I liked the idea of having the character's limbs floating, separate from the body, an idea which I got from Rayman, a character in a computer game from the 90s.
I'm aware that the proposed character has very few features, however do not believe this means he will be unable to convey a wide array of emotions.
As for the character's expressions, my main source of inspiration will be several different Pixar films, such as the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, WALL-E and Monsters Inc. I find the (at times very subtle) use of expression and body language in these films to be sublime, and I hope to replicate that (to an extent) with my character.