Editing Creeper (Minecraft)

{{Short description|Fictional Minecraft hostile creature}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Creeper (''Minecraft'')}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| series     = [[Minecraft]]
| image      = Creeper (Minecraft).png
| caption    = A creeper from ''[[Minecraft]]''
| firstgame  = ''[[Minecraft]]'' (2011)
| first_date = September 1, 2009
| creator    = [[Markus Persson]]
| franchise  = [[Minecraft]]
| home       = Overworld
| position   = Hostile mob
}}
A '''creeper''' is a fictional creature within the [[sandbox game]] ''[[Minecraft]]''. Creepers are hostile [[Mob (video games)|mobs]] (a mobile non-player character) that can be encountered within the game world at any given time or location where such mobs spawn in the dark, such as nighttime. Instead of attacking the player directly, they creep up on the player and explode when they get close, destroying blocks in the surrounding area and potentially damaging the player if they are inside or near the blast radius. Their green [[camouflage]] and generally silent behavior aid in stealth attacks. Creepers were first added to ''Minecraft'' in a pre-[[Software release life cycle#Alpha|alpha]] update to the game that was released on September 1, 2009.

The creeper has become one of the most widely recognized icons of ''Minecraft''. They have been referenced and parodied in [[popular culture]], and they are featured prominently in ''Minecraft'' [[merchandising]] and [[advertising]].

== Characteristics and design ==
Creepers were created as a result of a coding error when creating the pig mob in the pre-alpha stages of ''Minecraft'''s development in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gesualdi|first=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/|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=GameZone|language=en-US}}</ref> ''Minecraft'' creator [[Markus Persson|Markus "Notch" Persson]] mixed the dimensions of the pig model up, swapping the length and height. This, combined with the AI of looking at the player, led to the creeper becoming a hostile mob.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal|title=Glitch Sorting: Minecraft, Curation and the Postdigital|last=Apperley|first=Thomas}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite book|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|last1=Goldberg|first1=Daniel|last2=Larsson|first2=Linus|date=June 16, 2015|isbn=9781609806866|access-date=January 17, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Guthrie|first=Robert|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|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=Kotaku|date=June 5, 2017 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 15, 2017|title=Meet the Creeper|url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/meet-creeper|access-date=August 24, 2020|website=Minecraft.net|language=en-US}}</ref> On September 1, 2009, the monster was officially named "Creeper" and was added to one of the early pre-alpha versions of the game,<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vg247.com/2014/09/01/minecraft-creepers-happy-birthday/|title=Happy birthday to Minecraft's Creepers!|newspaper=Vg247 |date=September 1, 2014}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-history-of-the-creeper-minecrafts-most-infamous-mo-1789304071|title=The History Of The Creeper, Minecraft's Most Infamous Monster|first=Robert|last=Guthrie|website=Kotaku|date=June 5, 2017 }}</ref> officially designated ''0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST_03''.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/minecraft-creeper-skin-secret-found/|title=Minecraft Fan Discovers Secret To Creeper Skin|date=May 23, 2021|website=ScreenRant}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/> In 2011, the Minecraft [[logo]] was redesigned to integrate the creeper face into the letter "[[A]]".<ref name=":0" />

The original color of the creeper was dark green.<ref name="auto1"/> In 2021, an investigation revealed that Persson simply took the texture of leaves, one of the building blocks of Minecraft, and painted on it a characteristic face.<ref name="auto2"/> With the new updates, the hostile mob received a new texture, sound, and unique behavior. Initially, creepers attacked players directly like zombies and exploded only when they were killed, but Persson decided that this was not enough and made the explosion a basic mob attack.<ref name="auto1"/>

