The Simon_12 Minecraft ARG Explained

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Plus, a breakdown of every video in the series

Co-authored by Kohl Turner and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: May 5, 2026 Fact Checked

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Who is Simon_12?

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Video Recaps

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Simon_12 vs. Herobrine

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Is Simon_12 real?

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How to Summon Simon_12

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Video

If you’re into Minecraft lore, you’ve almost certainly heard of Herobrine—the mysterious legend who pops up in players’ games, and who might be a hacker or the ghost of the developer’s brother. But have you heard of Herobrine’s secret brother, Simon 12? We’re digging into the Simon lore, including a breakdown of every video in the series and how Simon and Herobrine are connected. Let’s go!

Who is Simon 12?

Simon_12 is a Minecraft ARG (alternate reality game) where a player encounters a mysterious entity. The entity isn’t named in the story, but it’s often called Simon_12 after the creator. Simon_12 has white glowing eyes, like the Minecraft legend Herobrine, so it’s been nicknamed “Herobrine’s Secret Brother.”

Section 1 of 5:

Who is Simon_12 in Minecraft lore?

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1
Simon_12 is a legend about an entity that stalks players in Minecraft. The legend of Simon_12 is based on videos uploaded by YouTuber simon_12 (@simon_12371). In the videos, a player named Simon and his friend Angelo encounter a creepy Minecraft entity that causes strange occurrences in the game, like trees without leaves and random air pockets appearing in mines.
- In the videos, the entity isn’t given a name, but Minecraft fans have dubbed him Simon_12 after the story’s creator.
- Over time, lore has developed around the entity in the videos. Viewers have noted similarities between Simon_12 and the Minecraft creepypasta legend Herobrine—like glowing white eyes and the leafless trees—earning it the nickname “Herobrine’s Secret Brother.”
- We’ll recap the videos in the next section, but there’s a lot to it. This video from YouTuber @Render does a good job of summarizing the hints in the video, plus he explains the confusing timeline.
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The Simon_12 series is an ARG (alternate reality game). In ARGs, the line between viewer and player is blurred. Viewers often have to interact with the story in some way to find hidden details. To get the whole story of Simon_12, viewers have to put together clues hidden in the videos. For example:
- The simon_12 YouTube channel only has 3 videos, and you have to solve a puzzle to find the complete playlist: Combine the description from the creator’s Reddit profile (“playlist?list=”) and a string of characters from the closed captions in the second video (“PLjhc5PDdOdYsn0U0OYnwiE53qxRv0kWQW”).
- If you click on the name of the creator of the playlist (“poodleswift”), there’s an additional video titled “ithas.”
- The name of Simon’s friend Angelo appears differently throughout the game (e.g. xxangeloxx322 vs xxangeloxx233).
- The video “ithas” contains cryptic messages, including one in Morse code.

Section 2 of 5:

