Permanent Ghastlings (Paused): Keep Your Happy Ghasts in Baby Form Forever
When Mojang introduced Happy Ghasts in the latest Minecraft updates, players instantly fell in love with these smiling, rideable companions. Their baby forms, however, are even more adorable — tiny, floating bundles of joy that chirp and follow you around. The only problem? One accidental snowball toss and your miniature friend grows into a full-sized, harnessed mount. The Permanent Ghastlings (Paused) datapack solves that by locking Happy Ghasts into their infant state through a clever naming trick, ensuring your cutest sky buddies never grow up unless you want them to.
How the Datapack Works
This lightweight datapack introduces a name-based mechanic that overrides the default growth behavior of Happy Ghasts. Instead of modifying core game files, it listens for specific conditions and applies a permanent baby status. The logic is straightforward: any Happy Ghast carrying one of several predefined custom names will remain a baby, completely immune to snowball growth triggers. The effect also works retroactively, so even ghasts that have already matured can be shrunk back down by simply renaming them.
The Name Lock Mechanism
To activate the permanent baby form, you only need a Name Tag and an anvil. Rename a Happy Ghast to any of the following names, and the datapack immediately freezes its growth:
- Ghastling
- Baby Ghast
- Happy Ghast
- Ghast Baby
Once named, the ghast will ignore snowballs entirely. You can throw stacks of them, and the little companion will just tilt its head, utterly unbothered. This makes decorating your base with tiny flying pets or creating whimsical ghastling zoos completely stress-free.
Retroactive Effect and Harness Loss
One of the standout features is the retroactive transformation. If you already have a fully grown Happy Ghast that you wish had stayed small, simply apply one of the listed names with a Name Tag. The ghast will instantly revert to its baby model, complete with the smaller hitbox and adorable idle animations. However, there is a trade-off: the ghast will lose its harness. The saddle-like harness that allows you to ride and control the grown version disappears upon shrinking, so you cannot fly a permanent ghastling. This design choice keeps the mechanic balanced and purely cosmetic, perfect for players who value aesthetics over utility.
Reversing the Transformation
If you later decide you want your Happy Ghast to grow up and regain its harness, the process is just as simple. Rename the ghast to anything other than the trigger names — even a blank name works — and it will become responsive to snowballs again. For those comfortable with commands, you can also strip the custom name entirely using:
/data remove entity <UUID> CustomName
Replace <UUID> with the ghast's unique identifier. The easiest way to obtain the UUID is to look directly at the ghast while typing the command; Minecraft's autocomplete will suggest it alongside player names and selector arguments like @e or @p. This method is especially handy if you manage multiple ghasts and want to batch-process them without crafting extra Name Tags.
Installation and Compatibility
As a datapack, Permanent Ghastlings drops neatly into the datapacks folder of your world save. No mod loaders are required, and it works on vanilla servers and singleplayer worlds alike. The "Paused" tag in the name indicates that active development might be on hold, but the current version functions reliably in recent Minecraft releases — testers have reported smooth operation in 1.21.4 and the latest snapshots. For players who prefer a more streamlined experience, the foxygame.net launcher offers a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods and datapacks right from the menu, making it incredibly easy to add Permanent Ghastlings to your game without digging through folders. Just search for the datapack, click install, and your worlds will be ready for tiny ghast companions in seconds.
Why You'll Love Permanent Ghastlings
Beyond the obvious cuteness factor, this datapack opens up new creative possibilities. Imagine a skybase populated by a flock of baby Happy Ghasts, each named and permanently small, drifting between floating islands. Or use them as living decorations in a Nether-themed build where their cheerful expressions contrast with the gloomy biome. The mechanic also respects multiplayer environments — other players can see the named ghasts in their baby form, and the datapack's logic runs server-side, so no client modifications are needed.
Whether you're a builder who wants to add life to your creations, a collector of rare mob variants, or simply someone who can't bear to see a baby ghast grow up, Permanent Ghastlings delivers a simple, elegant solution. It turns a fleeting moment of Minecraft charm into a permanent fixture, all with a Name Tag and a bit of imagination.