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A head or skull is a block modeled after the head of a specific entity. There are seven types of heads: player (Steve's head by default), zombie, skeleton, wither skeleton, creeper, piglin, and dragon.

Obtaining[]

Breaking[]

A mob head can be mined using any item,[1] and drops itself when broken.

Block Mob Head
Hardness 1
Breaking time (secs)
Default 1.5

If a head is pushed by a piston or comes in contact with water or lava, it breaks off as an item.

When destroyed by an explosion, the head always drops as an item.

Natural generation[]

Dragon heads generate on end ships found in end cities.

Skeleton skulls can generate in ancient cities, which sometimes generate in the deep dark.

Mob loot[]

A wither skeleton has a 2.5% chance of dropping a wither skeleton skull when killed by a player or a tamed wolf. The chance is increased by 1% per level of Looting, for a maximum of 5.5% with Looting III. In Bedrock Edition, the chance is increased by 2% per level of Looting, for a maximum of 8.5% with Looting III.

Skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, creeper and piglin heads are always dropped by the respective mob if it dies due to a charged creeper's explosion. In Bedrock Edition, if multiple mobs are killed by the same charged creeper, all of them drop their heads, however in Java Edition only one mob selected at random drops its head.[2] If an ender dragon or a player is killed by a charged creeper, it does not drop its head.[3]

Usage[]

Decoration[]

Mob heads can be oriented in 16 different directions on top of a block, and 4 directions on the sides of blocks, similar to signs. They can be placed on top of, or beside each other by shift clicking.

When placed and powered by redstone, the piglin and dragon heads plays an animation. The piglin head flaps its ears (2 times per second for the right ear and 2.5 times per second for the left ear) while the dragon head opens and closes its mouth repeatedly (2 times per second). The same animation occurs when worn by a (horizontally) moving player, zombie, skeleton, or armor stand (note: the animation does not play if the NoGravity tag is set to 1)

Wearing[]

See also:  § Renders

The player can wear heads, similarly to pumpkins or helmets. This overlays the second layer of the player's skin.

Disguise[]

Wearing the corresponding mob head reduces the detection range for skeletons (but not wither skeletons), creepers, zombies, and piglins to 50% of the normal range. This is similar to (and stacks with) the reductions in detection range from sneaking and from the Invisibility status effect.

In Bedrock Edition, wearing any mob head or carved pumpkin makes the player invisible to other players on a locator map.

Withers[]

Wither build configuration

Withers can be spawned by placing soul sand or soul soil in a T shape, and putting 3 wither skeleton skulls on top of the T. The T can be horizontal or vertical. The last block placed must be one of the three wither skeleton skulls. A dispenser can also create a wither, by placing the final skull onto soul sand directly in front of and below it.

Dispensers[]

A dispenser can equip a mob head on a player, mob, or armor stand with an empty helmet slot, within the block the dispenser is facing.

Dispensers can also complete the construction of a wither.

Crafting ingredient[]

Name Ingredients Crafting recipe Description
Banner Pattern Creeper Paper +
Creeper Head


Creeper face
Banner Pattern Skull Paper +
Wither Skeleton Skull


Skeleton skull and crossbones
Firework Star Any Mob head +
Gunpowder +
Any Dye


Forms Creeper shape

Enchantments[]

Mob heads can receive the following enchantments, but only through an anvil.

Name Max Level Method
Curse of Binding I
Curse of Vanishing I

Note blocks[]

Placing a head above a note block causes the note block to play the corresponding mob's ambient sound when activated. The only exception is the creeper head; as creepers don't make ambient sounds, the note block plays the primed (hissing) sound instead.

The block below the note block does not affect the mob sound it creates.

Player skins[]

Information icon
This feature is exclusive to Java Edition. 

Human heads have an extra usage for map makers, they can be given NBT data so that they appear with the skin of any Minecraft account. This means if a player knows that a specific account has a head that is desired to display, the NBT data can be edited to make it appear.

The command to give the player a head with the skin of another player is /give @s minecraft:player_head{SkullOwner:"<PlayerName>"}. Commonly, this kind of head is called a custom head.

