{{Short description|Fictional Dungeons & Dragons monster}} {{Infobox fictional race | series = Dungeons & Dragons | name = Gelatinous cube | image = Gelatinous Cube illustration by Tara Quinn.png | alt = An uncolored illustration of a slimy gelatinous cube. Embedded within it are a skull, a bone, and an arrow. | caption = An illustration of a gelatinous cube | first = the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "white box" set (1974) | based_on = | type = Ooze | alignment = Neutral }}
A '''gelatinous cube''' is a fictional monster from the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It is described as a ten-foot cube of transparent gelatinous ooze, which is able to absorb and digest organic matter.
==Creative origins== Oozes are relatively common antagonists in fantasy fiction; in addition to the oozes of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', examples include the monster from the film ''The Blob'' (1958),<ref name="Ash1">{{cite book |editor1-first=Jeffrey |editor1-last=Weinstock |date=2014 |title=The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |page=193}}</ref> slime in ''Dragon Quest'', and flan in ''Final Fantasy''. These fictional oozes may have been inspired by microscopic organisms such as amoebae, which, like oozes, can consume organic matter by engulfing it (phagocytosis).<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Rituerto |first1=Blanca Martínez |last2=Sparrow |first2=Joe |year=2019|title=Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|location=Kansas City, Missouri}}</ref>
The gelatinous cube is an original invention of Gary Gygax, rather than being inspired by outside sources and adapted to the roleplaying setting, as were many mythological monsters such as the minotaur and dryad,<ref name="Ash1"/> all of which appeared in the 1974 Monsters & Treasure book of the original boxed set.
Being a cube that is a perfect ten feet on each side, it is specifically and perfectly "adapted" to its native environment, the standard, {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} by {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} dungeon corridors which were ubiquitous in the earliest ''Dungeons & Dragons'' modules.<ref name="Ash1"/>
==Publication history== The gelatinous cube first appeared in the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "white box" set (1974),<ref>Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)</ref> and its first supplement, ''Greyhawk'' (1975).<ref>Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. ''Supplement I: Greyhawk'' (TSR, 1975)</ref>
The gelatinous cube appeared in the ''Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set'' (1977, 1981, 1983). The gelatinous cube also appeared in the ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' (1991).<ref>Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' (TSR, 1991)</ref>
The gelatinous cube appeared in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' in the original ''Monster Manual'' (1977).<ref>Gygax, Gary. ''Monster Manual'' (TSR, 1977)</ref> The creature was further developed in ''Dragon'' #124 (August 1987).<ref>{{cite magazine|title =The Ecology of the Gelatinous Cube |date =August 1987 |url =https://archive.org/details/DragonMagazine260_201801/DragonMagazine124/page/n57/mode/2up |magazine =Dragon |publisher =TSR |author =Ed Greenwood|issue =124 |pages =56–57|issn=0279-6848}}</ref> Published first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' adventures which included gelatinous cubes as adversaries that the player characters encounter included "The Ruins of Andril", published in ''Dragon'' #81.<ref name="DR81-Melluish">{{cite magazine | last = Melluish| first = Ian| title =The Ruins of Andril: An AD&D adventure for 4-8 characters, levels 8-11| magazine =Dragon |issue=81|url=https://archive.org/details/DragonMagazine260_201801/DragonMagazine081/page/n41/mode/2up| pages =41–56 | publisher =TSR |date=January 1984|issn=0279-6848}}</ref>
The gelatinous cube appeared in second edition in ''Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' (1989),<ref>Cook, David "Zeb", et al. ''Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' (TSR, 1989)</ref> and the ''Monstrous Manual'' (1993) under the "ooze/slime/jelly" heading.<ref>Stewart, Doug, ed. ''Monstrous Manual'' (TSR, 1994)</ref> The gelatinous cube was featured on an ''AD&D Trading Card'' in 1991.<ref name=AA>{{cite book |title=Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: a visual history |last1=Witwer |first1=Michael |last2=Newman |first2=Kyle |last3=Peterson |first3=Jonathan |last4=Witwer |first4=Sam |last5=Manganiello |first5=Joe |date=October 2018 |isbn=9780399580949 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |oclc=1033548473}}</ref>{{rp|236}}
Under the ooze entry, the gelatinous cube appears in the third edition ''Monster Manual'' (2000),<ref>Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. ''Monster Manual'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)</ref> the 3.5 revised ''Monster Manual'' (2003),<ref name="MM3.5">Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. ''Monster Manual'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)</ref> the fourth edition ''Monster Manual'' (2008),<ref>Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. ''Monster Manual'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)</ref> the ''Monster Vault'' (2010),<ref>Thompson, Rodney, Bonner Logan, and Sernett, Matthew. ''Monster Vault'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2010)</ref> and the fifth edition ''Monster Manual'' (2014).<ref>Mearls, Mike, Crawford, Jeremy, and Perkins, Christopher. ''Monster Manual'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2014)</ref> Witwer ''et al.'' viewed its artistic rendering in 5th edition as "redesigned from prior editions to entice more Dungeon Master use."<ref name=AA/>{{rp|402–403}}
===Other publishers=== The gelatinous cube is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited'' (2009), on pages 16–21.<ref>Clinton Boomer, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, Nicolas Logue, Robert McCreary, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Sean K Reynolds, James L. Sutter, and Greg A. Vaughan. ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited'' (Paizo, 2009)</ref>
