A creeper is a common hostile mob that silently approaches players and explodes. Due to their distinctive appearance and high potential for killing unwary players as well as damaging the environment and players' constructions, creepers have become one of the icons of Minecraft, both among players and non-players.

Creepers are a major source of gunpowder as well as the only way to obtain most music discs. When struck by lightning, a creeper becomes charged, which amplifies its explosion power and enables mob heads to be obtained.

Spawning

Creepers naturally spawn in the Overworld on solid blocks with a light level of 7 or less.

Drops

When killed, creepers drop:

Behavior

Creepers chase any player within a 16 block radius and 4 blocks vertically.

The detection range of creepers is reduced to 8 blocks when the player is wearing a creeper mob head.‌^{[JE only]}

When within 3 blocks of a player, a creeper stops moving, hisses, flashes and expands and explodes after 1.5 seconds. A creeper's detonation can be halted if the player leaves the blast radius of 7 blocks, including by knocking back it, going out of the creeper's sight or if the creeper is killed before the explosion. Normal creeper explosions have a power of 3.

A creeper jumps down to a player if it can survive the fall. Creepers begin the 1.5 seconds hissing before falling, so an explosion occurs sooner after landing with higher falls.

Creepers can climb up ladders and vines like any other mob, but do not do so intentionally.

Using a flint and steel on one forces an explosion.

When a creeper is inflicted with a status effect, its explosion creates an area effect cloud of the effect.‌^{[JE only]}

Creepers flee from ocelots and cats within a 6 block radius. A creeper that has begun a detonation does not flee unless the player leaves its blast radius.

Creepers are not targeted by tamed wolves, iron golems or zoglins. However, they are still attacked by withers, snow golems and vindicators named "Johnny". For snow golems, this was reported as a bug and is listed as either "unresolved"^[1] or "works as intended"^[2]. When hit by a stray projectile, a creeper retaliates if not already chasing a player.

Charged creeper

A charged creeper has a significantly increased explosion power.

A charged creeper is created only when lightning strikes within 4 blocks of a normal creeper. This includes lightning summoned by a trident with the Channeling enchantment during a thunderstorm. Charged creepers are distinguished from normal creepers by their blue aura surrounding.

Their countdown timers are the same as normal creepers, both in terms of range and time. With a power of 6, an explosion caused by a charged creeper is twice as powerful as the explosion caused by a creeper. Charged creepers's explosions are 50% more powerful than an explosion of TNT. How close the creeper was to the lightning strike does not affect the size or power of the explosion.

Charged creepers have the same entity ID as normal creepers. The only difference is that the value of the boolean powered tag is set to 1 (true).

In Java Edition, charged creeper explosions that kill zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons or other creepers cause only one of those mobs to drop the corresponding mob head. If multiple valid mobs are killed in the explosion, the one which drops a head is chosen at random. In Bedrock Edition, charged creeper explosion that kill zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons, or other creepers cause all to drop corresponding head.

Charged creepers do not drop their own head when they explode, though cause other charged creepers to drop a creeper head. Players and ender dragons do not drop their heads, nor do mobs without corresponding mob heads.

Sounds

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Translation key
Creeper	creeper	entity.minecraft.creeper

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Numeric ID	Translation key
Creeper	creeper	33	entity.creeper.name

Entity data

Creepers have entity data associated with them that contains various properties.

Achievements

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
		Archer	Kill a creeper with arrows.	—	10G	Bronze

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Namespaced ID
	Adventure	Adventure, exploration, and combat	—	Kill any entity, or be killed by any entity.	adventure/root
	Monster Hunter	Kill any hostile monster	Adventure	Kill one of these 34 mobs.[note 1] Other mobs, if any, may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.	adventure/kill_a_mob
	Monsters Hunted	Kill one of every hostile monster	Monster Hunter	Kill each of these 34 mobs.[note 1] Other mobs, if any, may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.	adventure/kill_all_mobs

