:Creeper (Minecraft)

The character model that later became the creeper was first created on August 20, 2009,{{Cite web |date=August 20, 2009 |title=#minecraft.20090820.log |url=https://archive.org/download/Minecraft_IRC_Logs_2009/DBN-IRC-Logs/#minecraft.20090820.log |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=archive.org |quote=P12:10:38 <08Notch> omg I think I failed at making a pig, haha}} as a result of a coding error when creating the pig mob in the early pre-alpha stages of Minecraft's development.{{cite web |last1=Gesualdi |first1=Vito |date=October 15, 2012 |title=Notch Calls Minecraft's Creepers "a Mistake" |url=https://www.gamezone.com/news/notch-calls-minecraft-s-creepers-a-mistake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114060942/https://www.gamezone.com/news/notch-calls-minecraft-s-creepers-a-mistake/ |archive-date=January 14, 2012 |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=GameZone |language=en-US}} The game's creator, Markus Persson, accidentally mixed up the dimensions of the model, swapping the length and height. Instead of deleting the result, Persson instead stated "I'll keep it for a creepy creature",{{Cite web |date=August 20, 2009 |title=#minecraft.20090820.log |url=https://archive.org/download/Minecraft_IRC_Logs_2009/DBN-IRC-Logs/#minecraft.20090820.log |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=archive.org |quote=P12:17:33 <08Notch> haha, I'll keep it for a creepy creature. =D}} and later added a green texture based on the in-game leaves texture to the model, gave it aggressive AI, and turned it into a hostile mob.{{cite book |last1=Apperley |first1=Thomas |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137437204 |title=Postdigital Aesthetics: Art, Computation and Design |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-349-49378-4 |editor1-last=Berry |editor1-first=David M. |location=London |pages=232–244 |language=en |chapter=Glitch Sorting: Minecraft, Curation and the Postdigital |doi=10.1057/9781137437204_18 |access-date=February 9, 2024 |editor2-last=Dieter |editor2-first=Michael |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137437204_18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213200017/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137437204 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite book |last1=Goldberg |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xKrSCQAAQBAJ&q=minecraft+creeper&pg=PT5 |title=Minecraft, Second Edition: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything |last2=Larsson |first2=Linus |date=June 16, 2015 |publisher=Seven Stories Press |isbn=978-1-60980-686-6 |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311233452/https://books.google.com/books?id=xKrSCQAAQBAJ&q=minecraft+creeper&pg=PT5#v=snippet&q=minecraft%20creeper&f=false |archive-date=March 11, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Guthrie |first1=Robert |date=June 5, 2017 |title=The History Of The Creeper, Minecraft's Most Infamous Monster |url=https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-the-creeper-minecrafts-most-infamous-mo-1789304071 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124093827/https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-the-creeper-minecrafts-most-infamous-mo-1789304071 |archive-date=November 24, 2016 |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=Kotaku |language=en-US}}{{cite web |date=May 15, 2017 |title=Meet the Creeper |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/meet-creeper |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001180826/https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/meet-creeper |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |access-date=August 24, 2020 |website=Minecraft.net |language=en-US}} The creeper was added to the game on September 1, 2009, on a pre-alpha version named 0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST.{{cite news |date=September 1, 2014 |title=Happy birthday to Minecraft's Creepers! |url=https://www.vg247.com/2014/09/01/minecraft-creepers-happy-birthday/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923221715/https://www.vg247.com/2014/09/01/minecraft-creepers-happy-birthday/ |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |newspaper=Vg247}}{{Cite web |last=Geere |first=Duncan |date=2021-04-02 |title=Taking Inventory: Arrow |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/taking-inventory--arrow |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Minecraft}}

