The Fuzzums were a type of sentient avian species that naturally occurred on the planet called Dandelo. These creatures were generally humanoid in form, but stood shorter than a typical Human, supported by slender legs. Their arms and legs lacked fur, displaying brown skin, while their stout bodies were covered in orange fuzz. Fuzzums communicated in their native tongue using a short, light-colored beak. They existed within a tribal structure, depending on relatively basic technology, which included simple musical instruments, homes built into the sides of cliffs, and ever-present wooden spears.
Prior to 15 BBY, the Fuzzums encountered beings from other worlds. Eventually, these avians faced a group known as the Starhunters, who forced the Fuzzums to abandon their cliffside homes on Dandelo. The Fuzzums sought refuge in the forests, but several were captured. The Starhunters, now in control of the caves, transformed them into enclosures for creatures in the Starhunter's Intergalactic Menagerie. The captured Fuzzums were made to hunt for new species to feature in the Starhunters' traveling show, while those who escaped established camps in the woods. When a different group of offworlders later arrived on Dandelo, the forest-dwelling Fuzzums were immediately suspicious. Despite this, the newcomers—a protocol droid named C-3PO, an astromech droid named R2-D2, and a Tammuz-an prince named Coby—convinced the avians that their sole purpose was to rescue a creature known as Ingey from the Starhunters. The Fuzzums and their new allies devised and carried out a rescue mission to free the tessellated arboreal binjinphant. With the liberation of an old spacer called Greej and the opportune arrival of miner Jann Tosh, the Fuzzums and their companions freed the imprisoned beasts, expelled the Starhunters from Dandelo, and took back their cliff dwellings.
Fuzzums were a species of humanoid avians that could be described as compact balls of fluff balanced on slender, stick-like legs. Their arms were similarly thin and awkward, ending in hands with three fingers. While their limbs were bare and brown, the rest of their bodies were covered in orange fluff. Members of this species possessed thick, puffed-out chests that tapered down to narrow waists. The average height of a Fuzzum was approximately 1.45 meters.
The boundary between the Fuzzum's torso and head was not clearly defined. These avians had expressive features capable of showing a wide array of emotions. They possessed expressive eyebrows above their eyes, which were yellow with brown pupils. These eyes framed a pale, toothless, triangular beak featuring a red interior and two nostrils at its tip. A tuft of taller feathers adorned the top of their heads. Overall, Fuzzums appeared quite peculiar to Humans and other species.
Fuzzum society lacked the advanced technology found in much of the galaxy. Their clothing, for instance, typically consisted of a simple cloth skirt, cords wrapped around their arms, and sandals on their feet. The skirts were characteristically made from a white piece of cloth with an elongated, brown, hexagonal flap in the center. They frequently wore wooden canisters attached to a baldric over one shoulder. These avians fought and hunted using basic weapons, such as spears made from wooden shafts with stone blades attached by cord – in fact, a Fuzzum was rarely seen without their spear.
Fuzzums preferred to hunt and fight in small groups. Their favored attack method involved charging at an enemy with their spears held overhead, thrusting downward. They used their numbers to overwhelm their targets and showed no mercy to their sworn enemies, such as the Starhunters. Captured enemies faced a grim fate: some droids might be sold, others dismantled for parts, while sentient beings could be cooked and eaten.
The species was organized into tribes. They typically lived in villages built into natural caves. However, after the arrival of the Starhunters, the Fuzzums relocated to forest villages, constructing lean-tos from tree branches and cloth strips. Fuzzums built fire pits in their villages and cooked stew in pots. Their settlements were the site of festive ceremonies, during which the avians danced to the sounds of drums, horns, and plucked string instruments. Dancing was an expression of joy for Fuzzums, and boisterous laughter indicated amusement. Fuzzums communicated in their own language, which could be understood by at least some translator droids.
