Lap Hippo

by Meg on November 14, 2008

Let’s check in on the lil’ pygmy hippo and see if things are still rubbery with a chance of Shrek ears.

Check and Check Suzanne H.!

{ 99 comments }

1 Isaac 11.14.08 at 8:23 pm

hungry happy hippos, harruh

2 Tee 11.14.08 at 8:27 pm

Love the tock shot around 2 min.

3 katiedid 11.14.08 at 8:28 pm

“Hiccups!” lol.. i dont think i have ever seen a cuter hiccup in my life!!!

4 I want a baby hippo for Christmas 11.14.08 at 8:30 pm

I promise I’ll feed her and take her on walks. She can sleep, with me and we’ll be best friends.

Pleeeeease can I have a baby hippo for Christmas?!

5 boaks 11.14.08 at 8:31 pm

OMG I WANT A HIPPO TO CHEW ON MY LEG!!!

6 Juniper Jupiter 11.14.08 at 8:33 pm

OMG!! Please don’t be mean to me, folx, but this li’l guy is SO CUTE, I juss wanted to PANK him!!! Not hard, tho.

I mean, COME ON!! He had that kind of tushy that juss says “I needs to be skritched and then panked!! Who wants a go!!” :D

Oh, and LOL @ Isaac!

7 bugmom 11.14.08 at 8:35 pm

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. ONLY a hippopotamus will do.

Cutest ever!

8 Paunchie 11.14.08 at 8:38 pm

oh to have a baby hippo climb in your lap! And nom on your leg! clickety click! Covergirl!

9 Sahrawi Wife 11.14.08 at 8:41 pm

Its all rubbery and squishy!! Little fat rolls on the neck ! Toooo cute Yall !:-}

10 Alice 11.14.08 at 8:41 pm

I had to contain my squeals of glee. I think my bellybutton just exploded.

11 Kiki 11.14.08 at 8:48 pm

SQUEEEEEEEE! I want a lap-hippo! I know my kitties will share.

12 darkshines 11.14.08 at 8:48 pm

If he had a shell, he’d look like the Mock Turtle from Alice in Wonderland :)

13 Gwenny 11.14.08 at 8:48 pm

Soooo cute! Like his little hoppies!

14 e 11.14.08 at 8:50 pm

That is beyond adorable. What a sweet little thing.

15 renee 11.14.08 at 8:57 pm

I Must Have EET!!!!!!!!

16 Theresa 11.14.08 at 8:58 pm

[THUDDDD]

17 Erebella 11.14.08 at 9:03 pm

Alice, dontcha hate it when that happens? That mini hippoluvabunch is just a cute little rubbery baby doll! Or perhaps bubby doll in this case.

18 Decca 11.14.08 at 9:06 pm

Amazingly cute. I’m in the midst of a really depressing day and this little one just made me smile. I needed this.

19 crackjob 11.14.08 at 9:09 pm

Oh man. How can that even exist in nature?

20 Floyd's Mom 11.14.08 at 9:15 pm

WANT!!!!

21 Katrina 11.14.08 at 9:17 pm

And just how many Rules of Cuteness does this morsel fulfill? All of them? YEAH, ALL OF THEM.

22 Oliver's Girl 11.14.08 at 9:22 pm

HOLY GOD. How can earth sustain such cuteness without causing a temporal dissidence in the space-time continuum!

HOW IS THIs POSSIBLE!!!!

*feverishly riffles through notepad, checking and re-checking equations*

23 emudoug 11.14.08 at 9:25 pm

It must be an evolved defense mechanism. Any potential predictors, upon seeing this squishy being is immediately rendered into a cutesplosion.

24 TrumanRabbit 11.14.08 at 9:25 pm

Holy wrinkle tocks! I love how she did not sign any autographs! No matter how many people called her name she did her own thing. She could have very easily popped on some Jackie O sunglasses and ignored everyone. Instead, she just snoozed. Class all the way!

25 michelle 11.14.08 at 9:26 pm

That was the best 3 minutes I’ve had all week.

26 DKN 11.14.08 at 9:37 pm

I love how he keeps nomming at her shorts.

Stellar eye capsules, too!

27 Transpogue 11.14.08 at 9:41 pm

Ok, the jobs those two keepers have…those were smart, smart women.

Can you imagine?

“Bye, honey! I’ll be at work all day, giving tiny baby hippos their baths!”

BEST. JOB. EVAR.

28 shuzluva 11.14.08 at 9:53 pm

He’s teefing. I see those lettle teefs need to chew, chew chew!

29 Mel2 11.14.08 at 10:01 pm

He’s so…shiny! I’d love a tiny hippo that tries to eat my pants. It’s like a shiny, rubbery puppy. :o )

30 Elizabeth B. 11.14.08 at 10:06 pm

The hippo is ADORABLE, but for some reason on my LJ feed instead of the hippo there is a video of a choir of senior citizens… it was quite surreal. I couldn’t figure out where the hippo was!

