Introduction

Minecraft Crafting Recipes memes humorously depict both authentic and fictional crafting and smelting recipes from the popular video game Minecraft.

Background

Minecraft Crafting Recipes memes have become a notable aspect of online culture, often referencing both real and invented crafting and smelting recipes. The trend gained traction with references to the 'Indestructible' Nokia 3310 in 2012 and reached significant popularity online by February 2019.

How It Began

Crafting and smelting mechanics were introduced in Minecraft on January 29, 2010, allowing players to create various items by combining existing ones in a 2×2 or 3×3 crafting grid. The crafting table feature was added the following day, and by February 10, 2010, a furnace and modern smelting interface were also incorporated.

Meme Evolution

The origins of memes employing Minecraft crafting recipes for humor are somewhat obscure. In 2012, memes featuring the crafting UI humorously referencing the 'Indestructible' Nokia 3310 emerged online. On March 13, 2017, a Reddit user named art2718 humorously utilized a crafting recipe for sugar in a drug smuggling meme on /r/dankmemes, garnering over 2,300 upvotes in six months. Subsequent memes, including one by Ewanbb on May 18, 2017, achieved notable popularity, with 19,700 upvotes. By early 2019, smelting UI memes surged in popularity on Reddit, with the earliest known instance shared by Redditor TheLegenb27 on February 2 in the /r/PrequelMemes subreddit.