History

Java Edition Classic
August 31, 2009					Creepers are first shown, based on a failed pig model Notch had created (he mixed up the length and height of the body[3]). They were the first mob added in Survival Test.
September 1, 2009					Notch shows creepers on The Word of Notch. The texture given to the creeper is dark shade of green that flashed to a lighter shade upon being hit.
					Creepers behave much like zombies currently do, hopping around randomly until spotting the player.
					The melee attacks of creepers deal only 4 worth of damage rather than the zombies' 6.
					When killed, creepers "lie down" like any other dead mob and cause a 4×4×4 spherical explosion that left a sizable crater, destroying plenty of blocks and severely hurting any players nearby.
					The creeper is currently worth 250 points when killed, but this was later decreased to 200 points.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					Added creepers.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST_03					Creepers no longer drop water and lava items when blowing up the liquid.
0.25 SURVIVAL TEST					Mobs, including creepers, are now more dangerous, respawn, despawn, and attack skeletons if shot by them.
October 20, 2009					Notch mentioned that creepers no longer destroy rock-type blocks.
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST					The texture of creepers has been changed.
					The explosions of creepers no longer destroy stone or stone-like blocks.
					The explosions of creepers now leave smoldering.
Java Edition Indev
0.31		20100204-2			Creepers now explode when near players.[verify] Previously in Survival Test, creepers dealt melee damage and exploded only when killed by the player.
20100219					Creepers now drop sulphur upon death.
?					Creepers no longer produce leaf particles upon explosion.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0		?			Creepers now have a new damage sound.[more information needed] Old damage sounds:
Java Edition Beta
1.4					The 'A' in the Minecraft logo now includes a creeper face.
1.5					Creepers now become charged when struck by lightning, increasing the explosion's radius and strength.
1.8		Pre-release			Creepers are now much more deadly, and can kill an unarmored player, if in a radius of 4 to 5 blocks around the creeper. This damage is also difficulty-independent.
Sound Update					Creeper explosions now have a new sound.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5			Creepers and other hostile mobs no longer attack the player in Creative mode, unless provoked.
1.1		11w50a			Creepers now drop all music discs, except for 11.
1.2.1		?			As part of the AI overhaul, creepers no longer attack other mobs.[more information needed]
					Creepers no longer strafe toward the left of the player, now stopping in front of the player.
1.3.1		12w30a			Creepers have been made stronger. Depending on difficulty, creeper damage is scaled now with Easy: ~50% less damage, Normal: same damage as before, and Hard: ~33% more damage than before. In full diamond armor and hard difficulty, a creeper can knock players down to 2 hearts.[4]
1.4.2		12w38b			New creeper fall mechanics have been added; creepers now explode, if they fall on the player from a certain height.
1.6.1		13w18a			Creepers no longer explode when hit in Creative mode.
1.7.2		13w36a			Creepers can now be forcibly exploded using flint and steel.
1.8		14w05a			Players can now see from the perspective of a creeper in spectator mode. A green creeper shader is applied and the player is limited to the creeper's movements.
		14w11a			Other creepers, witches, zombies, skeletons, spiders, cave spiders and zombie pigmen now run away from creepers that are about to explode.
		14w30a			Charged creepers now cause zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons and other creepers to drop heads.
		14w30b			Each charged creeper now causes the drop of only one head, even if multiple head-dropping mobs are killed.
1.8.1		pre1			Mobs no longer run from creepers that are about to explode.
					Creepers no longer attack iron golems.
1.9		15w32a			The detection range of creepers is halved when the player is wearing a creeper mob head.
		15w33c			The detection range for players wearing the creeper mob head is adjusted, now 37.5% of the normal range.
		15w36a			The detection range for players wearing the creeper mob head is again 50% of the normal range.
		15w39a			Creepers are now slightly shorter (1.7 blocks tall rather than 1.8).
		15w51a			Creepers no longer drop music discs when gamerule doMobLoot is false. [5]
1.11		16w32a			Creepers that explode while having a potion effect now leave behind an area effect cloud having that effect.
					Changed creepers save game ID from Creeper to creeper.
1.14		18w43a			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.4.0					Added creepers.
					Creepers currently have old explosion sounds.
					Creeper's explosions produce a white mist and have a smaller range.
					Creepers strafe toward the left of the player and are as slow as zombies.
0.7.4					Tapping and holding flint and steel on a creeper now causes it to automatically explode.
0.9.0		build 1			Creepers no longer float 2 pixels off the ground.
		build 2			An ignite button is now used to automatically explode a creeper when holding flint and steel, instead of tapping and holding.
		build 8			Creepers now use the new AI, so now they avoid fire, cactus, lava and falling (and water when idle).
		build 9			Creepers now use the old AI again because of them walking faster and not detonating.
0.9.2					Creepers now have a correct explosion range.
					The detonation time for creepers has been fixed (would previously explode almost instantly).
0.11.0		?			Creepers can now climb ladders.
0.12.1		build 1			Creepers now use the new AI again, now stopping in front of the player.
					The creeper's moving speed and explosions' knockback effect has been increased.
					Creepers now explode if they fall on players from a certain height.
					Creepers now become charged when struck by lightning, increasing the explosion's radius and strength.
					Creepers now have the new explosion sound.
					Creepers now have the flashing animation and the explosions have shockwaves.
0.14.0		build 1			Creepers are now slightly shorter (1.7 blocks tall rather than 1.8).
0.16.0		build 4			Creepers now have idle sounds.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0		beta 1.2.0.2			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by skeletons.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added creepers.
TU5					Added charged creepers.
TU12					Creepers no longer attack other mobs. Before this update, a creeper shot by a skeleton would attack the skeleton, creating a crater in the process.
TU14		1.04			Creepers have been made stronger. Depending on difficulty, creeper damage is scaled now with Easy: ~50% less damage, Normal: same damage as before, and Hard: ~33% more damage than before. In full diamond armor and hard difficulty, a creeper can knock players down to 2 hearts.
					A creeper is now aggressive toward the last player that hit it.
					The creeper's explosions' knockback effect has been increased.
					Creepers now explode if they fall on players from a certain height.
TU24	CU12	1.16			The creeper's flashing animation has been updated.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Creepers can now be forcibly exploded using flint and steel.
					Creepers drop a mob head when killed by a charged creeper.
TU54	CU44	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Creepers that explode while having a potion effect now leave behind an area effect cloud having that effect.
		1.90			Creepers now drop music discs when killed by strays.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added creepers.
Minecraft Earth
0.2.0					Added creepers.

