Despicable Me Frustration! thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Despicable Me Frustration!

Board Game
2015 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Frustration is a Ludo style race game that was first produced in the USA under the name Trouble in 1965. Its unique feature is the Pop-O-Matic dice shaker which, when pressed, shakes the dice and determines how many moves a player may make round the board. This 2015 version of the game features the popular yellow characters called Minions from the Despicable Me and Minion films.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 12 parts.

  • Box Lid
  • Box Base
  • Box Insert
  • Box Insert
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Game Board
  • Accessories
TitleDespicable Me Frustration! (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed cardboard and moulded plastic
Brief description
Boxed board game, Despicable Me Frustration!, made in Ireland by Hasbro in 2015
Physical description
Despicable Me Frustration! boxed board game consisting of cardboard box lid and base, a moulded white plastic insert housing five playing pieces, with a transparent cover attached to the plastic insert on one side by two pieces of transparent sticky tape. A card insert with four flaps that fold up to stand loosely against the four inner sides of the box. The upper surface is colour printed with text referring to game play and game components and a labelled image of the playing board and pieces.

Game components:
1 game board
1 POP-O-MATIC dice roller
1 siren Bob playing piece
16 Minion playing pieces, four of each single colour: blue, green, yellow and orange
4 adhesive foam pads

Dimensions
  • Box lid width: 26.8cm (Note: width and length are the same)
  • Box lid and base depth: 5.6cm
  • Box base width: 26.4cm (Note: width and length are the same)
  • Card insert, folded width: 25.7cm (Note: width and length are the same)
  • Card insert, unfolded width: 35.3cm (Note: width and length are the same)
  • Plastic insert length: 19.3cm (Note: includes transparent lid)
  • Plastic insert width: 7.3cm (Note: includes transparent lid)
  • Plastic insert height: 5cm (Note: includes transparent lid)
  • Foam pads length: 6cm (Note: strip with foam pads attached)
  • Foam pads width: 1.1cm (Note: strip with foam pads attached)
Style
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • FRUSTRATION! / Game / ILLUMINATION / ENTERTAINMENT / DESPICABLE / ME / MINION MADE / POP! / Siren Bob makes your Minions invincible! / Get into / trouble / with the Minions! / Race your Minions around the track. / May the best team win! / It's POP-tastic Minion fun! (Printed onto paper covering the box base)
  • MADE IN CHINA C-267 F (Moulded into side of plastic box insert)
  • FRUSTRATION! / Game / INCLUDES / 17 MINION / MOVERS / DESPICABLE / ME / MINION MADE / Hasbro / Gaming / AGES / 5+ / 2-4 PLAYERS (Colour printed onto paper covering box lid)
  • FRUSTRATION! / GAME / DESPICABLE / ME / MINION MADE Hasbro / Gaming (Printed on the playing face of the game board)
Gallery label
Frustration! – Despicable Me This gives a modern twist on the classic Frustration game. It is essentially a Ludo-style game with the addition of the Pop-O-Matic dice holder. The playing pieces are Minions, animated characters who appeared in the Despicable Me films before starring in their own movie in 2015. Maker: Hasbro Gaming Made: Ireland, 2015 (05/08/2016)
Object history
Minions are small, yellow, cylindrical characters who appear in the computer animated comedy films Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, released 2010 and 2013 respectively. A third film in the series is being released during the summer of 2017. Minions are the cheeky, playful, loyal and hardworking henchmen to Gru, a master criminal, and their popularity within the first two Despicable Me films led to them starring in their own film entitled Minions in 2015 and in a mobile/PC action video game Minion Rush, produced in 2013. As of 2017 second Minion film is in production.

Although all minions wear black gloves, small black boots, metal goggles and blue jean overalls with Gru's emblem on the front, the hundreds of minions featured in the films have differing features such as sprouting hair, no hair, one or two eyes of different colours or longer or shorter bodies. For the purpose of easier game play, Frustration! has four different shaped minions produced in four colours, each single colour making up an individual team. The game also includes a playing piece called Siren Bob, which references a scene in Despicable Me 2 where a minion rushes into Gru's office holding a siren and wearing flashing lights on its head. Oddly the game publishers have produced the playing piece as a two-eyed minion named Bob whereas the minion holding the siren in the film is a one-eyed minion named Carl. The image of Carl is depicted on the game box.


Summary
Frustration is a Ludo style race game that was first produced in the USA under the name Trouble in 1965. Its unique feature is the Pop-O-Matic dice shaker which, when pressed, shakes the dice and determines how many moves a player may make round the board. This 2015 version of the game features the popular yellow characters called Minions from the Despicable Me and Minion films.
Collection
Accession number
B.970:1 to 12-2015

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Record createdSeptember 16, 2016
Record URL
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