Rickrolling grew from Never Gonna Give You Up, the 1987 Rick Astley hit that became an internet bait-and-switch prank in the 2000s, where a promising link unexpectedly played the song instead. Minion versions rework that joke through the yellow characters from Despicable Me, whose playful gibberish and cartoon energy make the familiar prank feel fresh again. Shared in meme edits, reaction clips and short videos, the format survives because it combines instant recognition with absurdity, letting creators surprise an audience that already knows the original trick.