A LONG stretch of road at Mount Cotton is home to three of the suburb's friendliest residents.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They do not speak or move, but the tin minions from the Despicable Me films that sit on Christine Melling and Sue Howbrigg's front fence make a difference in the lives of passing motorists every day.
The sisters installed Minnie, the largest and brightest minion in the collection, to "add a little bit of happiness and make people smile".
He became so popular with locals and passersby that two more minions joined the family shortly after.
Ms Melling said she installed Minnie last Christmas to make a difference in the community.
"I think (Minnie's) go is to make people feel a little bit better about themselves," she said.
"Every day we try to change him or we will put something on the front.
"We have dressed him up for breast cancer week, pirate day and for sporting competitions like the cricket, rugby and football.
"We dress him up in whatever tickles our fancy."
Ms Melling and Ms Howbrigg stood out the front of their property dressed in minion costumes earlier this month to wave students off to school for the first day of term four.
In response they received messages of thanks on the Mount Cotton minions Facebook page.
"It just made the kids feel good about going back to school," Ms Melling said.
Ms Melling said she had received several messages from people thanking her and the minions for brightening their day.
She said they had become somewhat of a tourist attraction, with a few motorists stopping off to pose for photos.
"I see cars pull up down the front all the time," she said.
"There was a lady that came last weekend dressed as a minion and stood down there to get her photo taken with it.
"She sent the photo to me to say 'thank you so much for dressing up the minions'."
Ms Melling said visitors from overseas had recently stopped off for a photo.
"I was down the front one day changing Minnie and a car pulled up," she said.
"It was a group of exchange students from the Philippines.
"They all had their photo taken and they were going to send them home.
"It has got a little bit of a name. He's getting around."
Ms Melling said she planned on adding two more minions to the fence soon.
Read more local news here.
