Editing Cuddles (section)

== Concept and creation ==
[[File:Cuddles Prototype. .png|thumb|alt=|150x150px|left]]
Cuddles was the first ''Happy Tree Friends'' character made prior to the show's creation.<ref>https://www.tiktok.com/@thisspaceforrent/video/7167108700275150126?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7167108700275150126 Replying to @_roseghoul_ That whole period was a blur, but a fun blur.</ref> During his time working at [[Mondo Media]], [[Rhode Montijo]] sketched a yellow rabbit with the phrase ''Resistance Is Futile'' written underneath him on a spreadsheet poster. Rhode hung the drawing up in his workstation, with the intent of allowing his idea to be seen by others. His idea was eventually pitched to the Mondo Media executives, who later accepted the concept.

An early sketch depicts the rabbit and a beaver playing with a bomb. The rabbit was subsequently featured in later sketches with a slight redesign. A particular design of the rabbit was featured in a sketch alongside a beaver, squirrel, and bear character; this would serve as the basis of the unreleased short, [[Banjo Frenzy|''Banjo Frenzy'']]. After Cuddles' design was finalized, the creators decided to "experiment with his character" with sketches that saw him in multiple outfits, including a farmer and samurai. <ref>First Blood DVD</ref>

A rumor stated that [[Lifty & Shifty|Shifty]] was the second character created for the show. This claim originated in the ''[[Happy Tree Friends: Volume #1: First Blood]]'' DVD , where an early concept for [[Lifty & Shifty]] appears. In reality, Shifty existed before the idea of ''Happy Tree Friends'', and Cuddles is the first official character of the series. <ref>[https://www.tiktok.com/@thisspaceforrent/video/7167882345070988587?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7150933621079459370 TikTok answer]</ref> The error made its way onto the wiki on [[Wikipedia:Fandom (website)|Fandom]] as well.<ref>[https://happytreefriends.fandom.com/wiki/Shifty?oldid=380860 Shifty's Fandom article Revision as of 23:23, 27 October 2022 ]</ref>