Another command to give the player a head with another player's skin is /give @s minecraft:player_head{SkullOwner:{Id:"<PlayerUUID>",Properties:{textures:[{Value:"<SkinURL>"}]} } }. SkinURL is a string encoded in Base64 containing the URL of the player's skin.[4] A player head saves the skin of the player from the time it was created, meaning if the player changes their skin, the head still displays the original texture.[5]

Note that it is therefore necessary to be connected to the internet to load the texture of a skin, whatever the property used. When they are loaded for the first time by the client, the skins textures are cached in .minecraft\assets\skins\(subfolders)\(files). If the client does not have access to the internet when it first loads, the player's head displays a regular head (Steve's skin) which is also cached. Afterwards, even if the client reconnects to the internet, in order to display the skin correctly, it is necessary to clear the cache manually by deleting the recently created files in .minecraft\assets\skins\(subfolder), then restarting the game.

When NBT-customized heads (with names and lores) are placed on the ground, they lose their names and given lores upon picking up. Therefore, using Ctrl + pick block on a custom player head gives the player a head that still retains its textures, but with no lores and its name is reset to either [PlayerName]'s Head (heads obtained by MHF-Marc's Head Format or existing players in the world) or Player Head (heads obtained by using skin URLs).

Marc's Head Format[]

Allmobheads

Most of the MHF mob heads provided.

Information icon
This feature is exclusive to Java Edition. 

Marc Watson created a number of accounts with specific skins so map makers could use common heads without the risk of someone changing their skins.[6] Nowadays, since heads do not update the skin if a player changes their skin, this is not something map-makers need to worry about, though these skins are still useful. These accounts have names in the format MHF_<Name>, for example MHF_PigZombie is the name of a Minecraft user with a zombified piglin head. MHF stands for "Marc's Head Format".[7] There are also a few blocks and "bonus" heads, for more variety. These player heads have not been updated in compliance with the Texture Update, and are outdated.

Because these are names of player accounts, these heads are obtained or placed using the SkullOwner tag, for instance: /give @s minecraft:player_head{SkullOwner:"MHF_<Name>"}.

The following names/heads have been made available:[8]

Mobs
  • MHF_Alex
  • MHF_Blaze
  • MHF_CaveSpider
  • MHF_Chicken
  • MHF_Cow
  • MHF_Creeper
  • MHF_Enderman
  • MHF_Ghast
  • MHF_Golem
  • MHF_Herobrine
  • MHF_LavaSlime
  • MHF_MushroomCow
  • MHF_Ocelot
  • MHF_Pig
  • MHF_PigZombie
  • MHF_Sheep
  • MHF_Skeleton
  • MHF_Slime
  • MHF_Spider
  • MHF_Squid
  • MHF_Steve
  • MHF_Villager
  • MHF_WSkeleton
  • MHF_Zombie
Blocks
  • MHF_Andesite (please add image)
  • MHF_Bedrock (please add image)
  • MHF_Cactus
  • MHF_Cake
  • MHF_Chest
  • MHF_Cobblestone (please add image)
  • MHF_CoconutB
  • MHF_CoconutG
  • MHF_Diorite (please add image)
  • MHF_Granite (please add image)
  • MHF_Grass (please add image)
  • MHF_Melon
  • MHF_OakLog
  • MHF_Present1
  • MHF_Present2
  • MHF_Pumpkin
  • MHF_Stone (please add image)
  • MHF_TNT
  • MHF_TNT2
Bonus
  • MHF_ArrowUp
  • MHF_ArrowDown
  • MHF_ArrowLeft
  • MHF_ArrowRight
  • MHF_Exclamation
  • MHF_Question

Sounds[]

Generic[]

Java Edition:

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.stone.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break1.00.816
Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedblock.stone.placesubtitles.block.generic.place1.00.816
Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.stone.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit0.250.516
None[sound 1]Entity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.stone.fallNone[sound 1]0.50.7516
FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.stone.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016
  1. a b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksOnce the block has brokendig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhen the block is placeddig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.stone0.370.5
PlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.stone0.41.0
PlayersWalking on the blockstep.stone0.31.0
PlayersJumping from the blockjump.stone0.121.0
PlayersFalling on the block without fall damageland.stone0.221.0

Unique[]

Java Edition:

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Zombie groansJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a zombie head is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.zombiesubtitles.entity.zombie.ambient3.01.016
Skeleton rattlesJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a skeleton skull is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.skeletonsubtitles.entity.skeleton.ambient3.01.016
Creeper hissesJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a creeper head is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.creepersubtitles.entity.creeper.primed3.00.516
Dragon roarsJukebox/Note BlocksWhen an ender dragon head is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.ender_dragonsubtitles.entity.ender_dragon.ambient3.01.016
Wither Skeleton rattlesJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a wither skeleton skull is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.wither_skeletonsubtitles.entity.wither_skeleton.ambient3.01.016
Piglin snortsJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a piglin head is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.piglinsubtitles.entity.piglin.ambient1.981.016
Gear equipsPlayersWhen a carved pumpkin is equippeditem.armor.equip_genericsubtitles.item.armor.equip1.01.016

