diff --git a/species/blobcat/templates/hand-boop.mustache b/species/blobcat/templates/hand-boop.mustache
index 7ac88f4..4b256b0 100644
--- a/species/blobcat/templates/hand-boop.mustache
+++ b/species/blobcat/templates/hand-boop.mustache
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 <g id="hand-boop" transform="translate(1.5 -1)">
-    {{#boop_owo}}#hand-boop{{/boop_owo}}
+    {{>parent.hand-boop}}
 </g>
diff --git a/species/blobcat/templates/hands.mustache b/species/blobcat/templates/hands.mustache
index 62c1b4e..48cf6f3 100644
--- a/species/blobcat/templates/hands.mustache
+++ b/species/blobcat/templates/hands.mustache
@@ -1,16 +1,3 @@
-{{! TODO: use parent }}
-<g id="hands">
-    {{#tags.hands-reach}}
-        {{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{#reach_aww}}#left-hand{{/reach_aww}}{{/set-fill}}
-        {{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{#reach_aww}}#right-hand{{/reach_aww}}{{/set-fill}}
-    {{/tags.hands-reach}}
-    {{#tags.hand-3c}}
-        {{#tags.holding}}
-            {{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{#knife}}#left-hand{{/knife}}{{/set-fill}}
-        {{/tags.holding}}
-        {{^tags.holding}}
-            {{! :3c hand }}
-            {{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{#3c_evil}}#left-hand{{/3c_evil}}{{/set-fill}}
-        {{/tags.holding}}
-    {{/tags.hand-3c}}
-</g>
+{{#set-fill}}
+    #fcc21b | {{>parent.hands}}
+{{/set-fill}}
diff --git a/species/blobcat/templates/mouth.mustache b/species/blobcat/templates/mouth.mustache
index b7fc2fa..660cb04 100644
--- a/species/blobcat/templates/mouth.mustache
+++ b/species/blobcat/templates/mouth.mustache
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 {{#tags.boop}}
     <g id="mouth" transform="translate(-0.2 0.5)">
 {{/tags.boop}}
-    {{#tags.mouth-w}}
-        {{#base}}#mouth{{/base}}
-    {{/tags.mouth-w}}
+    {{>parent.mouth}}
 {{#tags.boop}}
     </g>
 {{/tags.boop}}
diff --git a/species/blobcat/templates/nose.mustache b/species/blobcat/templates/nose.mustache
index 0e08567..cbe2790 100644
--- a/species/blobcat/templates/nose.mustache
+++ b/species/blobcat/templates/nose.mustache
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 {{#tags.body-snug}}
-    <g id="nose-snug" transform="translate(1.5 0)">
-        {{#snug}}#nose{{/snug}}
+    <g transform="translate(1.5 0)">
+        {{>parent.nose}}
     </g>
 {{/tags.body-snug}}
 
 {{^tags.body-snug}}
 {{#tags.boop}}
-    <g id="nose-snug" transform="translate(1.5 -0.5)">
-        {{#snug}}#nose{{/snug}}
+    <g transform="translate(1.5 -0.5)">
+        {{>parent.nose}}
     </g>
 {{/tags.boop}}
 {{/tags.body-snug}}
diff --git a/species/blobcat/templates/tail.mustache b/species/blobcat/templates/tail.mustache
index 28c29d7..52e0027 100644
--- a/species/blobcat/templates/tail.mustache
+++ b/species/blobcat/templates/tail.mustache
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{#snug}}#tail{{/snug}}{{/set-fill}}
+{{#set-fill}}#fcc21b|{{>parent.tail}}{{/set-fill}}
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 06f9c67..b25f515 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::sync::Arc;
 use clap::Parser;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
@@ -14,7 +13,7 @@ use export::*;
 fn main() {
     let args = Args::parse();
 
-    let species = Arc::new(load_species(args.decl.clone()).unwrap());
+    let species = load_species(args.decl.clone()).unwrap();
     let context = RenderingContext::new(species);
 
     let output_dir = args.output_dir.clone().unwrap_or(PathBuf::from("output/"));
diff --git a/src/parse.rs b/src/parse.rs
index 1cfe013..3567cbd 100644
--- a/src/parse.rs
+++ b/src/parse.rs
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ pub struct SpeciesDecl {
 
     #[serde(skip)]
     pub asset_paths: HashMap<String, PathBuf>,
+
+    #[serde(skip)]
+    pub parent: Option<Box<SpeciesDecl>>,
 }
 
 /// Loads the given file as an XML tree
@@ -66,10 +69,11 @@ pub fn load_species(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> Result<SpeciesDecl, ParseError> {
         let path = path.as_ref().to_path_buf().join(base);
         let base = load_species(path)?;
 