In Minecraft, the player exists in a large world made up of blocks. The world contains a number of enemies (hostile mobs), of which creepers are commonly encountered. A creeper is nearly silent until it comes near the player, at which point it emits a hiss and explodes after a short delay. The explosion destroys the creeper, can kill or injure the player, and also destroys surrounding blocks.{{cite web |date=February 16, 2021 |title=How Minecraft Creepers Originated From A Pig Accident |url=https://screenrant.com/minecraft-creeper-origin-design-how-avoid-mob-attack/ |website=ScreenRant |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001085842/https://screenrant.com/minecraft-creeper-origin-design-how-avoid-mob-attack/ |url-status=live }} In later updates, the Minecraft developers decided that creepers "weren't quite unpredictable enough", and added the ability for creepers to become "charged creepers" when struck by lightning. Charged creepers have amplified explosion power and can cause other specific mobs killed in the blast to drop their heads (creepers, zombies, skeletons, and piglins). These heads can then be worn by the player, putting the head's model on them to look like that mob.{{cite news |last1=Guthrie |first1=Robert |date=June 5, 2017 |title=The History Of The Creeper, Minecraft's Most Infamous Monster |url=https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-the-creeper-minecrafts-most-infamous-mo-1789304071 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124093827/https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-the-creeper-minecrafts-most-infamous-mo-1789304071 |archive-date=November 24, 2016 |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=Kotaku |language=en-US}}{{cite magazine |last1=Coles |first1=Jason |date=December 24, 2020 |title=Everything you need to know about Minecraft's Creepers |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-creeper-skin-farm-head/ |magazine=PC Gamer |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121025835/https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-creeper-skin-farm-head/ |url-status=live }}

The creeper originally appeared in Minecraft in an early pre-alpha update as a common hostile mob that silently approaches players, hisses, then explodes. It appeared later in Minecraft spin-off games such as Minecraft: Story Mode,{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/minecraft-story-mode-works-surprisingly-well-1736251691 |title=Minecraft: Story Mode Works Surprisingly Well |website=Kotaku |date=October 13, 2015 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814114756/https://kotaku.com/minecraft-story-mode-works-surprisingly-well-1736251691 |url-status=live }} Minecraft Dungeons,{{cite magazine |last1=Watts |first1=Rachel |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-dungeons-is-a-bombastic-and-breezy-dungeon-crawler-that-doesnt-take-itself-too-seriously/ |title=Minecraft Dungeons is a bombastic and breezy dungeon crawler that doesn't take itself too seriously |magazine=PC Gamer |date=May 22, 2020 |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814114505/https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-dungeons-is-a-bombastic-and-breezy-dungeon-crawler-that-doesnt-take-itself-too-seriously/ |url-status=live }} Minecraft Legends,{{cite web |last1=Troughton |first1=James |date=September 30, 2022 |title=Minecraft Legends Shows Off Cutesy Creepers, Cobblestone Golems, And More |url=https://www.thegamer.com/minecraft-legends-mob-trailer/ |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=TheGamer |language=en |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814115048/https://www.thegamer.com/minecraft-legends-mob-trailer/ |url-status=live }} the discontinued Minecraft Earth,{{cite news |last1=Gilliam |first1=Ryan |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/3/18651118/minecraft-earth-gameplay-skeleton-creeper-mobile |title=Here's the first look at Minecraft Earth in action |date=June 3, 2019 |work=Polygon |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814150322/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/3/18651118/minecraft-earth-gameplay-skeleton-creeper-mobile |url-status=live }} and the film adaption A Minecraft Movie (2025).https://www.vg247.com/a-minecraft-movie-this-is-just-a-tribute

Outside of Minecraft, it also appeared in Terraria (2011), Torchlight II (2012), Borderlands 2 (2012), Octodad: Dadliest Catch (2014),{{cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Paul |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/creeping-you-best-minecraft-references-video-games |title=Creeping up on you: The best Minecraft references in video games |website=PCGamesN |date=September 24, 2012 |access-date=February 9, 2024 |language=en |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814151350/https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/creeping-you-best-minecraft-references-video-games |url-status=live }} and in Nintendo's crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), where the creeper has been featured as a Mii Brawler costume.{{cite web |last1=Doolan |first1=Liam |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/bomberman_travis_touchdown_creeper_and_more_join_super_smash_bros_ultimate_as_mii_fighter_costumes |title=Bomberman, Travis Touchdown, Creeper And More Join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate As Mii Fighter Costumes |date=October 3, 2020 |access-date=July 22, 2021 |work=Nintendo Life |language=en-US |archive-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003181129/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/bomberman_travis_touchdown_creeper_and_more_join_super_smash_bros_ultimate_as_mii_fighter_costumes |url-status=live }}