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a zombie head is played using a note blocknote.zombie?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a skeleton skull is played using a note block[sound 2]note.skeleton?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a creeper head is played using a note block[sound 2]note.creeper?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a dragon head is played using a note blocknote.enderdragon?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a wither skeleton skull is played using a note block[until BE 1.20.40][sound 2]note.witherskeleton?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a wither skeleton skull is played using a note block[upcoming: BE 1.20.40][sound 2]note.witherskeleton?0.84 [sound 1]
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a piglin head is played using a note block[sound 3]note.piglin?0.84 [sound 1]
PlayersWhen a carved pumpkin is equippedarmor.equip_generic1.01.0
  1. a b c d e f g Actually equal to , which is about 0.8409
  2. a b c d MCPE-164530
  3. MCPE-164710

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierFormTranslation key
Skeleton Skullskeleton_skullBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.skeleton_skull
Wither Skeleton Skullwither_skeleton_skullBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.wither_skeleton_skull
Zombie Headzombie_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.zombie_head
Player Headplayer_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.player_head
Creeper Headcreeper_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.creeper_head
Dragon Headdragon_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.dragon_head
Piglin Headpiglin_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.piglin_head
Skeleton Wall Skullskeleton_wall_skullBlockblock.minecraft.skeleton_wall_skull
Wither Skeleton Wall Skullwither_skeleton_wall_skullBlockblock.minecraft.wither_skeleton_wall_skull
Zombie Wall Headzombie_wall_headBlockblock.minecraft.zombie_wall_head
Player Wall Headplayer_wall_headBlockblock.minecraft.player_wall_head
Creeper Wall Headcreeper_wall_headBlockblock.minecraft.creeper_wall_head
Dragon Wall Headdragon_wall_headBlockblock.minecraft.dragon_wall_head
Piglin Wall Headpiglin_wall_headBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.piglin_wall_head
NameIdentifier
Block entityskull

Bedrock Edition:

HeadIdentifierNumeric ID FormItem ID[i 1]Translation key
Blockskull144Block & Ungiveable Item[i 2]item.skull
Itemskull516Itemitem.skull.skeleton.name
item.skull.wither.name
item.skull.zombie.name
item.skull.char.name
item.skull.creeper.name
item.skull.dragon.name
item.skull.piglin.name
  1. ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
  2. Unavailable with /give command
NameSavegame ID
Block entitySkull

Metadata[]

See also: Data values

In Bedrock Edition, mob heads use the following data values: For the item and for the tile entity, data values determine the skull type:

DV Description
0 Skeleton Skull
1 Wither Skeleton Skull
2 Zombie Head
3 Head
4 Creeper Head
5 Dragon Head

Item data[]

Java Edition:

Main article: Player.dat format

Player heads use item NBT to save the owner.

  •  tag: The item's tag tag.
    •  SkullOwner: The username of the player this is a skull of. This gets converted to the compound version on almost any action.
    •  SkullOwner: Different definition for the skull's owner.
      •  Id: UUID of owner, stored as four ints. Optional. Used to update the other tags when the chunk loads or the holder logs in, in case the owner's name has changed.
      •  Name: Username of owner. If missing or empty, the head appears as a Steve head. Otherwise, used to store or retrieve the downloaded skin in the cache. Need not be a valid player name, but must not be all spaces.
      •  Properties
        •  textures
          • : An individual texture.
            •  Value: A Base64-encoded JSON object.
              •  isPublic: Optional.
              •  signatureRequired
              •  profileId: Optional: The hexadecimal text form of the player's UUID, without hyphens.
              •  profileName: Optional: Player name.
              •  textures
                •  CAPE: Optional.
                  •  url: URL of a player cape (64x32 PNG).
                •  SKIN
                  •  url: URL of a player skin on textures.minecraft.net.
                  •  metadata
                    •  model: The model of the player skin. Can be "classic" or "slim".
              •  timestamp: Optional: Unix time in milliseconds.
            •  Signature: Optional.

