How to Make Rainbow Sheep in Minecraft (All Versions & Platforms)

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Plus, other fun Easter eggs to try with a name tag

Written by Devin McSween

Last Updated: May 21, 2025 Fact Checked

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Making a Rainbow Sheep

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Shearing a Rainbow Sheep

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Other Easter Eggs

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FAQs

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

There are lots of fun Easter Eggs in Minecraft, with one of the coolest getting you a sheep that cycles through the colors of the rainbow. This hack is super easy to do and works on all versions and platforms, too. It just involves naming a sheep "jeb_" (all lowercase with an underscore at the end) using a name tag and an anvil. Keep reading to make a rainbow sheep in your game, as well as learn what other fun Easter eggs you can get with a name tag!

Quick Steps

Find a name tag by looting chests, fishing, or trading with a librarian.
Craft an anvil and click it to open the “Repair & Name” menu.
Add the name tag to the first box to the left of the “+” sign.
Type jeb_ into the brown name tag field.
Put the name tag into your inventory and hold it.
Click a sheep to give it the name tag.

Section 1 of 4:

Making a Rainbow Sheep

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1
Find a sheep. If you don’t already have a sheep, you can look for any color of sheep in the forest and plains biomes.^{[1]
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- If you're having a hard time finding sheep, you can summon them using this cheat in the console: /summon sheep [spawnPos].
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Transport the sheep to your farm. Lure them to an enclosed area of your farm with wheat and they'll happily follow you through the gate.^{[2]
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Research source} If you prefer, you can transport the sheep in a boat.
- For instance, build a fence and add a gate to create an enclosed space to keep your sheep.
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Find a name tag. Unfortunately, you can’t make name tags—you have to find them around the world. There are three common ways to get a name tag:^{[3]
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- Loot chests: Name tags can be found inside chests in dungeons, abandoned mineshafts, woodland mansions, and Nether Fortresses.^{[4]
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- Fishing: Each time you catch a fish, it has a 0.8% chance of being a name tag.^{[5]
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  Research source} With the Luck of the Sea enchantment on your fishing rod, the probability rate increases to 1.9%.
- Trading with a librarian: Complete lower-tier trades with a librarian until you've unlocked the 6th tier (Master). At that point, you can buy a name tag for 20 to 22 emeralds.^{[6]
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If you don’t already have one, craft your own anvil. Then, stand in front of it and click it. This opens the “Repair & Name” menu.^{[7]
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This is the box to the left of the plus (+) sign. Simply drag the name tag from your inventory to this box.^{[8]
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Type jeb_ into the "Name Tag" field. The “Name Tag” field is the brown box at the top of the “Repair & Name” menu. Simply type “jeb_” into the field. A name tag called "jeb_" will then appear in the third box (after the arrow).^{[9]
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- Do not forget the underscore. If you do, the sheep won't turn rainbow.
Drag the “jeb_” name tag down to the bottom row to add it back to your inventory. Renaming the tag will cost 1 experience level.^{[10]
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This adds the name tag to the sheep. Now that the sheep is named jeb_, it will start cycling through the Minecraft color spectrum.^{[11]
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Section 2 of 4:

What happens if you shear a rainbow sheep?

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The sheep’s wool will be its original color, not rainbow. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to get rainbow colored wool. When you shear a “jeb_” sheep, its wool will be its original color. For instance, if the sheep was originally white, its wool will be white.^{[12]
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- If you sheared the sheep, let it graze in some grass to bring back its shimmering rainbow wool.
- You also can’t breed rainbow sheep—the only way to get a rainbow sheep is to name it “jeb_”. Any baby sheep you breed from rainbow sheep will be the original color of one of their parents.^{[13]
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Section 3 of 4:

Other Fun Minecraft Easter Eggs

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Use the name tag on other mobs for other fun effects. There are a few other Easter eggs in Minecraft that use the name tag. Add the following name tags on certain animals and villagers to create fun effects, like:^{[14]
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- “Dinnerbone” or “Grumm” turns a mob upside down. This works on all animals and villagers except the ender dragon and squid.
- “Toast” gives a rabbit black and white spots. This effect was created after a user asked Minecraft developer Ryan Holtz to make a rabbit that looked like his lost bunny named Toast. This only works on rabbits.
- “Johnny” causes a vindicator to attack all other mobs except evokers, pillagers, vindicators, and ghasts. This only works on vindicators.

Section 4 of 4:

Frequently Asked Questions

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Does “jeb_” work on Bedrock? Yes, “jeb_” should work on Minecraft Bedrock. If your sheep isn’t turning rainbow colors, double check that “jeb” is in all lowercase letters and that there is an underscore (“_”) after “jeb”. Make sure your game is updated to the latest version, too.^{[15]
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- Previously, there have been issues with “jeb_” working on Realms in Bedrock. So, it’s possible that this is still an issue for some people.
- The “jeb_” Easter egg should work on all platforms and editions, including PC, Xbox, Nintendo, PS4/5, and Java, and modes, including Survival and Creative.
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Does “jeb_” work on any animal? No, “jeb_” only turns sheep rainbow colors. This Easter egg does not work on any other animals or villagers.
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How can I get different colored sheep in Minecraft? Use dyes to get different colored sheep. There are 16 different colored dyes you can make, which you typically craft from different colored flowers and plants.^{[16]
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Research source} Once you have a dye made, simply hold it and click a sheep to change its wool color.^{[17]
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- When you shear a dyed sheep, its wool will be the same color as the dye.

Community Q&A

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Question

Why does naming it jeb_ give it rainbow colors?

Grahamster

Community Answer

Jeb_ is one of the original developers of Minecraft. He added it in as an Easter Egg.

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Question

Why can't we name the sheep Rainbow?

Belle K.

Top Answerer

Because if you change the name form jeb_ to rainbow, it will get rid of the rainbow effect. The name "jeb_" is what turns the sheep rainbow.

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Question

Why do you have to name it jeb_?

Belle K.

Top Answerer

Because this name is what makes it rainbow, it is a reference to one of the people who worked on Minecraft, so it's a tribute in their honor.

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