31 platedlizard 11.14.08 at 10:18 pm

I loved the little ear-flapping action. They move independently! How cute!

Did you all hear the story about how she got born though? She came out backwards, so sad :( At least she survived, even is her mom couldn’t take care of her. And she looks healthy now.

32 Josh N 11.14.08 at 10:19 pm

Too cute, from beginning to end. First the NOMing, then the lap snuggle, then the beady eyes, tocks, tails…it’s like the above poster said, it is a representation of every rule of cuteness in existence!

33 DivaPie 11.14.08 at 10:23 pm

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! omigodireallywanttohaveonerightnow

*Takes breath* Ahem, as I was trying to say, I really want to have one, right now.

What could make a better pet than a Pygmy Hippo? A PIPPO!

OMG, I am ded x_x

34 newlee 11.14.08 at 10:28 pm

i think she’s made out of silly putty. or maybe pudding.

35 zeldapie 11.14.08 at 10:42 pm

OH dear lord. Must have. MUST!!!!
She has to snuggle up in my lapums.

36 natasha 11.14.08 at 10:52 pm

The lady said the hippo’s name meant Lucky in Nigerian…There is no such language as Nigerian.
Moving on, OHHH MY GOOODDDD THAT HIPPO IS ADORABLE!!!

37 Bee 11.14.08 at 11:40 pm

2:05 — hippopota’tocks!

38 Beth (in NC) 11.14.08 at 11:47 pm

Awwwwwuuugggghhhhhh. That is so cute it almost causes me physical pain!!!

I wonder if little tiny wee pygmy hippos with mini Shrek ears grow up to be the same level of dangerous as their big cousin common hippos in the Savannah. :-O Prolly not this little lady though… she’ll prolly climb into laps when she weighs tons. :D

39 Annie 11.15.08 at 12:15 am

Okay I am officially in love and two; Count them, two tock shots and flickery ears and she is just too cute for words.

40 Anna in Portland 11.15.08 at 12:23 am

When she said “Nigerian” probably she meant either Yoruba or Igbo. Of course there are many other languages in Nigeria but I think those are the two most widely spoken.

Whatever, that hippo is indeed off the cute charts.

41 JohnnyJohnny 11.15.08 at 12:50 am

Check out the WikiPedia page on these guys. Real interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_Hippo

42 kellie 11.15.08 at 1:05 am

where do I sign up to get one of these?!?! I love love love LOVE hippos

43 J. Bo 11.15.08 at 1:18 am

So cute I can’t not hardly stand it…

44 Lucy 11.15.08 at 1:39 am

love the tock shot!!

so did her mama reject her or die during the birth?

45 Jennie 11.15.08 at 2:13 am

omg…so cute! I am totally in love with hippos after watching that domesticated hippo on Animal Planet. Too cute!

46 AuntieMame 11.15.08 at 2:14 am

She’s so shiny she sparkles! So cute!

47 Emily 11.15.08 at 2:23 am

So many pictures!
It’s the hippoparazzi

48 mif 11.15.08 at 2:34 am

okay, the videographer gets serious props for the two tocks shots!

i love how the hippo seems so very snuggly. i wonder what her skin feels like. that would be an interesting snuggle, i think.

49 angel* 11.15.08 at 3:09 am

ultimate *bleen*

50 Lewis 11.15.08 at 3:28 am

Reality is breaking down. I can no longer distinguish fantasy from the day-to-day hard facts of life, ever since I glimpsed this mind-scrambling fireball of cuteness, bursting before my eyes like a billion puppies riding baby dolphins. I question my own existence; my concept of the self is dissolving before the all-encompassing cuteness of this PIPPO!!! When I die, I can only hope I will become one with this PIPPO!!! Living in eternal harmony and OMG CUTE!!!!!!

[I slightly prefer "huppy" myself... - Ed.]

51 gravyboat 11.15.08 at 4:01 am

Who do I have to kill to get a baby hippo on my lap?

52 jill-e-b 11.15.08 at 4:06 am

Every time the wee hippo flicks its teeny-tiny ears, a little part of me dies of the cuteness overload.

53 Ruth 11.15.08 at 4:25 am

The ear wiggles!
The ear wiggles!
THE EAR WIGGLES!!!!!

54 Caitlin 11.15.08 at 4:31 am

aaah it’s a Moomintroll! Brilliant!

too bad they don’t stay that size. I’d be happy to have a tiny hippo gumming on me :D

55 rabble 11.15.08 at 4:39 am

what the heck do you call it when a huppy does a ridiculous little hop followed by ear flappage? rabbit folks out there will know that the little happy jumps are called “binkies” when performed by buns. cuteologists, we must name this phenomenom.

p.s. i don’t actually want a hippo for Christmas; i’ll settle for a video of this huppy doing a somersault in her bath plzkthx.