Bedrock Edition:

In Bedrock Edition, heads have no additional item tag.
See Bedrock Edition level format/Item format.

Block states[]

See also: Block states

Java Edition:
Floor

Name Default value Allowed values Description
rotation0 0The block is facing south.
1The block is facing south-southwest.
2The block is facing southwest.
3The block is facing west-southwest.
4The block is facing west.
5The block is facing west-northwest.
6The block is facing northwest.
7The block is facing north-northwest.
8The block is facing north.
9The block is facing north-northeast.
10The block is facing northeast.
11The block is facing east-northeast.
12The block is facing east.
13The block is facing east-southeast.
14The block is facing southeast.
15The block is facing south-southeast.

Wall

Name Default value Allowed values Description
facingnortheast
north
south
west
The direction the head is facing.
Opposite from the direction a player is facing when placing it.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
facing_direction0x1
0x2
0x4
0 11On the floor (rotation is stored in the tile entity)
22On a wall, facing north
33On a wall, facing south
44On a wall, facing east
55On a wall, facing west
00Unused
nodrop_bit0x8false false
true
0
1
If true, the skull does not drop as an item.

Block data[]

A mob head has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

  • Block entity data
    • Tags common to all block entities
    •  note_block_sound: Optional. The sound event this skull plays when played with a note block.
    •  ExtraType: Name of the player this is a skull of. This tag is converted to SkullOwner below upon loading the NBT. When loaded sets the name to the value and the UUID to null.
    •  SkullOwner: The definition of the skull's owner. When this is a player_head or player_wall_head, shows this player's skin; if missing, shows the head of the default Steve skin.
      •  Id: UUID of owner, stored as four ints. Optional. Used to update the other tags when the chunk loads or the holder logs in, in case the owner's name has changed.
      •  Name: Username of owner. If missing or empty, the head appears as a Steve head. Otherwise, used to store or retrieve the downloaded skin in the cache. Need not be a valid player name, but must not be all spaces.
      •  Properties
        •  textures
          • : An individual texture.
            •  Value: A Base64-encoded JSON object.
              •  isPublic: Optional.
              •  signatureRequired
              •  profileId: Optional: The hexadecimal text form of the player's UUID, without hyphens.
              •  profileName: Optional: Player name.
              •  textures
                •  CAPE: Optional.
                  •  url: URL of a player cape (64x32 PNG).
                •  SKIN
                  •  url: URL of a player skin on textures.minecraft.net.
                  •  metadata
                    •  model: The model of the player skin. Can be "classic" or "slim".
              •  timestamp: Optional: Unix time in milliseconds.
            •  Signature: Optional.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Achievements[]

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
The Beginning?Spawn the WitherBe within a 100.9×100.9×103.5 cuboid centered on the Wither when it is spawned.20GBronze
CamouflageKill a mob while wearing the same type of mob head.30GBronze

Advancements[]

Icon Advancement In-game description Parent Actual requirements (if different) Resource location
Advancement-plain-rawSpooky Scary Skeleton
Obtain a Wither Skeleton's skull A Terrible FortressHave a wither skeleton skull in your inventory.nether/get_wither_skull
Advancement-plain-rawInvicon Nether StarWithering Heights
Summon the Wither Spooky Scary SkeletonBe within a 100.9×100.9×103.5 cuboid centered on the wither when it is spawned.nether/summon_wither

History[]

For a more in-depth breakdown of changes to textures and models, including a set of renders for each state combination, see /Asset history

