More than anything else, people ask Happy and Curious how his parents arrived at his name. Just after he was born, his mother noticed him smiling, and his father noticed his keen interest in their fingers. The only way it would work was to have it both ways. He jokes that his parents were one thing: indecisive!
But he’s totally cool with it. His parents raised him well, presenting a strong model for his character. They viewed the job of a parent as that of a “life designer,” believing HC would imitate their illustration of a life lived with integrity. Their dedication paid off in a wise son who knows the value of a good name.
HC works as a diplomat, serving as an ambassador to the giant pandas. Red pandas, like HC, only eat young bamboo plants. This can cause the giants to fret. They worry that enough stalks won’t grow to full size, which the giants love to eat. That’s when HC comes in to conduct peace talks. He never goes to or from work without his joyful sense of wonder.