The creeper image has been used on a wide variety of Minecraft merchandise, including clothing, bedding, and lamps.{{cite web |title=Apparel, Toys, More {{!}} Official Minecraft Store – Powered by JINX |url=https://www.minecraftshop.com/ |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=Official Minecraft Store – Powered by J!NX |language=en |archive-date=April 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401082043/https://www.minecraftshop.com/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=March 4, 2020 |title=This Minecraft Creeper Lamp Shouldn't Explode When You Turn It On |url=https://technabob.com/blog/2020/03/04/minecraft-creeper-lamp/ |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=Technabob |language=en-US |archive-date=March 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305165836/https://technabob.com/blog/2020/03/04/minecraft-creeper-lamp/ |url-status=live }} In July 2020, a joint partnership between Mojang Studios and Kellogg's led to the announcement of Minecraft Creeper Crunch, an official Minecraft-branded cereal prominently featuring a creeper on the packaging. It was set to be available for release in stores in the United States in August 2020. Every packet additionally includes a unique code which can be redeemed for a Minecraft cosmetic clothing item.{{cite magazine |last1=Watts |first1=Rachel |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Kelloggs is releasing a Minecraft 'Creeper Crunch' cereal |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/kelloggs-is-releasing-a-minecraft-creeper-crunch-cereal/ |access-date=August 23, 2020 |magazine=PC Gamer |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703171238/https://www.pcgamer.com/kelloggs-is-releasing-a-minecraft-creeper-crunch-cereal/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Gerblick |first1=Jordan |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Minecraft is getting a cereal with codes for in-game clothes |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/minecraft-is-getting-a-cereal-with-codes-for-in-game-clothes/ |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=GamesRadar |language=en |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806073534/https://www.gamesradar.com/minecraft-is-getting-a-cereal-with-codes-for-in-game-clothes/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Watts |first1=Steve |title=Minecraft Now Has Its Own Cereal |url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/07/03/minecraft-now-has-its-own-cereal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907181936/https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/07/03/minecraft-now-has-its-own-cereal |archive-date=September 7, 2020 |date=July 3, 2020 |access-date=August 23, 2020 |website=Kotaku UK |url-status=dead |language=en}}

The creeper is considered to be one of Minecraft{{'}}s most iconic enemies and icons.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-review/ |title=Minecraft review |last1=McDougall |first1=Jaz |magazine=PC Gamer |date=December 25, 2011 |language=en |access-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826092321/https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-review/ |url-status=live }} The pixelated face of the creeper has been integrated into the "A" of the Minecraft logo, as well as being used in numerous Halloween costumes and cosplays.{{cite book |last1=Goldberg |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xKrSCQAAQBAJ&q=minecraft+creeper&pg=PT5 |title=Minecraft, Second Edition: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything |last2=Larsson |first2=Linus |date=June 16, 2015 |publisher=Seven Stories Press |isbn=978-1-60980-686-6 |language=en |access-date=January 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311233452/https://books.google.com/books?id=xKrSCQAAQBAJ&q=minecraft+creeper&pg=PT5#v=snippet&q=minecraft%20creeper&f=false |archive-date=March 11, 2024 |url-status=live}} Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition listed the creeper as tenth in their list of "top 50 video game villains".{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/a453360/guinness-world-records-counts-down-top-50-video-game-villains/ |title=Bowser voted top of 50 video game villains |website=Digital Spy |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019044354/https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/a453360/guinness-world-records-counts-down-top-50-video-game-villains/ |url-status=live }} The creeper has been featured in multiple Lego Minecraft sets and has been the main focus of one.{{cite web |last1=MacManus |first1=Christopher |date=February 16, 2012 |title=Lego Minecraft available for preorder |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57379791-1/lego-minecraft-available-for-preorder/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217114653/http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57379791-1/lego-minecraft-available-for-preorder/ |archive-date=February 17, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2012 |website=CNET |publisher=CBS Interactive}} In 2021, PC Gamer ranked creeper as 9th of "the 50 most iconic characters in PC gaming", stating that "The Creeper is the star of Minecraft, which is ironic considering that the Creeper's effectiveness hinges upon not being seen."{{cite magazine |last1=Lane |first1=Rick |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-50-most-iconic-characters-in-pc-gaming/ |title=The 50 most iconic characters in PC gaming |magazine=PC Gamer |date=November 12, 2021 |language=en |access-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126052026/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-50-most-iconic-characters-in-pc-gaming/ |url-status=live }}