Java Edition
August 28, 2012Jeb released images of the skeleton head, hinting of more types to come.
PAX 2012At PAX, Dinnerbone revealed that there would be rare drops of these mobs.[9]
1.4.212w36aSkeleton Skull (item) JE1 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 Zombie Head (item) JE1 Player Head (item) JE1 Creeper Head (item) JE1 Added skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, player, and creeper heads.
Wither skeleton skulls are rarely dropped by the wither skeleton upon death (2.5% chance), while the other four are obtainable only from the creative inventory.
12w37aSkeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Zombie Head (item) JE1 BE1 Player Head (item) JE1 BE1 Creeper Head (item) JE1 BE1 Changed item textures.
Added as a hidden and disabled feature, player heads can now have the skin of a specific player. A line in the language file implies that there either used to be, or in a future update, the possibility of obtaining a specific player's head.[10]
Player heads do not drop in vanilla, but mapmakers/modders/etc. can make them by adding an NBT string tag {"SkullOwner":"player_name"} on the skull items.[11]
November 7, 2012Jeb states that the official opinion is that "[dropping] player heads [on player kills] are a bit too gory for Minecraft, so it's better suited for a plugin or mod."
1.4.612w49aAny kind of mob head can now be used to craft a firework star with creeper-face effect.
1.7.213w36aCustom heads can now be obtained without third party programs via /give.
1.814w03aPlayer heads now show the skin's hat layer (this also works when a mob/player wears the head).
14w29aHeads now display a cracking animation.
14w30aSkeleton Skull (item) JE2 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE2 Zombie Head (item) JE2 Player Head (item) JE2 Creeper Head (item) JE2 Player and mob heads in inventories and held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
Skulls worn by mobs and players are now displayed on the armor layer. Previously, the skull replaced the mob/player's head texture; the hat layer appeared over the skull.
Skeleton, zombie, and creeper heads are now available in survival. The player can obtain them by killing the appropriate mob with a charged creeper.
Creeper heads and wither skeleton skulls are now used in crafting specific banner patterns.
14w30bA single charged creeper explosion no longer yields more than one mob head. The mob head that drops is chosen randomly.
1.8.4releaseFor security reasons, custom heads can now have textures only from mojang.com and minecraft.net.
1.915w31aDragon Head (8) JE2 Added dragon heads.
Dragon heads are currently available only in creative mode.
Mob heads now appear larger in the inventory.
15w32aCreeper, zombie, and skeleton heads can now be worn to reduce detection by the corresponding mobs by 50%.
15w32cDragon heads now generate on end ships, meaning they are now obtainable in survival.
15w33cThe disguise that is given by mob heads now reduces detection range to 37.5% of normal.
15w36aThe disguise that is given by mob heads now reduces detection range to 50% of normal again.
15w39aDispensers can now equip mob heads onto players, mobs and armor stands.
1.1317w47aThe ID of heads have been split into 12; one of each available standard head, as well as a wall counterpart of each.
skeleton_skull, wither_skeleton_skull, player_head, zombie_head, creeper_head and dragon_head are now available as items and placed blocks with a rotation block state of 0-15.
skeleton_wall_skull, wither_skeleton_wall_skull, player_wall_head, zombie_wall_head, creeper_wall_head and dragon_wall_head are available only as placed blocks with a facing block state of north, south, east or west.
Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 144, and the item's 397.
1.19Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1Skeleton skulls now generate as part of ancient cities.
November 14, 2022Piglin heads are announced to be added in Java Edition 1.20 on the Minecraft website.
1.19.322w45aPlayer Head (8) JE5 The texture of the player head has been changed.
1.20
(Experimental)
22w46aPiglin Head (8) JE1 Added piglin heads behind the Update 1.20 experimental datapack.
23w03aHeads can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.2023w12aPiglin heads are now available without using the "Update 1.20" experimental datapack.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.12.1build 1Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Zombie Head (item) JE1 BE1 Player Head (item) JE1 BE1 Creeper Head (item) JE1 BE1 Added skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, player, and creeper heads.
The skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, player and creeper heads use the Java textures prior to 14w30a.
v0.14.0build 1Mob heads can now be worn as armor.
v0.16.0build 4Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to spawn the wither.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0alpha 0.17.0.1Dragon Head (item) BE1 Added dragon heads.
Dragon heads use a two-dimensional sprite, unlike Java does.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0beta 1.2.0.2Mob heads can now be used to craft firework stars.
Creeper heads and wither skeleton skulls are now used to craft specific patterns on banners.
beta 1.2.0.11Skeleton Skull (item) BE2 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) BE2 Zombie Head (item) BE2 Head (item) BE2 Creeper Head (item) BE2 Dragon Head (item) BE2 Player and mob heads in inventories and when held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3Wither skeleton skulls and creeper heads can now be used to craft banner patterns.
November 14, 2022Piglin heads are announced to be added in Bedrock Edition 1.20.0 on the Minecraft website.
Next Major Update
(Experimental)
beta 1.19.60.20Piglin Head (item) BE1 Added piglin heads behind the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
beta 1.19.60.25Heads can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.20.0beta 1.20.0.21Piglin heads are now available without using the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
1.20.40beta 1.20.40.20Wither skeleton skulls now make their respective step sounds when played by a note block.
Legacy Console Edition
TU12CU1 1.0 Patch 11.0.1Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Zombie Head (item) JE1 BE1 Player Head (item) JE1 BE1 Creeper Head (item) JE1 BE1 Added skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, player, and creeper heads to the creative inventory.
Wither skeleton skulls currently do not have a use.
TU19CU7 1.12 Wither skeleton skulls can now be obtained by killing wither skeletons.
Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to build the wither.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Skeleton, zombie, and creeper heads are now available in survival. The player can obtain them by killing the appropriate mob with a charged creeper.
TU46CU36 1.38 Patch 15Dragon Head (item) JE1 Added dragon heads.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Wither Skeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 Zombie Head (item) JE1 BE1 Player Head (item) JE1 BE1 Creeper Head (item) JE1 BE1 Added skeleton, wither skeleton, zombie, player, and creeper heads.
1.7.10Dragon Head (item) BE1 Added dragon heads.

