Exchange-(Hip)Pos

Special Interest Groups can be seen as different universes, light-centuries away from anything else. Ever felt intimidated by those "experts"? They usually exchange in-depth knowledge and the latest trends at lightning speed, while leaving mere "simple folks" lost and far behind in clouds of jargon and inside jokes. A very different story from the International Hippopotamus Association. Not intimidating at all, and its "experts" ;-) are specialized in making Newbies feel warmly welcomed and at home. I have to admit, it took me some time to understand the "NHC" mentioned in messages to the group. Also "Jen-Pos" seemed to be worth fighting for? (now I understand... and I am a proud owner of one (without having to fight though ;-)). But "Exchange-Pos" remained a mystery for quite some time... Until that enlightening message came: who wants to participate in the "Hippo-X-mas-Gifts-Exchange"? Aha! And of course I would. Dear Brenda, thank you for being my Secret Santa, giving me my first and very cute looking "Exchange-Pos" (only one photographed). Can't wait to participate again next year. To you and the rest of the bloat: Merry Christmas and a Hippo New Year!

Hippo Egg Holder

In a shop very close to my house, they sell all sorts of egg holders. Very cute looking ceramic chickens and ducks. I can see the connection with eggs..., they also sell pigs, cows and sheep (ceramic too, but looking less cute, to my taste...). I thought about those a bit longer, and decided the connection with eggs must be a "farm-theme-thing". Of course they also have elephants. The elephant is the national animal and symbol of Thailand and it would be strange if they hadn't had those. So, for tourists wanting a Thai souvenir for their breakfast table at home, an elephant egg holder seems (sort of) logical. A long introduction, leading to the presentation of my one and only Hippo Egg Holder. I have to admit, I have absolutely no idea how I got it. I am sure I did not find it in a shop, as I would have bought more... what to do with only one egg holder? My guess is that I found it at a flea market... maybe abandoned by somebody, once collecting egg holders? Still thinking about the connection with eggs... suggestions, anybody?? :-)

Another Hippo-Mug

Everybody who knows me, knows I need to have my coffee(s) in the morning.... The perfect way to start the day for me is reading the newspaper while sipping hot black coffee from a Hippo-Mug. A few years ago, I saw this mug in a department store in Jakarta, Indonesia. When I saw my favorite mug (see post: Mother of All Hippo-Mugs), I forgot to buy a spare one. Since then, whenever I see a Hippo-Mug, I always (if possible) buy two, one for daily use and one for my collection. As you can see, it has a fishing hippo on one side and two swimming ones on the other. I do not know what the designer of this mug was thinking... as hippos are vegetarian, and do not eat fish.... must be fishing for fun then? And the "upside-down" one, looks like he is imitating a duck.... but one can't be too critical or picky, as Hippo-Mugs are not easy to find, especially cute ones like this one!

Hippo Bowls

Living in different countries is a very special experience. A wonderful chance to see many places, get to know different cultures and meet new people. Of course it can be difficult sometimes, missing family and friends back home, frustrations because of miscommunications and friends who move away, or are left behind. A few years ago, we met a couple in Jakarta, Indonesia. After living there for a very long time, they were going back to The Netherlands. One day, this lady comes up to me and says "I heard you are collecting hippos, I have two hippo bowls I do not want to take with me, would you like to have them?" Of course I did not say "No" to that! So, like the other "privately-owned-hippos" (see posts: Antonia and Elmo and Diana and Raymond) these bowls are very special to me. Dear Dieke, thank you again for these wonderful "surprise-hippo-bowls" and a very fond memory. As I do not have any contact with you or your family anymore, I hope all is well, and maybe someday, you will stumble on my blog....