In an article for Games and Culture, Daniel Dooghan characterized the creeper as "resistance personified", using its role in the game to draw comparison to real-world terrorism and how society reacts to such. More directly drawing parallels to real world suicide bombers through the ideology of "Self-annihilation is the ultimate form of resistance", its inhuman appearance coupled with the semblance of a permanently scowling face further made it represent "otherness" in the game's world. While he acknowledged it was impossible to know the creature's actual motivations he felt it characterized the game world's rejection of the player, and impels them towards technological advancement and resource gathering due to frequent interaction and the consequences of such interaction.{{cite journal |last1=Dooghan |first1=Daniel |date=June 29, 2016 |title=Digital Conquerors: Minecraft and the Apologetics of Neoliberalism |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1555412016655678 |journal=Games and Culture |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=67–86 |doi=10.1177/1555412016655678 |issn=1555-4120 |s2cid=148037543 |access-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106171843/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1555412016655678 |url-status=live }}

Creepers have been the subject of numerous pop culture references and parodies. In the season 25 episode "Luca$" of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, Moe Szyslak appears as a creeper and explodes at the end of the theme song's "couch gag".{{cite magazine |last1=Peckham |first1=Matt |title=Simcraft: What If The Simpsons Did Minecraft? |url=https://time.com/51545/simcraft-what-if-the-simpsons-did-minecraft/ |access-date=August 24, 2020 |date=April 7, 2014 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814140345/https://time.com/51545/simcraft-what-if-the-simpsons-did-minecraft/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Makuch |first1=Eddie |title=The Simpsons do a Minecraft couch gag, Notch doesn't know how to feel about it |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-simpsons-do-a-minecraft-couch-gag-notch-doesn-t-know-how-to-feel-about-it/1100-6418811/ |access-date=August 24, 2020 |work=GameSpot |date=April 7, 2014 |language=en-US |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814132436/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-simpsons-do-a-minecraft-couch-gag-notch-doesn-t-know-how-to-feel-about-it/1100-6418811/ |url-status=live }} On August 19, 2011, Jordan Maron (also known as the YouTuber CaptainSparklez) released the song "Revenge", a parody of "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", depicting a Minecraft player seeking revenge against creepers. The song regained popularity as an internet meme around July 2019.{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Sage |date=July 30, 2019 |title=The 'Creeper Challenge' has group chats fighting to finish song lyrics in the right order |url=https://mashable.com/article/creeper-challenge-group-chat-game-minecraft-parody-song/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |website=Mashable |language=en |archive-date=July 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725074449/https://mashable.com/article/creeper-challenge-group-chat-game-minecraft-parody-song |url-status=live }}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Creeper Creeper] on Minecraft Wiki

{{Minecraft}}

Category:Fictional monsters

Category:Internet memes introduced in 2009

Category:Minecraft characters

Category:Video game characters introduced in 2009

Category:Video game memes

Category:Video game species and races

Category:Internet meme characters