56 warrior rabbit 11.15.08 at 4:40 am

So hippos, just like dogs, go unerringly for the crotch.

57 motherofjazz 11.15.08 at 5:45 am

to Lucy: She was in distress after birth because of the breech, they needed to take immediate action to save her life, which meant she was imprinted to her humans before her mom. Mom was probably just as distressed, so they separated them to make sure both got well…good thing eh?

PS–If buns do ‘binkies’ shouldn’t hippos do ‘hinkies’?

PPS–She’ll always be mini, less than a metre high, so the closest thing to a pocket hippo you’ll get!

58 Sarah 11.15.08 at 5:47 am

I noticed the nice tocks shot included.

59 LisaL 11.15.08 at 6:02 am

*gasps* Can’t breathe….. must have lap hippo to nomnomnom on my lap!!!

60 Johanna 11.15.08 at 6:12 am

Somebody… please…
call…
911…..

crushing chest pain from teh QTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[keels over clutching mouse to hit replay]

61 eknirb 11.15.08 at 6:25 am

I do not believe the twitching ear action. My birthday is Sunday- I want one. STAT,

62 Mia 11.15.08 at 8:26 am

I could just Om nom nom that little hippos ears all day long and be happy.

63 Barbarella von Fluffenstein 11.15.08 at 9:39 am

“Woah! I think I´m the most famous hippo in the world!”

64 Wbirdie 11.15.08 at 10:42 am

~Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian
There’s lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I’d feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage~

Cutest. Ears. Ever!
Someone needs to FEED the l’il cutie!
You’d think chewing on everything would be a clue! XD

65 spiffy 11.15.08 at 12:41 pm

she’s all trying to talk, and mini hippo is interrupting by being adorable.

66 Katrina 11.15.08 at 1:09 pm

Oh, I like pippo, but if other wish huppy, I’ll deal with it. Please keep us up to date on the wee one’s progress.

67 Charlie 11.15.08 at 1:43 pm

I love hippo’s my auntie collected hippo ornaments and I always thought they were cute :D

68 Looloobelle 11.15.08 at 3:06 pm

Where the lady is like “oh yeah, she just loves her baths, she does little somersaults and stuff”
YOU BET YOUR SWEET ASS SHE ENJOYS HER BATHS!

Awwwwww mini hippo baths. Ahn. Ahn. Ahn. *splode*.

69 blair 11.15.08 at 4:31 pm

haha! i was gonna come in here and name him pippo and you all already done it!

(noms your radio)

p.s. are there any rules of cuteness pippo *doesn’t* nail?

70 chicky82 11.15.08 at 4:38 pm

so cute!! shiny hippo tocks! he reminds me of an old canadian commercial about the house hippo!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi8OEz0rA I so want one

71 berthaservant 11.15.08 at 4:39 pm

It’s all been said except for the part where behbeh hippo nommed on the walkie-talkie. It’s fascinating to see an unusual creature so friendly and curious w/ humans, that little lady looks like she’s right at home on a lap!

72 kimicheese 11.15.08 at 4:47 pm

okay, why hasn’t the syndey zoo figured out they need a 24 hour live feed camera on baby hippo for us all??? i’m like, this is worse than crack, people. i need my baby pygmy hippo fix and i need it NOW. don’t make me go look for bad street hippos…

73 anastasia 11.15.08 at 4:48 pm

OMG!!! meg, you are gonna need a NEW category! yes i said NEW! mebbe, just mebbe, you could call it rubbery nomming? just a random guess***

74 Hon Glad 11.15.08 at 5:18 pm

Under her rubber outfit she has stripey pink combinations.

75 Katherine 11.15.08 at 5:28 pm

I want a hippotamus for christmas!

76 Patricia 11.15.08 at 5:42 pm

Absolutely adorable. Looks like she has her own little wet suite on. I liked the one before with her in her bath, making mini head dives :)

77 SoCalSis 11.15.08 at 6:13 pm

Oh I want a hippopotomus for Christ-mas…
Only a hippopotomus will do.
Don’t want a ??? or dinky tinker toy,
I want a hippopotomus to play with and enjoy….

That’s all I remember but it really was a realio trulio song on an LP I had as a kid– who knew I would grow up and ’sing’ it on CuteOverload!?

78 vloveg 11.15.08 at 6:59 pm

WANT!!!

79 Samantha 11.15.08 at 7:29 pm

TOCKS CLOSE UP AT 2:05!

Lovin’ the flippy ears also.

