Honestly, nobody expected the first official Minecraft movie action figures to look like this. When the trailer for A Minecraft Movie dropped, the internet collectively lost its mind—and not necessarily in the "I’m buying ten of these" kind of way. We finally saw Jack Black as Steve, and suddenly, the toy aisles were destined to look very different. Gone were the purely pixelated, sharp-edged cubes of the early Mojang days. Now, we’ve got plastic versions of real people wearing teal shirts and holding blocky pickaxes. It’s weird. It’s bold. And honestly, it’s kind of fascinating.
The Mattel Lineup: Jack Black in Your Pocket
Mattel didn't waste any time. They launched a massive wave of figures to coincide with the film's April 2025 release. If you’ve walked through a Target or scrolled through Amazon lately, you’ve probably seen the "Core Figure Assortment." These are the 3.25-inch and 4-inch scale toys that basically form the backbone of the collection.
The standout, for better or worse, is the Steve action figure. It is quite literally Jack Black. It has the beard. It has the slightly chaotic energy. Some collectors on Reddit have joked that it looks like "uncanny valley" territory, but kids seem to dig the fact that it actually looks like a person rather than a cluster of 8-bit pixels. Alongside Steve, the "Ultimate Movie Pack" (which usually retails around $75) bundles eight figures together:
- Steve (The legend himself)
- Garrett (Jason Momoa’s character, usually with his bucket nunchucks)
- Henry and Natalie (The younger cast members)
- Dawn (The final member of the human crew)
- A Creeper (Updated with the movie's "hairy" texture)
- A Skeleton and Dennis the Wolf
That 8-pack sold out almost instantly when it first went up for preorder. It seems the "Jack Black novelty factor" is real. Even if the movie received mixed reviews for its live-action-meets-CGI aesthetic, the toys have become a weirdly hot commodity for both irony-loving adults and genuine young fans.
Why the Design Choice Sparked a War
The big debate in the community—especially among those of us who grew up on the Jazwares figures—is the "realism." In the movie, the mobs have textures. The Creepers look like they’re made of mossy carpet. The sheep look... well, fluffy and slightly terrifying.
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Mattel’s 12-inch "Large Scale" figures really show off this detail. The 12-inch Creeper, for example, isn't just a green box. It has molded textures that mimic the film's visual style. Some people hate it. They think Minecraft should stay "pure" and blocky. But from a toy-making perspective, it gives Mattel more to work with than just flat plastic squares.
LEGO Joins the Party
You can't have a Minecraft movie without LEGO. They released specific sets like the Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring and the Ghast Balloon Village Attack. These sets are interesting because they bridge the gap between the movie's live-action "human" elements and the classic LEGO Minecraft style.
The minifigures are the real draw here. Getting a LEGO version of Jason Momoa's Garrett or Jack Black's Steve in that specific movie-poster outfit is a must-have for the completionists. They also introduced a "fist-launching" mechanism in some of the larger mob builds to mimic the slapstick action seen on screen.
The "Secret" McDonald’s Wave
If you aren't looking to drop $20-$70 on a Mattel set, the McDonald's Happy Meal toys actually turned out surprisingly well. In April 2025, they launched a series of "Blockheads" and "Block Worlds."
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These weren't your standard cheap plastic figurines. They were interactive. The "Block Worlds" sets actually came with a little biome block (like a Grass Block or Redstone Block) that opened up to reveal a tiny version of a character like Steve or Garrett. It was a clever way to keep the "building" theme of the game alive in a tiny, free toy. They even had a "Zombie Hamburger" toy, which... yeah, is as weird as it sounds.
What Collectors Are Saying
Collectors are split. If you look at places like the r/ActionFigures subreddit, the consensus is that these are "meme-tier" collectibles. People are buying the Jack Black figure just to put him in weird dioramas with Batman or Marvel characters.
But there’s a segment of the fan base that genuinely appreciates the "Overworld Encounters" pack. It’s a $30 set that feels like a classic toy line from the 90s. It’s got a bit of heft. The articulation is okay—not amazing, but enough to pose Steve mid-mine.
Is it Worth the Investment?
Look, these aren't going to be "1970s Star Wars" levels of investment. They are mass-produced by Mattel. However, the first-edition Jack Black Steve figure is already seeing a bit of a price hike on eBay (sometimes hitting $40 for a single 4-inch figure) because of the sheer "weirdness" of it.
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If you’re a parent, get the 3.25-inch basic figures. They’re durable. They survive the sandbox. If you’re a collector, grab the Explosive Minecart Escape set. It’s got a great play feature where the minecart actually "explodes" when it hits an obstacle, and it comes with the most iconic version of the movie Steve.
How to Spot the Best Figures
When you're hunting, look for the "Wave 2" leaks. Rumors (and some Walmart app listings) suggest we’re getting an Enderman with an Ender Pearl accessory and a variant of Garrett with his 80s-style jacket.
- Check the "Mattel" logo on the bottom left.
- Make sure the character names match the movie cast (Garrett, Dawn, etc.).
- Avoid the "Basic" 2-inch mini-figures unless you really want a massive collection of tiny blocks; they tend to get lost in the carpet way too easily.
Ultimately, these Minecraft movie action figures represent a weird era for the franchise. It’s a mix of Hollywood star power and the world’s most popular sandbox game. Whether you think Jack Black as Steve is a stroke of genius or a total fever dream, his plastic likeness is now a permanent part of Minecraft history.
If you're looking to start a collection, start with the Steve and Dennis the Wolf pack. It's the most "movie-accurate" set and usually the easiest to find at MSRP before the resellers get to it. Keep an eye on the clearance aisles in early 2026—that’s when the really big sets like the Blast Attack Ghast usually drop in price.