Datapack Codex

Firefly (mob)

Minecraft Wiki article. Categories: Scrapped_features, Removed_features, Entities

📌 Mirrored from Minecraft Wiki

This article is reproduced from Firefly (mob) on the Minecraft Wiki. Mirrored from revision 3652883. It is licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 by the Minecraft Wiki contributors — not under the Codex’s CC BY-SA 4.0, and it may not be used commercially. Edits belong upstream, not here.

On this page
This article documents a feature that has been officially scrapped.
 
This feature is unlikely to be added to the game in the foreseeable future.
BlockSprite blue-rose.png: Sprite image for blue-rose in Minecraft
This page describes content that has been removed and was only present in earlier versions of Bedrock Edition.
 
This feature was present in a private developer version, but it never saw public release before being scrapped.
Firefly
Firefly (mob).gif: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Firefly'
Invicon Spawn Firefly.png: Inventory sprite for Spawn Firefly in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Spawn Firefly
{
    "title": "Firefly",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "1<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" title=\"0.5  hearts\">(link to File:Half Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=💔)</span></span>",
            "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Passive",
            "label": "Behavior"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" to File:EntitySprite arthropod.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Arthropod|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Arthropod article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Arthropod</span>)</span><br><span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" to File:EntitySprite animal.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Animal|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Animal article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Animal</span>)</span>",
            "label": "(link to Mob type article, displayed as Mob type)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Height: 0.0625 blocks<br>Width: 0.125 blocks",
            "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" to File:BiomeSprite swamp.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Swamp|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Swamp article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Swamp</span>)</span><br><span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" to File:BiomeSprite mangrove-swamp.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Mangrove Swamp|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Mangrove Swamp article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Mangrove Swamp</span>)</span>",
            "label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Spawn Firefly"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Firefly (mob).gif"
    ]
}

The firefly was a scrapped mob that would glow in the dark and be eaten by frogs that was featured in Minecraft Live 2021. It was later repurposed as a particle generated by firefly bushes.

Behavior

Fireflies were two pixels in size, rather than the single pixel size of the implemented firefly particle, which would have made them the smallest mob in the game. Fireflies were originally going to be the mob eaten by frogs to produce froglights, later being replaced by magma cubes in this role. Frogs eating fireflies was scrapped because some species of fireflies are poisonous to some species of frogs in real life.[1] Fireflies themselves were scrapped for being a "performance nightmare", which was not outweighed enough by its positive benefits for ambience.[2][3]

Data values

ID

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
EntitySprite firefly.png: Sprite image for firefly in Minecraft Fireflyfirefly135 entity.firefly.name

History

Development

October 16, 2021 Fireflies are announced at Minecraft Live 2021.
May 10, 2022Fireflies are confirmed to have been scrapped.

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition
1.18.10beta 1.18.10.26Earliest known instance of firefly mentions in the code.
1.19.10Preview 1.19.10.20Removed fireflies from the code.[4]

Development images

  • Fireflies
    Fireflies
  • Fireflies near frogs
    Fireflies near frogs
  • A frog catching fireflies
    A frog catching fireflies

Concept artwork

  • Concept art of the mangrove swamp with many fireflies present
    Concept art of the mangrove swamp with many fireflies present
  • Concept art of the swamp at night with many fireflies present
    Concept art of the swamp at night with many fireflies present

Textures

  • Firefly off texture
    Firefly off texture
  • Firefly on texture
    Firefly on texture

References

  1. ↑ "Minecraft Now: Frog February!" – Minecraft on YouTube, February 10, 2022
  2. ↑ "Notch Confirms: Minecraft 2 IS Happening" – ibxtoycat on YouTube, January 4, 2025
  3. ↑ "Hmm, the "poisonous to frogs" was about what they should eat, I think? Not a reason to delay the fireflies." – @jebox.bsky.social on Bluesky, January 27, 2026
  4. ↑ MCPE-155827 – "firefly" appears in target selector type argument suggestions – resolved as "Fixed".

Sources