Hobblegrunt

"Hobblegrunts are considered lucky dragons and that they can predict certain things, both good and bad, a split second before they actually happen, and their skin changes color depending on their mood."

- Fishlegs

The Hobblegrunt is a large Stoker Class dragon that first appeared in How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Official Description
"More sensitive than most other Stoker Class Dragons, it changes color depending on its mood: Yellow means happy, purple means curious, and red means... RUN! The Hobblegrunt will take on anything its opponent dishes out in combat, and then will dish it right back!"

- Dragons: Rise of Berk

"Trader Johann is back with an exclusive new shipments of dragon eggs... Hobblegrunts! Expand your growing dragon family today with the latest addition from the Stoker Class. Among its list of powers, the Hobblegrunt has the ability to change its colors depending on its mood so you'll know exactly what your dragon is feeling! You may have seen Valka's Hobblegrunt, Gruff, steal the silverscreen in "How to Train Your Dragon 2," and now your very own Hobblegrunt can steal the spotlight in SoD. Are you up for the challenge? Get your Hobblegrunt egg today!"

- School of Dragons

Development
The Hobblegrunt was created using a modular system to mix and match preset body parts onto different dragons. It was created from the same base that was used for the Raincutter, Thornridge, Threadtail, Windstriker, and two other unknown dragons.

Egg
In Dragons: Rise of Berk, the egg of a Hobblegrunt has several ridges that look similar to the fins of an adult Hobblegrunt. It is unknown if the fins are for protection, or just for appearance. They are usually green and yellow in color. Gruff's egg, however, is purple with a lime green tip, similar to the dragon's coloring pattern.

In School of Dragons, the egg is oval and has different shades of brown and grey. It has several orange spots and a row of fin-like structures protruding from the top of it, reminiscent of a crown.

Hatchling to Adult
Hobblegrunts are colorful creatures. These dragons are bipedal, but they have two small forelimbs with long claws. They have long, but surprisingly strong, thin necks. Their heads are large, with a big jaw that has an underbite, showing their many teeth. They have a small nose horn, in the front of their heads with their eyes just behind the horn. At the back of the skulls, they have a massive fin that acts like a giant radar. They can move this fin to better perceive their environment. Down their back, they have short spikes. Their bodies are long, but their large tails help them balance whilst on land. The tail ends in a fin that helps for stabilization during flight. It has clawed wings, small arms and big legs, much like a Deadly Nadder. Its tail has frilled edges, similar to that of a Monstrous Nightmare. The Hobblegrunt doesn't have a particular color, but instead it changes color depending on its mood:
 * Yellow: Happy
 * Purple: Curious
 * Red: Angry

Titan Wing
Titan Wing Hobblegrunts have a larger head frill with small 'horns' on the edges, which resembles that of a Ceratopsian dinosaur. It has two large pale pink spots on it. They are mainly light blue in color. Their necks are clearly segmented and their winks have pink rings on it. Additionally, these Titans have grown four small spikes on their long, slender tails and a sail-like fin on their backs.

Color Changing
The Hobblegrunt is able to change its colors like a chameleon, and it even does so for a similar reason, as, contrary to popular belief, chameleons change color to communicate and show their emotions, similarly to the Hobblegrunt. This ability is also similar to the color changing of the Changewing. However, instead of doing it for defensive purposes, it changes color depending on its mood. It can use this ability to calm other dragons.

Firepower
Hobblegrunts are able to breathe streams of fire, similar to other dragons in their class, like the Monstrous Nightmare. The fire is bright enough to illuminate a dark cave, while holding it in their mouth.

Detecting Frill
Using the large frill on its head, the Hobblegrunt is able to detect the subtle shifts in temperature, barometric pressure, and the emotional states of nearby dragons or humans. This means that, even if they are blinded, a Hobblegrunt can still navigate the terrain easily.

Hobblegrunts also have the ability to alter the behavior of other dragons in their vicinity, either to calm them or rile them up in the face of a common enemy.

Inflation
The Hobblegrunt is capable of inflating its body, possibly as a defense mechanism to scare away any predator who tries to attack it, like a pufferfish. This ability has yet to be seen in action.

Strength
Hobblegrunts are able to carry humans on their backs and longboats that are loaded with a multitude of objects.

Weaknesses
The color changing properties of this dragon can allow hunters or foes to determine its weaknesses or whether or not it is aware of its surroundings.

Behavior and Personality
These dragons are usually calm and sensitive. They don't make too much noise, but when it senses an unpleasant atmosphere, it can become aggressive.

Training
Hobblegrunts are relatively easy to train, as they are calm and peaceful dragons. If a person saves a Hobblegrunt's life, the dragon will be forever thankful and will stay close to its savior, as it was the case with Gruff and Valka.

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Valka introduces to Hiccup an adolescent Hobblegrunt named Gruff that was blinded by a tree snare trap, which she rescued during her time away from Berk. Despite being blind, he still lives a happy life in the dragon sanctuary. Several other Hobblegrunts are seen inside Valka's Mountain.

Many Hobblegrunts were seen during the battle against Drago Bludvist and his army. One of them was caught in a net, but was later freed by the Dragon Riders. After Drago's Bewilderbeast defeated Valka's, all the Hobblegrunts bowed to their new Alpha Dragon. After they were freed by Toothless from the Bewilderbeast's control, they fought against the giant dragon. In the aftermath, they bowed to Toothless, acknowledging him as their new Alpha.

Dragons: Rise of Berk
The dragon appeared in Dragons: Rise of Berk, along with a battle form, Gruff and a Primal Hobblegrunt which is a subject of the Bewilderbeast.

School of Dragons
The Hobblegrunt was introduced in this game as the only dragon with limited time availability. School of Dragons used the design and model of the Threadtail instead of an actual Hobblegrunt to create the dragon in-game.

Trivia

 * The Hobblegrunt is the second dragon species that is able to change its colors, with the first being the Changewing.
 * Although the Guide to the Dragons states that the Hobblegrunt is a Boulder Class dragon, the official website later revealed it is a Stoker Class dragon.
 * The Hobblegrunt is similar to the Mood-Dragon from the book series.
 * According to Fishlegs' dragon stats, Hobblegrunts are, during the time of How to Train Your Dragon 2, the newest addition to the Stoker Class.
 * The Hobblegrunt is considered a good luck dragon as it is able to predict things a split second before they actually happen.
 * In Dragons: Rise of Berk, the Hobblegrunt is missing the frill on its tail and has an excessively long neck. Also, the Hobblegrunt's eyes are completely white. This is a common mistake made by many people due to the fact that Valka's Hobblegrunt, Gruff, was the closest shot of the Hobblegrunt, when in fact white eyes are a feature unique to just Gruff due to his blindness. Usually, Hobblegrunts have yellow eyes with pupils.
 * In Dragons: Rise of Berk, the roar of the Hobblegrunt is similar to that of the Green Death.

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