Best Community Skins: August

Dream of a version of Minecraft that’s more cheerful? Sick of begging the Creeper to smile, then bursting into tears (not of joy) when it blows up in your face? Then you need Chester the Jester!

I’ve always considered myself the delightful clown of Minecraft.net, even though my excellent six hours of Minecraft-based stand-up (“What do you call a rude Minecraft build? Ob-block-ious!”) still gets me more threats than laughs. This skin might not help my act, but it’ll certainly improve my wardrobe, with it’s audacious mix of blue-and-yellow and that garish red eye-mask. Although that eye-mask does make Chester look a bit like a crime-committing clown… hey, maybe I could use it to role-play as the coolest Batman villain!

Olak THE Polak

By Olak_The_Polak

Summer is drawing to a close, and the promise of another Swedish winter already has me shivering in ‘delight’. At least it can always be summer in Minecraft, especially if I wear Olak THE Polak, a skin that feels like it should be challenging me to a limbo competition, or selling me sea shells on the sea shore (side note: has anyone else noticed that selling sea shells on a sea shore is the worst business model of all time?)

Anyway, Olak’s skin comes complete with MASSIVE grin (his mouth is almost in his eye! That’s the kind of face-disfiguring commitment to cheeriness I respect). But it’s the shades that match his Elvis-worthy hairdo that makes this skin a summer must have. Did you hear that Summer? COME BACK PLEASE COME BACK I NEVER EVEN TANNED I LOOK LIKE THE GHOST OF TOOTHPASTE

KEVIN - TREASURE, NOT TRASH

By Confusing

WALL-E, go back to your scrapheap, because Kevin is the only adorable android I need to download into my life ASAP. Kevin’s an utterly charming mix of DIY components, including an old television for a head, cardboard box for a torso, and two grape soda bottles strapped to its back to make the world’s most refreshing jetpack. If the machines do one day rise up and take the planet from us, I sure hope they look as delightful as this. Help yourself to all of humanity’s resources, Kevin! D’awww!

IMJUSTBENTON

By Imjustbenton

Here’s how I select a Minecraft skin in four easy steps: 1) I admire the green hoodie, that uses multiple shades and clever details to make me feel more comfortable just looking at it 2) I nod respectfully at that fine mop of blonde hair, take a sip of tea, and start seriously considering this skin for Minecraft.net fame 3) I spit out the tea in shock when I notice the left shoulder of said skin has a little bee on it. 4) I apologise to all my co-workers who were scalded by my reckless tea-spitting, and then go stand in the corner of the Mojang office to think about what I’ve done.

Actually, I’m gonna spend today’s corner time thinking about Imjustbenton’s excellent skin instead! This was submitted 17 days before we announced this buzzing into Minecraft which is the kind of weird coincidence that makes me paranoid that we’re all living in a simulation. But hey, if said simulation contains skins as well-crafted as this one, who cares?

HEATHER'S SKIN

By Heather

We’ve all been there. We’re on our way to a delightful Pride parade in our best rainbow outfit when suddenly the local volcano goes off and we get coated in ash. How else to explain the delightful clash of colour and col-ugh that make up the two contrasting halves of Heather’s rainbow and grey-oh-no skin?

Perhaps it’s meant to represent the unknowable duality of man? How some days we wake up feeling like we’re literally made of rainbows, cartwheeling to work, smiling at everything we see and seizing the day! And other days we wake up grey, miserable and remembering we were meant to have this article finished twelve days ago, because it’s about August skins, Tom.  

We’ll probably never know, but at least we can take comfort in knowing that this skin is pretty much perfect. Great job, Heather!

THE KNIGHT OF THE PINK FISH

By aSociopathicPinkFish

A skin with a name so good I’m already looking into legally changing my name to it, The Knight of the Pink Fish is a medieval warrior not afraid to add a dash of swishing style to his look. The metal armour looks mighty tough, and you could probably cook steak on that excellent grill-plate it has for a face.

But honestly, it’s that marvellous pink cape, cockily draped over a single shoulder, that clinches it for me. Just imagine how it flows behind them when they enter a room! Or leave a room! Or when they swoop it over themselves dramatically after calling you “a most craven of cowards, sir!” I need to lie down.

BEES R PRETTY COOL

By Stuffles

More bees? Oh, alright then – but only because Stuffles’ bee costume is stunning. Where to start? The deliberately mismatched yellow and black socks, that – unlike when I wear them – make odd socks work? How about the little bonus bee hidden in her hair? Personally, I think the best feature is the bee wings on the back, which should have the Elytra wings sweating and booking a makeover right now.

This skin is such a success, even Minecraft’s actual bees can’t get enough of it! Or they just really want the flower that I forgot to put down before taking that screenshot. I guess we’ll never know.

Remember to submit your own skin for next month’s article! Email scoops@minecraft.net with the subject line ME SO PRETTY with your skin template, a screenshot of your skin in-game, the name of your skin, and the name you want to be credited by if we use it.

Best of luck!