h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've looked and looked but I can only find mention of "Small feet, medium feet and larger feet". I can't find mention of big feet anywhere. Can anyone else?

I don't think he *does* say that hobbits have big feet. In 'The Hobbit' and the Prologue to 'The Lord of the Rings' he mentions that hobbits' feet have naturally leathery soles, but he doesn't say anything about size. I always thought hobbits had feet in proportion to their overall size. The only mention of large feet that I can think of is in Chapter 1 of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', in which Tolkien mentions a hobbit whose surname is Proudfoot and whose feet were large and exceptionally furry.

Why do you ask?

In the writings of Freeman, Hardy and Willis.

PP

I ask because in the animated version of LoTR (not a brilliant translation, but a decent stab at a hard subject) and the more recent live action movies, all the hobbits have disproportionaly large feet. There are a few references to hairy feet, but none I can find to large feet. I just wondered where they got the idea from. Perhaps someone familiar with the fantasy art renditions of hobbits can chime in at this point?

Hmm, doesn't it say so at the beginning of "the Hobbit"?

Not frm the quick look I had at my ol copy.

Could it be from the bit of the LotR prologue that talks about the different types of Hobbits? I haven't got a copy to hand (well, i do, but i can't be bothered to go upstairs) so i can't check.

Tango

"Could it be from the bit of the LotR prologue that talks about the different types of Hobbits?"

Sorry Tango, that's where I got the "Small feet, medium feet and larger feet" (or words to that effect) bit. Other than that I don't know where they got the idea from. Unless I've missed something. Which is probable.

I guess I've always imagined them with big feet, as it didn't strike me at all odd that they had them in the film.

Which begs the question, if (and it is still an if for now), if the hobbits didn't have big feet in the books, where did everyone get the idea from?

We've all gone insane? Mass hallucinations?

it says in the prologue of lotr "the hobbits had already become devided into three breeds ... the stoors were broader, heavier in build; their hands and feet were larger"

that seems likely to be the source, but I thought I also remembered something at the start of the hobbit as well.

That was what i was remembering but couldn't be bothered to look up. What type of hobbit does it say those in Hobbiton are?

Tango

it says that the shire was founded by a couple of falohide brothers (that doesn't look to be spelt right, but I can't get at the book to verify it), but that they took a large company of other hobbits with them.

imediately prior to that it says that the three sorts of hobbits seperated, founded seperate communities, and eventually joined up again and interbred with each other around the time of the start of the fall of the kings of men.

it goes on to say that some of the characteristics of the different breeds are found in some of the families found in the shire.