Minecraft's First Drop 2026, also known as the "Cutest Drop," has brought a wave of adorable redesigns to baby mobs across Java and Bedrock Editions. Through snapshots like 26.1 Snapshot 7, Mojang has rolled out new models, textures, custom sounds, and even the Golden Dandelion item to pause baby growth indefinitely. Farm animals like baby chickens and pigs got the treatment first, followed by mounts (foals and calves), aquatic critters (axolotls and dolphins), wild mobs (foxes and polar bears), and finally hostile ones like baby zombies and husks.
These updates transform scaled-down adult models into unique, big-headed cuties with distinct animations and personalities, making farms and adventures even more charming.
The Holdouts: Baby Sniffer and Baby Strider
Despite the progress, two baby mobs remain untouched by the overhaul: the baby sniffer (nicknamed "snifflet") and the baby strider.
Baby Sniffer (Snifflet)
Introduced in the 1.20 Wild Update, snifflets hatch from sniffer eggs found in suspicious sand at warm ocean ruins. They take 40 minutes (48,000 ticks) to mature, sped up by feeding torchflower seeds, but unlike adults, they cannot sniff out or dig for seeds. Their current model is just a shrunken adult with a proportionally larger head, lacking the fresh charm of updated peers. Community concepts abound, dreaming of fluffier, more playful designs.
Baby Strider
From the Nether Update (1.16), baby striders have a 1-in-10 chance to spawn riding an adult strider in lava seas. They shiver in overworld air and grow without dismounting. Like snifflets, their model is a simple scale-down, missing opportunities for cuter legs, eyes, or fuzz to match the fiery Nether vibe.
These two stand out as the primary laggards, though whispers in snapshots suggest more could come before the drop finalizes.
Honorable Mentions: Other Baby Mobs Needing Love
A few others lag behind too:
- Baby Panda: Bamboo-loving cubs from bamboo jungles haven't gotten new models, despite fixes for floating issues.
- Baby Hoglin: Nether beasts now accept Golden Dandelions, but their model remains unchanged (zoglins too).
Mobs That Desperately Need Baby Variants
Beyond redesigns, many mobs lack babies entirely. Fans clamor for these additions:
| Mob | Why It Needs a Baby | Community Ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Enderman | Teleporting terror could have tiny, shy versions that pick up blocks playfully. | Pearlescent babies that warp less. |
| Parrot | Shoulder pets breed in mods; vanilla needs colorful chicks. | Mini-macaws mimicking sounds cutely. |
| Allay | Flying helpers could duplicate like music discs for "baby allays." | Smaller, faster note-dancers. |
| Bat | Ambient cave dwellers; babies hanging upside-down. | Echo-locating pups. |
| Breeze | 1.21 wind spirit; windy baby gusts. | Mini cyclones. |
| Bogged | Poison skeleton; slimy baby archers. | Froglet-inspired. |
| Phantom | Insomnia punishers; ethereal ghost babies. | Membrane-winged horrors. |
These would expand breeding farms and Nether/End adventures.
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