80 Katrina 11.15.08 at 7:46 pm

For all of those peeps who would like a pippo/huppy.
First find a Mr. Pygmy hippo and Mrs. Pygmy hippo that really, really like each other.
Then bring them into a nice, big, pen with a nice, big pond (not too deep) and ask them to make a baby for you. Feed them lots of good things while this is happeing.
When they have done that (and you satisfied all of their questions about how good a pippo/huppy parent you will be, call me. I want to learn how to do it, too.
And, I’d like to have dinner with the people who thought up and produced the House Hippo commercial, I’ll cook. Garlic bread and a yummy soup and noodles and any flavor pudding desired for dessert, with lots of yummy pies, too. An house hippo food, too.

81 Paunchie 11.15.08 at 7:57 pm

you guys notice on Yahoo? They have a few cute overload things on there? CO must have a fan who works there.

82 tblue 11.15.08 at 8:13 pm

I wonder why the one lady acts as though she is reluctant to actually touch the little baby, even when the hippo obviously wants real physical attention.

83 Psilopathic 11.15.08 at 8:53 pm

That lil’ chubberkins has about 6 fat rolls on her neck alone! I want to poke a finger into the center of each rubbery roll of proshness. And another finger into the center of each Shrek ear. I can’t understand where these zookeepers find the self control to keep from kissing a fuzzy muzzle such as this!!!

84 Gl1tt3r 11.15.08 at 10:29 pm

I LOVE HIPPOS AND I WANT ONE SO MUCH AHHHH

85 Madeleine 11.15.08 at 10:55 pm

Not nuffing, I swear…but I hope Pippo McPlumpersons isn’t bothered by all the flash photography. If I were photographing her, I would be respectful and not use flash.

Of course, she seems totally fine, so I’m probably worrying over nothing.

I’ll take a pippo or two in my stocking this Christmas, please.

86 sammeh 11.15.08 at 11:39 pm

Such blorpitude. Jeez.

87 LisaBeth 11.16.08 at 1:03 am

I always tell people when I grow up I want to be a mad scientist so I could create a mutant hippo that would be small enough to live in my bathtub. I would play with it and it would only need to eat a couple heads of lettuce a day. My dream has come true!

88 totalee puppy 11.16.08 at 4:56 am

Kind of a designer hippo…
Tiny hippos are “hip” this season…and EVERY season . I would be good all year just to go to the zoo and give the little hipster a bath…

89 hamster-on-rye 11.16.08 at 5:03 am

charming looloobelle…Are you a member of the Turtles
Club?

90 Mary S. 11.16.08 at 7:11 pm

@ Madeline: Just to be safe she may need a pair of little pippo Jackie O glasses =D My issue with the flash was more along the lines of “Phbbbbbt, stupids, you will get so much GLARE off her skin!!!”

She is sooooooo bleenful! Nothing like a hippo that knows the way of the snorgle!

91 Rhonda 11.16.08 at 9:45 pm

If I become a zookeeper, do I get to bathe tiny hippos?

92 Meredith 11.17.08 at 1:58 am

I think ‘Pippo’ is cuter, but that’s what we call my daughter’s purple hippo, so guess we’ll go with ‘huppy’. Pupopottamus?

Here is a link to some pics of the little one– bath time and dunner time pics included!

http://www.smh.com.au/ftimages/2008/11/07/1225561117477.html

93 Moira 11.17.08 at 8:41 pm

It looks like a My Little Pony!

94 Emily 11.18.08 at 12:39 am

*heart goes really over fast than stops* HOLY KRAPOOYO never seen anything more precious. O.o GOTTA KISS!

95 Brad Hunter 11.18.08 at 9:27 am

Glad you all like the video.
I was the one who filmed it and pulled it together.

Such a great experience to be there.

96 Judy Shapiro 11.24.08 at 6:24 pm

Ooooo! A baby Hippy Pgymopotamus!

Being the geek I am, I had to research this little barrel of cuteness. I heard in the video that her name means “I’m lucky” in Nigerian. A google search turned up that her name is “Monifa” and she lives in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia.

More pix here:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24619742-1242,00.html
And here:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ddramby/monifa-the-baby-hippo-2cg

97 JadenKale 12.11.08 at 8:06 pm

Yay!! Pygmy Hippo is adorable.

this scares me though since so many people enjoy getting miniature pets… is this the new wave?

98 Definitely Not Galen 01.07.09 at 5:04 am

Ha ha! Hippoparazi!!! LOL! That is definitely the cleverest and most adorable post on this site, maybe on the entire internet (Trust me, I’ve looked). Emily must be super intelligent and hillarious. Judging by the syntax and gramattical structure she is probably really hot, er cute…whatever you respect more on this site. Too bad she probably already has a boyfriend who’s amazing!

99 totalee puppy 01.07.09 at 5:33 am

Pygmy Hippo–We’re lucky to have you around…you are so prosh! I wish you a safe life with bite-size food and floating water lilies.

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