Simon_12 Video Recaps

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Birthday The “birthday” video opens with the player simon_12. In this video, Simon communicates with his YouTube audience via the in-game chat. He introduces his Minecraft video series “beating the dragon,” saying he’s never beat the game before and asking his viewers to share tips and tricks.^{[1]
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- Most of the video just shows Simon playing normally, gathering materials and demonstrating Minecraft hacks he saw on YouTube.
- At the end of the video, Simon builds a structure that he says will give him free diamonds. The video cuts out just as Simon finishes the structure. (Followers of Minecraft lore will recognize this as a shrine for summoning Herobrine.)
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base_stuff_for_video_2 “Base_stuff_for_video_2” opens with Simon constructing a building that will later be his house. Once he finishes the structure, he adds a door and furnishings like a crafting table, furnace, bed, and storage chests. He then heads into the mines, where he fights for a while before returning to the surface and traveling to the Nether, where he obtains glowstone.^{[2]
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- When Simon returns to the Overworld, he places the glowstone beside his bed as a lamp—but when he stops to type in the chat, the glowstone mysteriously disappears.
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2017-9-16-4-12-57 “2017-9-16-4-12-57” starts with a chat conversation between simon_12 and his friend xxangeloxx233, where they talk about school and decide to race for diamonds. Angelo mines all the diamonds, which annoys Simon. The friends then find a mysterious structure in the mines.
- In a picture on Simon’s computer, Angelo’s Minecraft name is actually xxangeloxx322, indicating that the Angelo in the mines is not actually Simon’s real-life friend.
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why_is_he_here The video “why_is_he_here” opens with angelo233 asking “where am i” in the chat. Simon types messages into the chat, like “hi youtube can people can get into your single player” and “i think angelo is here,” but he erases them without sending them—indicating that he thinks someone else might be in his private server, watching.
- Simon uses portals to travel to a smaller base, where he just has a bed and a chest. He breaks the bed, and finds a deep tunnel underneath. He covers the tunnel with dirt, burns the base, and teleports back to his house.
- Angelo speaks in the chat again, saying “theres something here,” then “dark” and “no room.”
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fishing.mp4 “fishing.mp4” is one of the 3 videos originally posted to the simon_12 YouTube channel. In this video, Simon communicates with the audience by typing in Notepad. He says “i dont want to look under my bed anymore.” He covers the entrance to his mines then goes fishing for Enchanting Books. However, his fishing line behaves oddly, seeming to float in the air. Simon says he thinks it’s happening because of the “statue.” He follows the line, which points down into a deep cavern.
- Viewers have noted that the fishing pole appears to be hooked onto an invisible player.
- Right at the end of the video, the caption flashes “PLjhc5PDdOdYsn0U0OYnwiE53qxRv0kWQW.” It’s the only caption in any of the videos.
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y512 The next video is “y512,” another of the 3 videos originally posted to the simon_12 YouTube channel. Simon continues to communicate via the Notepad app, saying he’s going into the mines to try to get diamonds. As he mines, he finds air pockets and a strange structure with a black border. He hears the sound of bricks breaking and quickly heads back above ground.
- Once Simon gets back above ground, he sees that all the trees have lost their leaves. Lightning strikes, setting the trees on fire. Simon then walls himself into a corner of his house.
- Right before the end of the video, at 5:01, you can spot a pair of white, glowing eyes under Simon’s bed.
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simon_says The next video, “simon_says,” might be the creepiest in the whole series. It opens with a “You died!” screen, saying “simon_12 died by falling from a high place.” He navigates a bleak underground cave filled with pillars and cobblestone blocks, and he can’t find his way out despite hearing rain. He also sees shapes that might be a person hiding behind a pillar.
- As Simon explores, he sees a sign that says, “Simon Says Built a Base Built it Bigger.”
- Simon destroys the first sign, then sees another that says, “Simon Says breaking sign?”
- After breaking that sign, Simon more clearly sees a figure behind a pillar, but when he circles around the pillar, there’s no one there.
- Simon tries walling himself in with cobblestone for protection, but a sign appears on the wall that says, “Simon Says my base is my bedroom.”
- Simon continues searching for an escape, then a message from Angelo pops up that says, “I think i see your name.”
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trick The video “trick” picks up right where “simon_says” left off. Simon finds himself in a strange underground building that resembles the structure he and Angelo found in “2017-9-16-4-12-57.” Simon mines wood from the building and uses it to craft a stone pickaxe so he can dig his way out of the underground area.
- Eventually, Simon finds his way back above ground, in a hilly area where the trees have no leaves. He traverses the mountainous biome, eventually returning to his house. But his house is significantly larger than we remember, and it’s filled with a maze of doors.
- Simon writes messages on the screen, saying, “i want to leave the world … but the dragon … i called it beating the dragon.”
- Simon backs into a corner as he hears doors opening. Just as the last door opens, the video ends.
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regearing.mp4 In “regearing.mp4,” we find Simon mining in the mountainous biome. Eventually, he goes back underground, digging straight down until he’s deep underground. While there, he continues mining and crafting.
- Not much happens in this video—viewers sometimes try to decode various sounds in the background, but it doesn’t obviously advance the storyline much, other than to establish that Simon isn’t giving up his endeavor to beat the dragon.
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2017-10-10-7-37-15 The video “2017-10-10-7-37-15” opens with simon_12 and xxangeloxx233 chatting as they play. They take a picture together, then Simon uses an Eye of Ender to help them find a Stronghold to travel to the End Dimension and beat the dragon. They dig down to the stronghold, and Angelo disappears, leaving Simon to navigate the lava-filled world by himself.
- Simon eventually finds Angelo, who stands in front of a sign that says “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUMMY.” Angelo places a diamond block on top of the sign, which Simon mines as the video ends.
- Based on Angelo’s sign, this video probably takes place around the time of “Birthday.” It’s dated 10-10-2017, so it definitely takes place before “y512,” which references Halloween.
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?????? The video “??????” opens with Simon throwing an Eye of Ender into the air. He uses a boat to navigate to an island, then digs down to a Stronghold. He gets an achievement for discovering the Stronghold, despite having been in one in the previous video.
- Simon then places Eyes of Ender all around an Ender portal, then travels to the End Dimension.
- Simon begins his final battle with the Ender Dragon, but during the battle, the Dragon mysteriously disappears.
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0-00 “0-00” picks up at the end of “??????” After the Dragon disappears, Simon explores the End Dimension. The ground under him begins to disintegrate, and eventually, everything disappears except the pillar Simon is standing on. Simon turns around and xxangeloxx233 is standing behind him. He asks where Angelo has been, but Angelo doesn’t answer. Simon then exits the game and drags a file—presumably the “beating the dragon” game file—to the Recycle Bin on his desktop.
- In the next scene, Simon and xxangeloxx233 chat on New Years while playing in a new game. Angelo says he saw the videos that Simon sent and apologizes for not believing him. The friends craft and set off fireworks for New Years.
- At the end of the video, Simon says that the lamp Angelo gave him—that he keeps next to his bed—just went off. This is a hint that the house in Simon’s first world was designed after his real-life bedroom. Angelo asks, “what lamp,” and the video ends with Simon restoring the “beating the dragon” file from the recycle bin.
- This video has two big clues to the series. The lamp next to his bed indicates that he designed the house in his first world to look like his real-life bedroom, which may explain the sign that says, “Simon Says my base is my bedroom.” Also, Simon’s choice to restore the file may indicate that he believes the real Angelo is still trapped in the game.
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fighter.mp4 The “fighter.mp4” video shows someone crafting a large, mysterious structure, with a sign that says, “Simon Says goodbye” and another that says “Simon Says ANGELO.”
- This video is not included in the playlist of simon_12 videos, but it is posted to the simon_12 YouTube channel.
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ithas The video “ithas” is the only thing posted to @poodleswift’s YouTube channel. The beginning of the video just shows an open door, and at about 1:30, simon_12 types “BZFFRB” into the chat. The video then switches to someone placing blocks in an outdoor area.
- Then, they place a sign that says , “____ _ _-_ _ -_-- _ - __ -- __.”
- In the chat, simon_12 says, “.. / .-- .- -. - / - --- / - . .-.. / -.-- --- ..-. / -- .. -. .” (Morse code for “i want to tell you about a friend of mine.”)
- The description of the video says, “=oo= =oo= o= =o ==o o o=oo === oooo =oo= =oo= oo=== ooo== ooo== put it all here, I gave you the password.” (Some viewers say this translates to “xxangeloxx233.”)

