (type A) 人群则通常从成功和被认可中得到快乐。）

They desire nothing more than to serve their most despicable master, Felonious Gru. And this evil characteristic strikes a chord with humans.

小黄人们别无他求，只是为了服务于他们最卑鄙的主人格鲁。而这个反面角色却引人共鸣。

“Perhaps we love Minions because they remind us of ourselves,” Huffington Post associate Web editor Sara Boboltz wrote. “Or an evil-henchman version of ourselves.”

“我们喜爱小黄人，也许是因为在他们身上，我们看到了自己，”《赫芬顿邮报》的网页副主编Sara Boboltz写道，“或者看到了自己屈从恶势力的一面。”