Kili recently entered a pie-baking contest in our corner of the Shire, and now you can vicariously join…
Continue ReadingKili recently entered a pie-baking contest in our corner of the Shire, and now you can vicariously join her in the festivities! Will she win a prize? Have you ever seen a pie-eating contest? This feels like an event straight out of Michel Delving!
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When Daggorlad decides he’s going to spend Christmas waiting for Strider outside, Fili turns to Kili for some help to try to lure him in from the cold!
Stay up to date by subscribing to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and by following them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok!
You can also binge all of Happy Hobbit’s Christmas episodes by clicking on their Christmas playlist here.
Kili is feeling lonely on Halloween and missing her beau Bard, but thankfully, Fili has a suggestion for her… and a surprise!
Stay up to date by subscribing to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and by following them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok!
You can also binge all of Happy Hobbit’s Halloween episodes by clicking on their Halloween playlist here.
In the summer of 2012, sisters Kellie and Alex Rice visited San Diego Comic Con for the first time. As they marveled at the large buildings and the splendor of the city, new friends asked again and again where they came from to find such wonder and novelty in an urban landscape. The answer was the mountains of northern California. It was at that moment that the elder of the two sisters, Kellie (or “Kili”) realized that by comparison to many, they lived a rural lifestyle akin to hobbits, Elves, and rangers. A few short months later, they began brainstorming a webseries designed to bring Middle-earth to their viewers’ daily lives through sharing aspects of their country life including crafts, recipes, and animal husbandry. After filtering out several potential names (including “The Green Door” and “Not TORn Tuesday”), the two came up with one that fit perfectly: Happy Hobbit.
They debuted their first proper episode about chickens on October 17th, 2012, sharing how to raise hens and collect eggs like a hobbit.
At the time, they never could have imagined the marvelous adventure that starting a hobbity little show would take them on. From their small mountain town to the world premieres of The Hobbit films and now special events for Amazon’s The Rings of Power, it has been a wild ride!
In 2013, the two filmed a reaction video to the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug that went viral when Peter Jackson saw it and shared it on his Facebook page. He later filmed the Elven cast (Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, and Lee Pace) reacting to the girls’ reaction… which the girls then reacted to again, creating a viral trilogy that was dubbed “Hobbitception” after the film Inception: a reaction within a reaction within a reaction!
You can watch the hilarious magic unfold in the playlist below:
Peter Jackson’s nudge not only increased Happy Hobbit’s viewership, but led to more visibility. While the sisters enjoyed connecting with all of their fellow fans, it was extra special meeting the many hundreds of young women and girls who were not only Tolkien fans, but so excited to see young women like them having their geekniess not only validated, but celebrated.
Though there was a dearth of Middle-earth content between the Hobbit films and the recent Rings of Power TV show, the sisters continued to make their webseries and don’t have any plans to stop! A chronic joint issue called Ehlers-Danlos has made it more difficult for Alex (or Fili) to participate as much as she used to, so these days her sister Kellie (or Kili) sometimes produces solo episodes. Kellie is also a published Fantasy author under her pen name, K.M. Rice (she chose initials in part because of Tolkien’s pen name) and is the co-author of Middle-earth from Script to Screen: Building The World of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
On October 17th, they celebrated their 10 year anniversary of Happy Hobbit by airing their 100th episode! Viewers sent in clips, photos and letters sharing what the show has meant to them and their love of their fans to help make the episode an occasion to remember. Below, you can join Fili and Kili and friends as they share some of the many things that make them happy hobbits!
Many viewers describe the Happy Hobbit series and community as being wholesome and comforting, like snuggling up with a cozy blanket. It is a positive corner of the Shire that many turn to in times of darkness or hardship. With over 100 episodes (including lots of holiday specials and side adventures), there truly is something for everyone in Kili and Fili’s interpretation of Tolkien’s world. Above all, hearing from so many fans and viewers affirmed to the sisters that they had achieved their goal of leaving their audience happy hobbits!
Stay up to date by subscribing to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and by following them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok!
As a post script, the sisters love Halloween and have a wonderfully spooktacular playlist below!
Nothing can recapture the magic of Happy Hobbit’s original reaction to the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which led to not only going viral, but having Peter Jackson share their video with the Elven cast (Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, and Evangeline Lily) and appearing in international news. That said, nearly a decade later, we get to return to Middle-earth with the upcoming series The Rings of Power, which is reason enough to film a trailer reaction video! You can watch their reaction and analysis below.
Missed the original chain of viral videos from The Hobbit film days? Known as “Hobbitception,” you can catch up (or reminisce!) by watching all three here.
Stay up to date by subscribing to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Kellie (or “Kili” in the show) is also known for co-authoring the massive tome Middle-earth From Script to Screen: Building the World of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit under her pen name, K.M. Rice. She is also the author of several fantasy novels.
Do you have an abundance of dandelions and wish to make good use of them? Then join Kili to learn how to make dandelion wine… and what not to do!
Stay up to date by subscribing to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
You can also meet “Kili” (Kellie) from Happy Hobbit, along with several other staff members, this week at TheOneRing.net’s booth at San Diego Comic Con!
