Endermite is so funny. You know Endermite? No one talks about Endermite! It's never Endermite who adorns a child's T-shirt or lunchbox. Isn't that sad? No, not really, because Endermite does not do much. But something it DOES do is "be funny", and that's enough for me! Like I always say, "hee hee"!
If you think about it for even just a few seconds, you'll realize that Endermite is actually quite cool! This is a bug from another dimension. Not ACTUALLY from the End, as its name implies, but some sort of realm in between dimensions. The only way they appear is by popping up occasionally when an Ender Pearl is used to teleport, and their existence actually reveals the biggest character flaw with the otherwise-perfect Endermen...
Endermen HATE Endermites! So much! They're the kind of person to hate a very specific bug, to the point of wanting to kill it! An Enderman would say "kill it with fire!" if you showed one a photo of your dear pet Endermite. That's not cool. To be fair, Endermites ARE hostile and try to kill Endermen whenever they get the chance, but counterpoint: a bug can do no wrong.
The reasoning behind adding the Endermites in the first place was to flesh out the Endermens' teleportation mechanic, with the idea that, like players using the Nether, Endermen would use an in-between dimension to travel more quickly. This dimension was full of "bad stuff" like Endermites, which would sometimes end up being brought along to the teleporation destination. So be nice to them! They're away from home, and probably scared!
It's taken me until seeing this screenshot to realize that Endermites actually have some tail-like segments behind the main big middle one! Rather larva-like. My original interpretation of them as incredibly nubby was hilarious, but I like this a lot, too! Makes them feel like they could actually move around, instead of being sessile on a branch like a scale insect.
Once upon a time, Endermites looked rather different than they do now! They were just a retextured Silverfish, and had two black eyes instead of their current single red eye. This design only lasted a little over a month.
But that's long enough to be immortalized in toy form! Endermite merchandise is rare, but it's very cool to see the original design actually got something! A very cute little figure, posed inquisitively. Whatever is over there (points over there) must be rather interesting!
There is also this mini figure, depicting TWO Endermites lurking around a moss block, and I really love it a lot! It may not be very play-ready- unless you want to play with a toy of a living moss block with beloved pet Endermites- but it just looks nice. A little scene! Bugs among the moss. A cute tiny display piece.
There is not much about Endermites, but I think there is enough to appreciate. And maybe something big will come, someday? Dinnerbone has mentioned an "ultimate plan" involving these silly little bugs, possibly involving the Ender Dragon egg... this was said in 2014, and it still has not happened. It most likely will not happen. But maybe it will! And maybe it will be big. Grand. Feature film-worthy. Look forward to "A Mite-y Fine Minecraft Movie", coming to theaters at a point in time!