When Hugo Spreads Like Butter

Much like Super Sheep before him, Hugo "Where I Go" The Shape-Shifter was also inspired by a random toy I own. However, the main difference between Hugo and Super Sheep is that while with Super Sheep, I can at least fain ignorance should the company that made the original plush toy (or even the people who made whatever THAT was based on), with Hugo, I actually do know who made the creature the plush was based on, and I know what their original purpose was to boot, so legally I wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on.

Ok, So What Were These Creatures And What Were Their Original Purpose?

Well you see, from 2015 to 2017, a dairy company known as Anchor (well known for doing butter) decided to do an ad campaign that would feature these creatures known as "Hugglers", who were a bunch of rather hairy beasts that inexplicably lived a lot like we do (what with all their technology, their houses and all that jazz):

at some point during this campaign, they ended up creating a bunch of plush toys that I think would be given out with purchases of Anchor spreadable butter which my mother ended up getting me in 2017 (which would have been the time they made the final unique advert for the campaign), the plush toy's name was actually "Sam The Huggler", which I presume was why she ended up getting it in the first place:

ah yes, 2017. back when the world was simpler

This toy would end up serving as the spark of inspiration for the creation of Hugo The Shape-Shifter:

I like to think I've come a very long way since this original drawing

Much like the Hugglers that inspired him, Hugo's usual form is that of a small brown creature with blue hands, blue feet and a blue face. Since I made him a shape-shifter however, he'd theoretically get the easiest in-universe explanation for looking different if I ever decided to redesign him after depicting his current design because he's a shape-shifter (since I could just say he randomly decided to change forms one day and particularly liked the one that happened to be his new design), but in a bit of an ironic twist of fate, Hugo's design has actually changed the least out of the bunch:

Oh sure, certain elements may have moved around and/or changed sizes slightly (not to mention how he's more egg shaped now), but I think it's only because I've gotten a bit better at drawing the character rather than any actual design changes.

I actually want to explore Hugo's shape-shifting ability in great detail, particularly how it affects his sense of identity, since I think it'll be an interesting plot hook that I haven't seen with a lot of other shape-shifters such as Beast Boy (at least as far as I'm aware anyway, although knowing my luck it'll probably have already been done before), because after a long time doing nothing but shape-shifting into different objects, animals, people and what have you, you're bound to forget what your base form even is. Of course, I probably won't always find time to focus on this concept in every single adventure the character goes on (at least not without breaking the pace of the plot), so it'll have to be more of a background element like what I've been trying to do with Lorange's death as of late. (although I couldn't quite go as deep as I wanted to with it due to how I ended up cancelling Super Sheep In Hexo's Exos)