A hobbit is a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. They are about half the average human height and are presented as a variety of humanity or close relatives thereof. Hobbits are also known as halflings in Tolkiens writings. They live barefooted and traditionally dwell in homely underground houses which have windows built into the sides of hills, though others live in houses. Hobbits first appeared in the 1937 childrens novel The Hobbit, whose titular hobbit is the protagonist Bilbo Baggins, who is thrown into an unexpected adventure involving a dragon. In its sequel, The Lord of the Rings, the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck are primary characters who all play key roles in fighting to save their world ("Middle-earth") from evil.

According to Tolkien, hobbits are distantly related to humans and have vital statistics that include being about half the height of humans, having curly hair, and having large, hairy feet. There are three types of hobbits: the Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides. The Harfoots are the most numerous and are hole-dwellers who originated the practice of living in the sides of hills. The Stoors are shorter and stockier and love the water. They lived on the marshy Gladden Fields and are thought to be the ancestors of those hobbits who settled in Buckland and the Marish. The Fallohides are the tallest of the three breeds of hobbit, standing half a foot taller than the more numerous Harfoots. They were wealthy, prestigious families and brought with them the love of fine food and companionship with their kin.

Tolkien himself referred to himself as a hobbit "in all but size" for his love of pipe-smoking, gardens, plain and simple food, peace and quiet, his dislike of mechanized farmlands and traveling, and his fondness for wearing ornamental waistcoats on particularly dull days. Hobbits are Tolkiens "Everyman" in Middle-earth, creatures who just want to mind their own business and live a simple life. The hobbits simple life, just like the one that Tolkien knew as a boy in the village of Sarehole, is being threatened by the outside world.