[Kath]

I do love Bilbo and he will always have a special place in my affections as he was the first Hobbit I ever discovered and the one that introduced me to the wonders of Tolkien. He was also quite a resourceful little fellow with his plans for getting the Dwarves out of the Elf-kings cellars and for making peace between the Dwarves and the Men. He was completely out of place in their world and still made the best of it, and he remained a Hobbit throughout, always on the look-out for rest and food!

Frodo I found was just not a Hobbit anymore by the end after all that he had been through. He saw the world with a sadness that should just not be inherent in Hobbit's. He was wise and kind and courageous but was always to me the distant hero that you admired but did not connect with.

Sam I found the more down-to-earth and available of the hero's. And he was heroic, he just did it all with Hobbit sense and love for his master. Regardless of TGWBS' views on his later political career he did do the Shire a great service with his gift from Galadriel and he helped to keep the stories alive.

Merry annoyed me at the beginning of the books. It wasn't really until Bree that I began to like him, but by the charge of the Rohirrim he was a beloved character who I wanted to see make it through. His part in the destruction of the Witch King again makes him a hero, and again one of the more accessible ones.

Pippin however I have always had a soft spot for. He is just the perfect Hobbit and sweet and innocent with it. His experience with war and the Palantir changed him in no way for the worse and he still retained his Hobbitness through it all. He was always there to cheer people up and even Gandalf couldn't help but love him by the end. He saved Faramir and Merry and took part in the battle before Mordor even if he did do a Bilbo and passed out before the end.

So I think I'm going to have to go with Pippin.