The Fuzzums evolved on Dandelo, a planet characterized by forests, savannas, and hills dotted with caves, located within the Tammuz sector. They developed a basic level of technology and formed a tribal society centered around life in cliffside villages. Sometime between 5000 and 3000 BBY, the Fuzzums encountered beings from another world. Following this contact, the Fuzzum language was added to the linguistic capabilities of protocol droids throughout the galaxy. Dandelo fell within the boundaries of Sith Space during the New Sith Wars from 1004 to 1000 BBY, and within the confines of Hutt Space by 52 BBY and throughout the Clone Wars.
Ultimately, a group of offworlders arrived on Dandelo. These outsiders, who called themselves the Starhunters, drove the Fuzzums from their caves to convert them into cages for rare creatures destined for the Starhunter's Intergalactic Menagerie. The Fuzzums fled to the forests of Dandelo, establishing temporary villages and trying to avoid the Starhunter safaris that sought more species to abduct. Occasionally, Fuzzums were spotted and captured by the Starhunters; these captives were then forced to use their tracking and hunting skills to find more animals for the menagerie. Over time, the Starhunters began to actively seek out Fuzzums in addition to non-sentient species, and the Fuzzums developed a deep hatred for these offworlders.
In 15 BBY, Fuzzums from a particular tribe witnessed a spacecraft crash in a jungle area. Investigating the wreckage, they discovered a blue-skinned boy and two droids. Mistaking the trio for Starhunters, the Fuzzums threatened to sell the golden droid, turn the shorter droid into a stew pot, and eat the boy. However, the golden droid knew the Fuzzum language and convinced the avians that the three strangers were also enemies of the Starhunters and only wanted to rescue Ingey, a captured tessellated arboreal binjinphant. The Fuzzums agreed to lead the new arrivals to their former village, where the Starhunters kept their captives.
At the cliff-dwelling complex, the boy, Coby, saw his pet being thrown into a cage by a large droid. Realizing they would face resistance, the Fuzzums and the offworlders retreated to the Fuzzums' forest village to plan their next move.
The golden droid, C-3PO, devised a plan. A group of Fuzzums would hide near the cliffs, waiting for a signal from the shorter droid, R2-D2, to attack. The Fuzzums followed these instructions. C-3PO separated from the group and impersonated an animal known as a spotted jugadoo. The lure of capturing the rare creature drew the Starhunters away, leaving the caves lightly guarded by patrol droids. Coby and R2-D2 climbed up to the cages and freed the animals, along with an imprisoned near-Human man named Greej. A patrol droid discovered the interlopers, and a skirmish began as they fought over the droid's blaster. R2-D2 finally fired a flare, signaling the Fuzzums to attack.
The Fuzzums charged in and attacked a second patrol droid with their spears. R2-D2, Coby, and Greej managed to defeat their droid and free the remaining captives, including several Fuzzums. Reunited with their kin, the Fuzzums danced with joy. C-3PO and the Starhunters returned to the scene, chased by a jugadoo. Greej arrested the animal collectors, but the poachers managed to seize his blaster and attempted to escape. The timely arrival of the droids' master, a miner named Jann Tosh, who had followed a distress beacon set off by Coby before they landed, prevented the Starhunters' escape.
Thanks to the assistance of their offworld friends, the Fuzzums reclaimed their old village. They held a ceremony there to honor the offworlders who had made it possible.
By 137 ABY, the Fuzzum homeworld was again under the control, at least nominally, of the Hutts as part of their Hutt dependencies.
The Fuzzums were initially conceived for "Coby and the Starhunters," an episode of the animated television series Star Wars: Droids, which was first broadcast on November 2, 1985. Since then, this species has been mentioned in various reference materials, including A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia; each of these publications offers a virtually identical description of the species.
The German trade paperback comic book from 1995, which compiles and translates Star Wars (1977) 4, mentions Fuzzums. In the scene where Han Solo and his companions find themselves in the garbage compactor of the Death Star, the characters are trying to reinforce the compactor walls using poles and other objects. Solo remarks about the poles, "They're snapping like Fuzzum-legs." However, in the 2008 German version of Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld, which includes the same issue, the line is corrected to, "They're snapping like twigs!" as it appeared in the original English version.