Snow Golem

A Snow Golem (previously known as a Snowman) is an upcoming mob which was first mentioned by Notch on September 21st, 2011 to appear in Beta 1.9 According to the tweets by Notch. The Snow Golem is the game's first "utility mob", defined by Notch as any player created mob. You will be able to craft Snow Golems, using Pumpkins and Snow Blocks. Snow Golems will throw snowballs at enemy mobs and will melt in warmer biomes but they will not melt when lava is near them, unless they fall in it. As Snow Golems move, they leave a trail of snow on the ground (but not in deserts or in the nether). Once killed, the Snow Golem will drop multiple Snowballs.

Behavior
Snow Golems will not attack their creator. However, they will throw snowballs at hostile mobs, provoking them. This gives them an almost suicidal nature, because snowballs do no damage, but they attract enemies which can kill it or the player.

Crafting
To make a snow golem, The player has to place two vertically stacked Snow Blocks, and place a Pumpkin or Jack-O-Lantern on top of it. They cannot be made in the crafting table, but can be made in the Nether as of the 1.9 pre-release version.

Farming
Because Snow Golems create a constant blanket of snow on the ground as they move, it should be possible to farm it. However, due to the provoking nature against hostile mobs, the player may want to make sure they are in an enclosed space.

Furthermore, Snow Golems can be used to lure hostile mobs into mob traps. This could create a better flow of incoming items, as you won't have to wait for said mobs to wander in.

Known Bugs
The block under a Snow Golem is indestructible (observed in creative mode)

Trivia

 * Snow Golems are the first mob the player can create.
 * Notch originally planned to call this mob Snowmen. However, very soon after revealing the name, he came upon the Reddit user "Cuttleman's" entry stating he would call them Snow Golems. He immediately decided to change their title to this.
 * Just Four Snow Golems muster enough power to continuosly push a Zombie back.
 * On Reddit Notch referred to them as Utility Mobs.
 * Snow Golems cannot be created by moving snow with pistons, the blocks must be placed by the player
 * In the Beta 1.9 pre-release Snow Golems do not melt in the Nether.
 * Using fences and lava an effective mob defense system can be made. You can fence in a number of snowmen and put a 2 wide, 2 deep lava pit around them, and, as they don't melt, they will throw snowballs at oncoming mobs. The aggressive mobs will then fall into the lava pit.
 * The Snow Golem don't appear to take fall damage.