Reading that Martin Freeman kept some souvenirs from filming the hobbit (his prosthetic ears and feet) had me thinking:

Was there any reference in the books that hobbits had pointy ears and over-sized feet?

I remember there being lines suggesting they had hairy feet, and thick soles to allow them to walk over stones. When reading the book I just assumed they had normal human feet like say Cody Lundin, someone who just walks barefoot a lot.

Are the over-sized feet created for the film so people don't think "why don't they just wear shoes?" And was there any suggestion that hobbits had ears different to humans?

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    should probably look at the artwork of Lee and Howe - that's where a good majority of the visual style for the films came from – NKCampbell Aug 30 '17 at 22:20

Yes and no.

Tolkien drew a picture of Bilbo in his home (note the pointed ears and horned and hairy, but not oversized feet and toes);

enter image description here

And in his own words when asked for a pen-sketch of the typical hobbit;


The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 35 (#27)

As far as the feet are concerned, there are multiple descriptions of their hardness and hairiness but only one family is described as having feet that are large, the others are "neat and nimble"


The Fellowship of the Ring

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    Ha, that's funny, when I first heard Nicol Williamsons audio version of the Hobbitback in the 80s, I imagined a rabbit like creature. I guess that's what happens when you start out with "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit..." – Mikey Mouse Dec 17 '14 at 16:55
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    And 'hobbit' sounds like 'rabbit' so one can see easily the assumption @MikeyMouse - very true! – Jeff Clayton Dec 17 '14 at 17:31
  • Where is this picture from / where was it published? – unor Dec 19 '14 at 9:14
  • From "The Art of the Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien. The book features a wide range of original artworks by the author : amazon.com/The-Art-Hobbit-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/… – Valorum Dec 19 '14 at 9:50

Their feet aren't necessarily oversized in the movies. All of the actors that played Hobbits are 5'7" and shorter. They might wear a size 8 or 9. The prosthetics may have upped them to a 12 or so, still in the realm of possibility.

  • This doesn't directly answer the question. – Blackwood Aug 30 '17 at 22:22
  • no, it addresses the assumption that the feet in the movie are oversized; they are not. – John Turner Sep 6 '17 at 14:21

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