12 January 2026

Not All of Minecraft’s Baby Animal Mobs Are Created Equal

By newsgame

Last week, Minecraft announced that the game’s baby animal mobs are finally getting the makeover they’ve needed for a long time. Until now, these Minecraft mobs have really just looked like smaller versions of their full-grown counterparts. Personally, I’ve always thought this made them look more creepy than cute. Their design never really made me want to cuddle them, but the changes being made have definitely changed my outlook on baby animal mobs.

The new look of Minecraft‘s baby animal mobs definitely turns up the cuteness dial. However, some are definitely cuter than others. The mobs are still in development, so there’s time to make some tweaks ahead of the official launch. For the most part, almost every baby animal looks way better, though. Between the stars of this upcoming update and critters that are still in need of a slight tweak, Minecraft‘s fresh baby animal mob offerings are off to an incredibly strong start.

Minecraft’s Baby Animal Mobs Are Reminders That the Simplest Changes Can Be the Most Effective

Interested Minecraft players can test out the mobs now, but they’re still a work in progress. Even though some mobs could still be improved, they all look better across the board. One of the biggest highlights of this mob change is with the Baby Chicken, though. They actually finally look like little fluffy chicks running around. The most important difference is that developers have taken the time to make the mobs look closer to their real-life versions instead of just shrunken grown mobs. Minecraft making this kind of change isn’t just a more realistic way to approach baby animals; it’s just cuter in general. Animals in Minecraft have continued to be a beloved part of the game, and this will only make the sight of their baby versions that much better.

List of Animal Mobs Getting a Makeover

Wolf Pup
Kitten
Baby Chicken
Rabbit
Piglet
Lamb
Calf
Baby Ocelot

A huge game-changer is the difference in eyes. The baby animal mobs listed will soon get a single pixel for eyes instead of the usual two-pixel versions of the grown mobs. It’s a simple fix that makes a world of difference. The new eyes give the baby animal mobs a more cartoonish look that helps make it clear that they’re supposed to be particularly adorable. It’s hard to choose the cutest animal in Minecraft, but the arrival of the new and improved Baby Chicken, Piglet, Wolf Pup, and Calf in particular are probably going to be front-runners. The Baby Chicken overhaul has already made waves in the community, since both its eyes and body design have been completely changed.

minecraft new piglet character riding horse

Kittens, Piglets, and Wolf Pups are now getting their own custom sounds to make them sound even more like baby animals. Minecraft Audio Designer Sandra Karlsson explained the reasoning behind the change, saying, “Instead of the up-pitched versions of the adult sounds, I wanted to capture the uniqueness of a kitten meow and a puppy yapping to let them have their ‘own’ personalities and bring more life (and cuteness!!) to the Minecraft universe.” I think this tweak in particular is going to be one that really shines through. Getting to hear baby animal sounds with some of the mobs will help set them apart from their grown versions even more. This upcoming Minecraft game drop isn’t just focused on cuteness. It’s aiming to make animals even more dynamic.

The sounds of real-life kittens, puppies, and piglets were recorded to make these mobs feel more authentic.

As Great as Minecraft’s Baby Animal Mob Changes Look, Some Still Need a Bit of Work

The most underwhelming of the bunch are probably the Kitten and Baby Ocelot. Don’t get me wrong. I think both of these are still quite cute, but they aren’t as eye-catching. The single-pixel eyes don’t seem to work as well for them. Instead of adding more cuteness, their faces strangely look blank and emotionless. Theoretically, the eye change should work across the board. I’m not completely sold on the different eyes working for Minecraft‘s cat mobs, though. It may have been best to just leave them alone for the time being.

All eleven Kitten mob variants get this new look.

Regardless, these changes could be a stepping stone to a cuter cat design, since there’s the chance that the cats could get further tweaks before officially dropping or sometime later down the road. Maybe keeping the Kitten or Baby Ocelot mob unchanged could help make the two stand out from one another. It could also be a good way to compare both designs in-game, so players can offer extra feedback on which one looks best in action.

Baby Animal Mob Changes Are Just the Tip of Minecraft’s 2026 Iceberg

Last year saw several great drops for players. Minecraft‘s Mounts of Mayhem drop had plenty of great features, and this year’s baby animal change is likely a small taste of what’s to come to the sandbox title later in 2026. The smaller and more frequent game drops that Mojang have made in recent years have been a solid way to keep Minecraft feeling exciting. It’s proven to be a good approach to a live-service-inspired schedule. The game drops may be smaller in scale, but the work-in-progress baby mob upgrades demonstrate that just because an update is relatively small doesn’t mean it isn’t a substantial change.

What Else Does Minecraft Have in Store This Year?

Right now, Minecraft‘s 2026 roadmap is being kept secret. However, that doesn’t mean there already isn’t news to be excited about. The upgraded baby animal mobs are the highlight of the year, so far, but Minecraft fans who also happen to love LEGO already have something extra to look forward to. New Minecraft LEGO sets have been leaked, and Mojang is bound to announce more interesting game drops as the year continues. The new baby mobs are a great way for Minecraft to kick the year off, so it will be exciting to see what else developers have planned for the game.