Skull "item"[]

The following content is transcluded from Technical blocks/Skull.
Java Edition
1.4.212w36aHeads have an extra, unobtainable item form corresponding to its block ID. It can be obtained via the /give command or inventory editors with numeric item ID 144.
Unlike the proper head items at the time, it had a placement sound, and was capable of directly replacing replaceable blocks. (The proper head items could only replace them indirectly, i.e. they could be placed against the side of a block which would result in it replacing snow, however could not replace snow if the snow itself was targeted.)
The head item, if placed by a player facing north, east, south or west would result in the placement of a skull block with metadata 0, 1, 2 and 3, which were, in order, an east-facing skull visually wall attached but with a floor hitbox, a north-facing floor skull, a north-facing wall skull and a south-facing wall skull.
1.7.213w37aThe direct item form of heads has been removed from the game. It can no longer exist as an item in any way, only as a placed block.
Pocket Edition Alpha
?Skulls exist as an item.

Appearances[]

Java Edition
1.4.212w36aSoul Sand (texture) JE1 BE1 The skull item uses this texture in inventories, when held in first or third person view, as a dropped item or when in an item frame.
1.513w02aBlank The skull item is now completely invisible in inventories.
The skull item causes a game crash when held in first or third person view, as a dropped item or when in an item frame.
This is due to major texture storage changes in this version.
13w02bSkeleton Skull (item) JE1 BE1 The skull item now uses this texture in inventories, when held in first or third person view, as a dropped item or when in an item frame.

Names[]

Java Edition
  • 12w36a - 13w25b: [Has no defined name, rendering a minimum-length text box if highlighted]
  • 13w25c - 14w21b: tile.skull.name

When given using the /give command, it is announced as tile.skull.name.

Issues[]

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

Trivia[]

  • Despite there being a default Steve head, heads for the other protagonist skins cannot be obtained without using custom names.
  • In Bedrock Edition, the skull variant for the item is stored under the damage component, normally used for items with durability.
  • The head item's model when wore on a player is slightly larger than its placed block counterpart in the world, which in turn is also slightly larger than the actual player's head. Therefore, a player who wears their own head appears with a larger head.

Gallery[]

Renders[]

Screenshots[]

Development[]

In other media[]

References[]

  1. MC-192905 — Heads & Skulls have no assigned tool
  2. MC-63534 — resolved as "Works As Intended".
  3. MC-132933 — resolved as "Works As Intended".
  4. Example: {"textures":{"SKIN":{"url":"http://textures.minecraft.net/texture/292009a4925b58f02c77dadc3ecef07ea4c7472f64e0fdc32ce5522489362680"}}}
  5. "Skulls are a snapshot of the skin as it was made; just change your skin, make a skull, and change your skin back. That's intended behaviour."@Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X, May 8, 2014
  6. "I'm here to make it so that people don't have to worry about having a consistent account whose skin might change."u/Marc_IRL on Reddit, September 9, 2013
  7. "head format. I needed to pick a prefix that was short and not already taken by other usernames."@Marc_IRL (Marc Watson) on X, September 10, 2013
  8. "For those following the MHF list, I have presents for you. Full list of accounts I've made: http://pastebin.com/5mug6EBu"@Marc_IRL (Marc Watson) on X, December 9, 2014
  9. http://www.twitch.tv/pax2/b/330745811 (at 3:59:00)
  10. Snapshot 12w37a lang/en_US.lang: item.skull.player.name=%s's Head
  11. https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/zxn7u/its_apparently_my_cakeday_so_lets_cash_in_this/
  12. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct7CfOBplrG/
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