Section 3 of 5:

Simon_12 vs Herobrine: What are the Differences?

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Simon_12 may be an alternate version of Herobrine. Herobrine is a cornerstone of Minecraft lore. He’s said to mysteriously enter single-player worlds, often appearing with white, glowing eyes. The eyes under Simon’s bed in y512 are also glowing white. Simon_12 also mysteriously changes the world and strips leaves from trees. Some people believe this means that the entity in the simon_12 series is actually Herobrine.
- However, most viewers seem to feel that the entity in simon_12 is a separate being—but because of the similarities between the two, it's often referred to as “Herobrine’s Secret Brother.”
- While Minecraft ARG creator Kohl Turner says he thinks the theory that Simon_12 is really Herobrine is a good one, he doesn't believe it's true.^{[3]
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Section 4 of 5:

Is the Simon_12 Minecraft creepypasta real or fake?

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The Simon_12 series is fiction. This is a really creative work of fiction, but it’s not real. There are several slight discrepancies, like computer icons that are more recent than the supposed date of the videos. Also, in “2017-10-10-7-37-15,” Simon takes a screenshot and gets a message that says “Saved screenshot as 2024-03-25-18.17.06.png.” This indicates the screenshot was taken around the time the ARG was created—not actually in 2017.
- Even if it’s not real, though, this is a fun series with a big following.

Section 5 of 5:

How to Summon Simon_12 in a Minecraft World

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The only way to summon Simon_12 is with a mod. If you’re into modded gameplay, you can download a mod that will put Simon_12 into your game. The most popular of these is Herobrine’s Secret Brother - Simon_12 Reimagined by ZZiggs on CurseForge. If you’re playing with this mod, Simon_12 will teleport to follow you around the map. If you get too close, he’ll either disappear or attack you.
- He can also appear under your bed while you’re sleeping.