Hippe (Potamus) the Hippo-Head

It is really a no-brainer when a hippo-lover meets a ceramic sculpture artist that the conversation will move to hippos at some point. But it was unbelievable that the artist said: “Oh, I made a hippo head, some time ago!” It turned out that this lovely lady had the idea to make this sculpture, before she got to know me…. What are the chances? After seeing “the head” at one of her exhibitions, I decided that my collection would not be complete without it. With my birthday coming up, my dear husband got the hint (subtle, as always… ha ha), so since 2010, I am the proud owner of a with bronze casted hippo head (Hippe Potamus, Anneke, 2006). It has a prominent place, next to our front door, on a small cabinet. A few weeks ago, a friend came to our house, and she said: “I was not sure whether this was the right apartment, but then I saw the hippo, and I knew it had to be!” Thank you Hans, for climbing over our front gate (courtesy of our very burglar-friendly security guards…) that day! Anneke, I am still missing our trips to the flower market and Zoo, not to mention the nougat, snert and haring, but I see Hippe every day, so no chance I’ll ever forget you!

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!

To be honest, I did not know this song. It turned out to be the american equivalent of the dutch song "Flappie" in the 1950s. It came up, during one of my anything-to-do-with-hippos-on-Youtube-searches. And of course Wikipedia already knew it...., telling me that Gayla Peevey made this song famous in 1953, recording it when she was 10 years old. A local promoter used the popularity of the song to launch a campaign "Buy a hippo for Gayla". He raised 3000 USD and bought an actual baby hippopotamus called Matilda, which Gayla donated to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Matilda lived for nearly 50 years. The song is written by John Rox (1902 - 1957). I can't think of anything to add.....it says it all ;-).... Enjoy! Hippo Christmas and Happy New Year!


I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door,
that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian

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

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

Kiboko

Kiboko is the only hippo in my collection, made especially for me. My dear friends went on home leave to Tanzania, besides the stress of picking up their passports in time, they also went in circles to get their special orders: a hippo statue and a hippo painting, to bring back for me, now how great is that?! I named it after the Tanzanian word for hippo.  Kiboko means whip in Kiswahili, because in the old days, people used to make whips of hippo skin. Those whips were being used to herd cattle and other livestock…. or to punish slaves…  I still remember my first conversation with my friend about hippos. She told me that she did not like them (like most people in Africa, because they are so dangerous, and kill more people than lions or crocodiles), casually adding that her tribe does not eat hippo meat and that she could hear them snoring during the night, back in her home town. Kiboko is made of ebony, a very dense black wood, very difficult to carve… a lot of work for the craftsman…. but the result: a beauty! Didi, hippo birthday today!

Fancy Nancy

She is not my first hippo-soft-toy or the most famous one, but she is one of a few I got as a present. And following the tradition, she is named after the person who gave it to me. Fancy, would give the wrong impression about my dear friend, but I thought it would be perfect for the toy. How else would you describe a hippo-ballerina, wearing a pink, glitter-tutu and a matching bow? I still remember when she told me, almost apologizing: “It looked so cute, so I had to buy it!” I would never be the one to disagree…  The toy also reminds me of the Fantasia film of Walt Disney… ballerina-hippos dancing with crocodiles, my favorite part, of course. Fancy Nancy is sitting next to my computer, the first to see the hippo-posts. Still there, I have to add….. surviving many confiscation-attempts (especially by our youngest daughter, making a necklace, putting it on the hippo and then claiming it is hers….. imagine!). Nance, I miss those nice afternoons, girls jumping in the pool, coffee and snacks, BBQs and a lot of laughs. For now, the fancy-version of you will have to do.