-        res.template_paths = base.template_paths;
-        res.variant_paths = base.variant_paths;
-        res.asset_paths = base.asset_paths;
-        res.variants = base.variants;
+        res.template_paths = base.template_paths.clone();
+        res.variant_paths = base.variant_paths.clone();
+        res.asset_paths = base.asset_paths.clone();
+        res.variants = base.variants.clone();
+        res.parent = Some(Box::new(base));
     }
 
     // Read the `templates` directory and populate the `template_paths` field;
diff --git a/src/template.rs b/src/template.rs
index 59d20fa..d775f56 100644
--- a/src/template.rs
+++ b/src/template.rs
@@ -12,14 +12,21 @@ pub struct RenderingContext {
     rendered_variants: Arc<Mutex<HashMap<String, Element>>>,
 
     loaded_assets: Arc<Mutex<HashMap<String, Element>>>,
+
+    parent: Option<Box<RenderingContext>>,
 }
 
 impl RenderingContext {
-    pub fn new(species: Arc<SpeciesDecl>) -> Self {
+    pub fn new(mut species: SpeciesDecl) -> Self {
+        let parent = std::mem::take(&mut species.parent).map(|parent| {
+            Box::new(Self::new(*parent))
+        });
+
         Self {
-            species,
+            species: Arc::new(species),
             rendered_variants: Arc::new(Mutex::new(HashMap::new())),
             loaded_assets: Arc::new(Mutex::new(HashMap::new())),
+            parent
         }
     }
 
@@ -39,6 +46,10 @@ impl RenderingContext {
     }
 
     pub fn get_data(&self, variant_name: &str) -> Data {
+        self.get_builder(variant_name).build()
+    }
+
+    fn get_builder(&self, variant_name: &str) -> MapBuilder {
         let mut builder = MapBuilder::new();
 
         builder = builder.insert_map("variant", |mut builder| {
@@ -92,16 +103,7 @@ impl RenderingContext {
                     // Convert `xml` to XML
                     match Element::parse(xml.as_bytes()) {
                         Ok(mut xml) => {
-                            // Substitute the fill color
-                            if let Some(style) = xml.attributes.get("style") {
-                                xml.attributes.insert(
-                                    "style".to_string(),
-                                    format!("{};fill: {};", style, color),
-                                );
-                            }
-                            if let Some(_fill) = xml.attributes.get("fill") {
-                                xml.attributes.insert("fill".to_string(), color);
-                            }
+                            set_fill(&color.trim(), &mut xml);
 
                             // Render XML to string
                             if let Some(res) = xml_to_string(xml) {
@@ -122,6 +124,16 @@ impl RenderingContext {
             }
         });
 
+        if let Some(ref parent) = self.parent {
+            let parent = parent.clone();
+            let variant_name = variant_name.to_string();
+            builder = builder.insert_map("parent", move |_| {
+                parent.get_builder(&variant_name)
+            });
+        }
+
+        // TODO: memoize the builder to this stage
+
         // Variant tags
         if let Some(tags) = self.species.variants.get(variant_name) {
             builder = builder.insert_map("tags", move |mut builder| {
@@ -133,7 +145,7 @@ impl RenderingContext {
             });
         }
 
-        builder.build()
+        builder
     }
 
     pub fn get_variant(&self, name: &String) -> Option<Element> {
@@ -185,6 +197,12 @@ impl PartialLoader for RenderingContext {
     fn load(&self, name: impl AsRef<Path>) -> Result<String, mustache::Error> {
         let name = name.as_ref().to_str().ok_or(mustache::Error::InvalidStr)?;
 
+        if let Some(ref parent) = self.parent {
+            if name.starts_with("parent.") {
+                return parent.load(&name[7..]);
+            }
+        }
+
         if let Some(path) = self.species.template_paths.get(name) {
             Ok(std::fs::read_to_string(path)?)
         } else {
@@ -194,6 +212,25 @@ impl PartialLoader for RenderingContext {
     }
 }
 
+fn set_fill(color: &str, xml: &mut Element) {
+    // Substitute the fill color
+    if let Some(style) = xml.attributes.get("style") {
+        xml.attributes.insert(
+            "style".to_string(),
+            format!("{};fill: {};", style, color),
+        );
+    }
+    if let Some(_fill) = xml.attributes.get("fill") {
+        xml.attributes.insert("fill".to_string(), color.to_string());
+    }
+
+    for child in xml.children.iter_mut() {
+        if let XMLNode::Element(ref mut child) = child {
+            set_fill(color, child);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 pub fn query_selector(svg: Element, pattern: &str) -> Option<Element> {
     if pattern == "" {
         return Some(svg);