• The original pig model the creeper was based on.

• The dark green creeper model.

Issues

Issues relating to "Creeper" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• The creeper model is actually Notch's result when first trying to create a model for the pig.^[3]
• Besides Steve and the removed human mob, the creeper is the oldest mob in Minecraft.
• Notch stated on Twitter that "I imagine [creepers] as being made out of leaves or similar. I'm not sure why they explode."^[6]
• When asked to describe the physical texture of a creeper, Notch said they would feel "crunchy, like dry leaves".^[7]
• Creepers are their bright green color because Notch tried to make them well camouflaged for the original classic Minecraft foliage textures, which were bright shades of green.
  • Additionally, the creeper texture is also based on the original neon green oak leaves texture.
• In multiplayer, if a creeper is attacked by another player, and the other player runs out of sight, it does not attack any other players.
• When asked how creepers trigger their explosive nature, Dinnerbone said "They're so nervous that they shake a lot, and then this sets them off the same way as how rubbing two sticks makes fire".^[8]
• Creepers are faster when fleeing cats than when chasing players.
• If a charged creeper is given invisibility, the "aura" effect is still visible.
• A charged creeper explosion can inflict the greatest amount of damage any mob in the game can do at one time.
• Bees and creepers are the only mobs that die after attacking the player.
• The creeper hiss sound uses the same sound file as when a block of TNT is primed, it is just the file played at a lower pitch.

Publicity

Creepers have a formidable reputation in the community because of their potential to hurt or kill even veteran players and destroy structures. Their distinct appearance and destructive abilities have made them a widely-recognizable Minecraft icon. Creepers are referenced in several of the items available at the Minecraft merchandise depot,^[9] and have become an internet meme complete with fan art, web comic references, and demotivational posters. A central part of the meme is the creeper's unofficial catchphrase derived from the mob's tendency to sneak up on the player and hiss before detonating:

"That'sssss a very nice <random valuable object> you've got there... It'd be a ssssshame if anything were to happen to it..."^[10]

Moe Szyslak took the appearance of a creeper and exploded in the Simpsons’ home with in the 17th episode of season 25.