==Fictional ecology== A gelatinous cube looks like a transparent ooze of mindless, gelatinous matter in the shape of a cube. The cube's transparency coupled with a dimly-lit dungeon gives it the element of surprise to engulf unsuspecting beings, and only an alert adventurer will notice the cube. The cube slides through dungeon corridors, being able to mold its body to flow around objects and fit through narrow passages and then returning to its original shape once enough space is available. A cube will absorb everything in its path, with its acidic digestive juices dissolving everything organic and secreting non-digestible matter in its wake. David M. Ewalt, in his book ''Of Dice and Men'', describes the gelatinous cube as "a dungeon scavenger, a living mound of transparent jelly",<ref name=ODaM>{{cite book | first=David M. | last=Ewalt | author-link= David M. Ewalt | year=2013 | title= Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It | publisher=Scribner | page=138 | isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6 }}</ref> ''The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters'' called it a "dungeon clean up crew", well adapted to this unique fictitious ecosystem.<ref name="Ash1"/>
==Reception== Rob Bricken from io9 named the gelatinous cube as one of the 10 most memorable D&D monsters.<ref>{{cite journal|url= http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-10-most-memorable-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1326074030/|title=The 10 Most Memorable Dungeons & Dragons Monsters|journal=Io9|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2016}}</ref>
Chris Sims of the on-line magazine ''ComicsAlliance'' stated of the gelatinous cube that "there can be no question of what is the greatest monster" in ''D&D'', calling the gelatinous cube "amazing".<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/10/19/ask-chris-125-the-greatest-monsters-in-dungeons-and-dragons/ |title=Ask Chris #125: The Greatest Monsters in 'Dungeons & Dragons' |journal=ComicsAlliance |last=Sims |first=Chris |date=October 19, 2012 |access-date=November 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021225320/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/10/19/ask-chris-125-the-greatest-monsters-in-dungeons-and-dragons |archive-date=October 21, 2012 }}</ref>
''The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters'' called the gelatinous cube one of the "iconic monsters" of the ''D&D'' game.<ref name="Ash2">{{cite book |editor1-first=Jeffrey |editor1-last=Weinstock |date=2014 |title=The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |page=194}}</ref>
Levi R. Bryant calls the gelatinous cube "irksome and dangerous", "populating many a dungeon".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bryant |first=Levi R. |date=Oct 2012 |title=Substantial Powers, Active Affects: The Intentionality of Objects |url=https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/dls.2012.0081 |journal=Deleuze Studies |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=529–543 |doi=10.3366/dls.2012.0081 |access-date=2020-04-21|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==In other media== *Gelatinous cubes have appeared in the television series ''Adventure Time'' by Pendleton Ward.<ref name="Ash2"/> They also appear in several video games, including ''NetHack'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yu |first1=Derek |author1-link=Derek Yu |title=Spelunky |date=2016 |publisher=Boss Fight Books |location=Los Angeles, CA |isbn=9781940535111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPuEDwAAQBAJ&dq=NetHack+Gelatinous+cube&pg=PT43}}</ref> and ''Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stahl |first1=Ben |title=Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2687040,00.html |website=GameSpot |publisher=CNET Networks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011106122706/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2687040,00.html |archive-date=November 6, 2001 |date=February 16, 2001 |url-status=unfit}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bishop |first1=Sam |last2=Zdyrko |first2=Dave |title=Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance |url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/135/135580p1.html |website=IGN |publisher=IGN Entertainment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020611050844/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/135/135580p1.html |archive-date=June 11, 2002 |date=November 26, 2001 |url-status=unfit}}</ref> *A gelatinous cube appears in the 2017 episode "The Serfsons", the season premiere of the twenty-ninth season of the animated television series ''The Simpsons''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keveney |first=Bill |date=September 28, 2017 |title=How 'The Simpsons' spoofs 'Game of Thrones' and other fantasy favorites in season opener |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/09/28/simpsons-spoofs-game-of-thrones-lord-of-the-rings-season-29-opener/711134001/ |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=USA Today |language=en-US}}</ref> *A gelatinous cube appears in the 2020 Pixar Animation Studios film ''Onward''. The film's credits include a thanks to Wizards of the Coast for allowing them to use the Beholder and the gelatinous cube.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zachary |first1=Brandon |title=Onward Features an Infamous Dungeons & Dragons Monster |url=https://www.cbr.com/onward-pixar-dungeons-dragons-monster-gelatinous-cube/ |access-date=9 March 2020 |work=CBR.com |date=March 6, 2020}}</ref> *A gelatinous cube appears in the 2023 film ''Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves''. The film's release was accompanied by a Hasbro-produced action figure of such a cube in 1/12 (6-inch) scale.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elfring |first1=Matt |title=Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Gets First Toy, And It's A D&D Fan-Favorite|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-gets-first-toy-and-its-a-dd-fan-favorite/1100-6505718/|access-date=27 August 2022 |work=Gamespot.com |date=July 22, 2022}}</ref> *A gelatinous cube appears in the ''Saturday Morning Adventures'' limited comic series to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' animated series.<ref>David M. Booher (story) and George Kambadais (art): ''Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures'' #2 (IDW Publishing, April 2023)</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{D&D topics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelatinous Cube}} Category:Dungeons & Dragons monsters Category:Fantasy creatures Category:Fictional cubes Category:Fictional story elements introduced in 1974