The Croquet mallet is a prop used in the 2015 animated comedy film Minions, directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. It is a wooden rod with a hammer end that is used to strike a ball in the game of croquet and polo. In the film, the mallet is wielded by Scarlet Overkill, the main antagonist and the world's first female supervillain, who hires three Minions named Kevin, Stuart, and Bob to help her steal the crown of Queen Elizabeth II.
Appearance[]
The croquet mallet in the film is similar to a traditional wooden mallet but with some modifications. It has a red and black striped handle, a metal band around the head, and a hidden button that activates a rocket launcher inside the head. The rocket launcher can fire explosive missiles that can destroy buildings and vehicles. The mallet also has a retractable blade that can be used as a weapon or a tool.
Role in the film[]
The croquet mallet is first seen in Scarlet's home in London, where she shows it to the Minions as part of her arsenal of gadgets and weapons. She explains that she uses it to play croquet with her husband Herb Overkill, an inventor and scientist who creates all of her devices. She also tells them that she plans to use it to steal the crown from the Queen during her coronation ceremony.
Later, Scarlet and Herb take the Minions to Buckingham Palace, where they disguise themselves as guards and spectators. Scarlet uses the mallet to knock out some of the guards and break into the palace. She then confronts the Queen in the throne room and tries to take the crown from her. However, she is interrupted by Bob, who accidentally pulls the legendary sword Excalibur from a nearby stone and becomes the new King of England. Scarlet is enraged and attacks Bob with the mallet, but he manages to evade her blows.
Scarlet then chases Bob outside the palace, where she uses the rocket launcher to destroy his carriage and some police cars. She also fires at Kevin and Stuart, who are riding on Herb's motorcycle. She eventually catches up with Bob at Westminster Abbey, where he is about to be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. She grabs him by his cape and pulls him away from the altar. She then presses the button on the mallet again, but instead of firing a missile, it releases a bunch of balloons that lift her up into the air. She realizes that Herb has sabotaged her mallet and replaced the missiles with balloons as a prank.
Scarlet then drops the mallet and falls down to the ground, where she is arrested by the police along with Herb. The mallet is presumably confiscated by the authorities or returned to Scarlet after she escapes from prison.
Trivia[]
- The croquet mallet is one of several references to British culture and history in the film, along with Excalibur, Abbey Road, The Beatles, The Tower of London, Stonehenge, and others.
- The croquet mallet may be inspired by James Bond's gadgets, which often have hidden features and functions.
- The croquet mallet may also be a homage to Alice in Wonderland, where Alice plays croquet with flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls.
- The croquet mallet is similar to another weapon used by Scarlet in the film: a ruby dress that can transform into a rocket suit.
- The croquet mallet is one of several props from Minions that were displayed at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2015.