In ''Minecraft'', the player exists in a large world made up of cubes. The world contains a number of enemies, of which creepers are commonly encountered. A creeper is practically silent until it comes near the player, at which point it emits a quiet hiss<ref name="auto" /> and detonates after a short delay. The explosion kills the creeper, can kill or injure the player, and also destroys surrounding blocks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/minecraft-creeper-origin-design-how-avoid-mob-attack/|title=How Minecraft Creepers Originated From A Pig Accident|date=February 16, 2021|website=ScreenRant}}</ref> In an article for ''[[Games and Culture]]'', Daniel Dooghan characterized the creeper as a "[[Suicide attack|suicide bomber]]".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dooghan |first=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]] |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=67–86 |doi=10.1177/1555412016655678 |s2cid=148037543 |issn=1555-4120}}</ref>

Over time, the developers decided that creepers were not unpredictable enough, and increased the destructive power of their explosions by having creepers become charged if a lightning strike occurs near them. Mobs killed by charged creepers, including other creepers, drop their heads, which can then be worn in the player's head armor slot as a disguise against mobs of that type.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-creeper-skin-farm-head/|title=Everything you need to know about Minecraft's Creepers|first=Jason|last=Coles|website=PC Gamer|date=December 24, 2020}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>

==Appearances==
The creeper originally appeared in ''[[Minecraft]]'' in a pre-alpha update as a common hostile mob that silently approaches players and hisses, then explodes. It appeared later in ''Minecraft'' spin-off games such as ''[[Minecraft: Story Mode]]'',<ref>{{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 }}</ref> ''[[Minecraft Dungeons]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|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|first=Rachel|last=Watts|website=PC Gamer|date=May 22, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Minecraft Legends]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Troughton |first=James |date=2022-09-30 |title=Minecraft Legends Shows Off Cutesy Creepers, Cobblestone Golems, And More |url=https://www.thegamer.com/minecraft-legends-mob-trailer/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Minecraft Earth]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|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|first=Ryan|last=Gilliam|date=June 3, 2019|website=Polygon}}</ref>

Outside of ''Minecraft'', it also appeared in ''[[Terraria]]'' (2011), ''[[Torchlight II]]'' (2012), ''[[Borderlands 2]]'' (2012), ''[[Octodad: Dadliest Catch]]'' (2014),<ref>{{Cite web|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 }}</ref> and in [[Nintendo]]'s crossover fighting game ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' (2018), where the creeper has been featured as a [[Mii|Mii Brawler]] costume.<ref>{{Cite web|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|website=Nintendo Life|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Impact==
[[File:San Diego Comic-Con 2012 - Minecraft (7585162758).jpg|thumb|A woman wearing a Creeper head, alongside another wearing a head depicting [[Steve (Minecraft)|Steve]], one of the default player characters in ''Minecraft'']]
The creeper is considered to be one of ''Minecraft''<nowiki/>'s most iconic enemies and icons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-review/|title=Minecraft review|first=Jaz|last=McDougall|website=[[PC Gamer]]|date=December 25, 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /> ''[[Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition]]'' listed the creeper as tenth in their list of "top 50 video game villains".<ref>{{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}}</ref> The creeper has been featured in multiple Lego Minecraft sets and has been the main focus of one.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|last=MacManus|first=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]]}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-50-most-iconic-characters-in-pc-gaming/|title=The 50 most iconic characters in PC gaming|first=Rick|last=Lane|website=PC Gamer|date=12 November 2021|via=www.pcgamer.com}}</ref>

The creeper image has been used on a wide variety of Minecraft merchandise, including clothing, bedding and lamps.<ref name=":4">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 [[Cosmetics|cosmetic]] clothing item.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Watts|first=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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=July 2020|first=Jordan Gerblick 01|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|date=July 2020|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Minecraft Now Has Its Own Cereal|url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/07/03/minecraft-now-has-its-own-cereal|last1=Watts|first1=Steve|date=July 3, 2020|access-date=August 23, 2020|website=Kotaku UK|language=en}}</ref>

===In popular culture===
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]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|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|magazine=Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|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|website=GameSpot|language=en-US}}</ref> On August 19, 2011, [[Jordan Maron]] (aka 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Sage|date=Jul 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]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
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{{Minecraft}}

[[Category:Fictional monsters]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]
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[[Category:Video game characters introduced in 2009]]
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[[Category:Internet memes]]
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[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2009]]