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Alternative Character Interpretation / Happy Tree Friends

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Due to the fact that none of the Happy Tree Friends characters really have any true speaking roles, character interpretation is rampant in the fandom. The characters personalities are mainly unexplored and fans are only given the bare outline of what they like and how they act, leaving the rest up to them.


General:

  • A majority of the characters have a Vague Age; changing from children to adults between episodes, making for a slew of alternate interpretations.
  • The characters' relationships between one another also tend to change, sometimes along with their personalities.

Main cast:

Cuddles:

  • Due to his daredevil behaviour, some people see him as a Leeroy Jenkins (someone who prefers to enter fights without a plan) or Fearless Fool.
  • Is Cuddles a troublemaker who wants others to do dangerous activities, or does he want others to have fun and is unaware of how dangerous his stunts can be?

Giggles:

Toothy:

  • To many fans, Toothy is viewed as the Every Man due to his undeveloped personality.
  • To others, Toothy is known for a tendency to cry, particularly during his deaths, putting him in The Woobie territory.

Petunia:

Lumpy:

The Mole:

  • Most of the time, The Mole is portrayed as truly blind. That being said, there are certain moments in the show that make it appear as if he has some vision. There are even moments (such as the ending of "In a Jam") that raise speculations of him actually being a sadist who fakes blindness in order to get away with his crimes.

Sniffles:

  • Due to his being an inventor, he'll often serve the role of The Smart Guy.
  • Because so many of his scientific inventions are fatally flawed, it can be easy to assume Sniffles takes more pride in his work than what is depicted.
  • Occasionally, he's also potrayed as a snarky and sarcastic Only Sane Man (perhaps because he's smarter than the others, and smart characters are commonly portrayed as snarky).

Flaky:

  • She's commonly given a Friendless Background to explain why she's so neurotic.
  • She's given a Beware the Nice Ones type personality in many fan works (mainly Flippy x Flaky stories). Some even take this to the point of having her flip out, which is nicknamed "Flaking out".
  • Is Flaky a mentally unstable character that has a load of fears, a character that cares about her friends but is scared about facing any danger likely due to a tragic event she has faced, or is she the only sane character on the show that is trying to point out to everyone about all the dangers that happen?

Nutty:

  • Does Nutty enjoy candy more than as a Trademark Favorite Food? Only in his debut has he been seen eating the candy off his body, and in "Chew Said a Mouthful", he even keeps loads of candy in a dresser to wear like clothes. It goes to the point where he is infatuated with sugar-based items in "A Sucker For Love".
    • More often than not, he goes nuts (no pun intended) at the slightest sign of sugar. Other times, he is much more relaxed and able to control his hyperactivity.
  • Sometimes he'll choose candy over his friends. Does this mean that he's secretly sociopathic/evil? Or does it mean his attachment to candy is a literal addiction? Or does he perhaps have a very severe case of ADHD and is simply too distracted to help his friends?

Handy:

  • There have been moments where Handy appears unconcerned or even happy when another character (who isn't Petunia or the Mole) dies in front of him - the most notable example being in "The Wrong Side of the Tracks". This has led some fans to believe he's jealous or resentful of those who aren't, and have never been, disabled like him (as The Mole is blind and Petunia had also lost her arms, albeit temporarily, in "I Nub You").
  • Some fans also like to portray him as a Deadpan Snarker, perhaps due to his unamused Aside Glances.

Pop and Cub:

  • Pop can be disliked by some fans as a neglectful parent.
  • To some, however, he appears to be in a similar situation to Lumpy; he really does care about his son and just simply makes careless (often lethal) mistakes.
  • Some have speculated that Pop is a bad father because he's a bear (since real-life bears are often bad fathers).

Mime:

  • Is Mime fully mute, or is he being silent on purpose? The show flip-flops between the two, as there have been times where he is incapable of making noise and others where he makes audible choking and dying sounds (such as "Happy Trails" and "Out of Sight, Out of Mime").
  • Is he hallucinating that the invisible items are there, or is he just performing?

Lifty and Shifty:

  • Very popular for Lifty is portraying him as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. This likely stems from several episodes where he is pushed around by his brother, leading fans to believe that he is just going along with Shifty so he doesn't become angry with him.
  • Some see him as Driven by Envy, and hating those who have lots of money, or even just the essentials for living.
    • Others seem them as Jerkass Woobies, since most of the time they appear to steal out of necessity, such as stealing meat and other food to fill their empty fridge. Naturally they die to their own Greed, but it does make them Unintentionally Sympathetic in the eyes of some fans.

Disco Bear:

  • He's often interpreted as something of a Crazy Jealous Guy. He simply doesn't seem to get the message that the girls don't like his flirting, and he continues despite their outward distaste.
  • Is Disco Bear a pervert who loves flirting with women, or is he just trying to act cool and simply doesn't know how to?
  • Some viewers have interpreted him as a narcissist due to his arrogance. However, one episode does have him notice that he's gained weight, so he may not be one.

Russell:

  • A less popular view of Russell is that he has Sanity Slippage going on. He obviously doesn't really act like a true pirate, as he doesn't live in the ocean and he isn't brutal or ruthless when it comes to finding gold. This has led some to believe that he just really likes pirates and dresses as one. If he likes dressing as a pirate, though, he may not be going insane; he might just be a cosplayer.

Lammy:

  • Is Lammy a psychopath (or someone with a Split Personality or Funny Schizophrenia) who believes a pickle is killing others when it's really her doing all the killing, a killer that's trying to frame a pickle for all the killing, or is she a victim to Mr. Pickels who is really killing others and framing it on Lammy?

Mr. Pickels:

  • Is Mr. Pickels a living creature and not just an imaginary friend who is framing Lammy for his crimes?
  • Does Mr. Pickels kill out of sheer psychotic tendencies, or does he want all of Lammy's friendship for himself?
    • Considering that he didn't kill Sniffles and Nutty in "All Work and No Play", one could assume that he chooses which friends Lammy can keep.

Flippy:

  • It's not rare to see Flippy given a Nice Guy type personality, considering his friendly demeanor in the show, along with being a powerful soldier.

Flipqy

  • Obviously, he gets the Ax-Crazy portrayal despite it being a defense mechanism.
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty. Yes, there have been several fan works that portray Fliqpy as a rapist. Usually seen in Flippy x Flaky works, but occasionally with other characters as well.
  • Does he become violent during his PTSD episodes because he's hallucinating that he's in a war and thus thinks he's acting in self-defense, or is it just because Insane Equals Violent?
  • Is "Flippy" even his real name, or is it a nickname due to him "flipping out" when he gets triggered? Some people who think it's a nickname give his real name as Floppy.

Splendid:

  • A somewhat common portrayal of him is being a Sociopathic Hero, considering that he finds his job to be a bother, and doesn't care too much when he accidentally offs someone.
  • Some feel that Splendid does truly try his best to help others, but simply causes more problems than he solves.

Ka-Pow! Spin-offs

Splendont:

  • Many fans portray him as a Troll rather than being completely evil.

The Rat:

Mouse Ka-Boom:

  • Mad Bomber. Though debatably more of the "good" kind, only blowing up soldiers on the opposite side of the war.

The Tiger General:

Others:

The Ants:


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