Merchandise

Creepers have been portrayed in many Minecraft products including but not limited to:

• The letter "A" in the release version Minecraft Logo (The Original Alpha and Beta logo was just "MINECRAFT" written with Cobblestone blocks)
• Stuffed toys.
• Action figures.
• Bracelets.
• T-shirts
  • The creeper anatomy T-shirt reveals the insides of a creeper, and also reveals its scientific name: Creepus Explodus.
• LEGO Minecraft
• Papercraft
• Minecraft Facebook profile image
• In the goodie-bags given out at Minecon 2011, creepers were given as a fold-able and tapable decoration for ones room or collection, along with diamond and grass.

Appearances

TV series

• Several creepers have appeared on TV during episodes of the TV show Mad (Criminal Minecraft and ThunderLolcats ^[11]) In ThunderLolcats they use the catchphrase, saying "That'ssss.. a nice wall you've got there."

Console/PC games

• In Borderlands 2, creepers appear in a mineshaft in the most north-west part of Caustic Caverns, including dirt, coal ore, stone, gold ore, and a "Badass creeper" that is twice the strength and size of a regular Creeper.
• In Airmech, creepers appear as a unit "skin" for the suicide bomber unit the boomer. Creepers can be either green, blue, or red, depending on the color of the team that makes them.
• In Octodad: Dadliest Catch, a creeper head is seen on a shelf in the grocery store along with 2 Pickaxes and some grass blocks. It is part of a collection known as "Mintcraft".
• In Awesomenauts, one of the playable characters (Clunk) has a "skin" referencing the creeper, complete with hissing and explode sound effects.
• A creeper can be seen and interacted with in a level from the game McPixel.
• Seen as a Halloween costume in Terraria.
• In Evoland 2, a game designed as a tribute to many classic games, "Dreaded Creepers" can be found as a mob in The Mine, present era. If the player gets killed by a Dreaded Creeper, they unlock the sssSSSSSss BOOM! achievement.
• The Creeper makes various appearances in the crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as it appears as a DLC costume for the Mii Brawler, It also appears as a "spirit", and they also appear in Steve's Final Smash, the House of Boom.

Flash games

• In Stealing the Diamond (The Henry Stickmin Collection), when Henry Stickmin sneaks up to the museum's outer wall with a pickaxe, a creeper comes up behind him and explodes, destroying part of the wall instead.
• At the far end of the map in Stick RPG2, a smiling creeper can be seen in a hole at ground level.
• One of the things the player can hit in Katawa Crash is a creeper.
• In the game Transformice, there is a creeper head that the player may purchase as a hat for their mouse.

Other games

• In a game called Quube Twodee made by Universal Chicken in Adelaide, Australia, one of the levels has a creeper face.
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 for the PS3 shows a small creeper in the title screen hidden among other enemies native to Shooter 2.
• In a Notch-designed custom level for VVVVVV, "Pyramid Escape", a creeper's face can be seen carved into the background to the far left of the pyramid.
• In Torchlight II, the creeper appears in an uncommonly generated side area of Act III's Sundred Battlefield called "Notch's Mine". As expected, the creeper's found inside run toward the player and explode, leaving behind several dirt blocks. A chest at the end of the area can contain one of five Rare swords with their own unique attributes.
• In a game called Strollin, there is a purchasable creeper item, which makes bombs throw the player farther.
• In Geometry Dash, beating level 16 (Hexagon Force) on normal mode rewards the player a creeper face cube. This can also be colored to make it look like a normal one.
• A small game Notch made in 48 hours, called Minicraft, also includes creepers. What is interesting about them in the game is that it has harder types the deeper the player goes underground.

Other

• On Monday, June 18, 2012, a creeper was sent above the clouds into space.^[12]

Gallery

• A creeper's vision when spectating it.

• A charged creeper next to a normal creeper.

• Comparison of explosion craters, from wither skull (top left), wither (far left), creeper (left), charged creeper (right), and TNT (far right).

• A creeper explosion that damaged a villager house.

• A creeper that is about to explode.

• Original texture file of the creeper. Notice the leaves.

In other media

• Official creeper scarf by JINX.

• Official creeper plushies made by JINX.

• Official poppable 5-inch Creeper figure by JINX.

• Anatomy of a creeper, as seen in the Mobestiary.

• A creeper Easter egg that can be found in a game called Stick RPG 2.

• The Creeper Mii Brawler costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

• The Geometry Dash achievement which unlocks a creeper icon.

See also

References