Maryann

For those of you, not familiar with the concept of "Hippo-Game", I will try to explain it. It is a game, played during the Annual International Hippopotamus Convention. Participants will have to bring a hippo-present, and all are put together. When you "win" during the Hippo-Bingo (not the actual Hippo-Game, just to get things started), you have to shout: "Hippo!" and chose any of the hippo-gifts (not the one you brought, of course), the Hippo-Bingo continues until everybody has a gift. Now, the Hippo-Game can begin! One by one, all the participants have to unwrap their hippo-gift, show it to the group and tell who brought it. Then the second part of the game starts... the exciting part! A name is drawn from a bag, and that person can decide to keep his or her present, or change ("steal") it for any other gift in the room. As you can imagine.... emotions flew high, as some gifts were very popular, and changed owner many times. When I opened my present, I loved it right away, as I had been looking for a "bling-bling-hippo" for a long time. I have seen bling-bling-ant-eaters, bling-bling-armadillos, bling-bling-cockroaches but no hippos.... so I was very, very happy! Then it got "stolen", but luckily my name came up later, so I could "steal" it back (still feel sorry Richard, but you started it! ;-)). Dear Maryann, thank you for bringing this wonderful gift. I think your name suits her perfectly!

Marius

Time for another "First"! This summer, my friend Marius gave me my first Hippo Bank. He found it at a flea market. Before moving abroad, we would go to flea markets together. Still miss those "Flea-Market-Hippo-Hunts" very much. When he gave it to me, he (although a little bit reluctantly) admitted that he found it "kind of cute" (as he does not consider hippos to be cute at all). That was very funny! Not one of all the hippos (and one rhino! ;-)) he gave to me, is named after him, but when I saw this guy, I knew: this must be "The Marius"! I thought it would be cool to take a picture with the towers of the financial district of Bangkok in the background, as he looks a little bit like a banker. Dear Marius, although this Hippo Bank is empty, it makes me feel very rich looking at it... as your friendship is priceless to me. Thanks a million!

Pandora's Hippo

The only thing left in Pandora's box after she opened it, was the Spirit of Hope called Elpis. One would think this has not much to do with hippos, but it does a little bit. Pandora in this post is, of course, the name of a famous jewelry company. Their products come in beautiful boxes, but unlike the one Pandora got, you are encouraged to open them. And when you do, you do not unleash the evils of the world, but you are treated with some of their wonderful creations.... like this bracelet with hippo-charms! As I am a "Human Magpie" (Magpies are birds known to be drawn to shiny objects), I have combined 10 hippo-charms with a lot of pink bling-bling-charms. My favorite piece of hippo-jewelry, for sure! Unfortunately, the company discontinued the production of this particular charm. So it is true. Also in my box of Pandora the Spirit of Hope is left.... hope that the company will change its mind, and make them again. The world needs much more hippo-charms!!!

Pandora Silver Hippo Charm

Three Little Hippos

Three little hippos..... coming from Kenya! A few weeks ago, my husband had to go to Kenya, to attend some workshops. "Don't even think about coming back home WITHOUT any hippos!" I told him.... not that he would ever do that, but just in case ;-)! During the weekend he and two colleagues spend some time outside Nairobi, at Lake Sopa Resort, to enjoy Kenyan wildlife. Before checking in, he almost bumped into a giraffe, which was blocking the entrance.... just nibbling on some juicy leaves. During the night hippos were grazing in the garden, making an awful lot of noise... waking him up a few times! The hotel itself was decorated with enormous hippo statues.... no chance of bringing those home! Luckily the hotel shop has many handmade "normal sized" hippos for sale. It does not happen often that my husband is "spoilt for choice" when buying hippos... but this time he was. During that weekend he also arranged for a large hippo to be made, especially for me. I will write about that hippo, soon. Wanted to share these three beauties with all of you, first!

Hippos say "Oink"?

Half-Hippos do! I am always looking for hippos in shops and at markets. Sometimes it happens, I think I see a hippo, but after closer examination it turns out to be a cow, dragon or dog. And then you have those.... I can't be sure about. My rule is: if I am not sure, I do not buy it. Whatever it is, it must obviously be a hippo. But then there are those... let's just say, I gave the benefit of the doubt ;-). I saw this paperweight in a shop, close to our house, last year. I came to the conclusion that the artist probably never ever saw a hippo in his life, as it has the behind and tail of a pig, feet of a lion and stands like a barking dog. The head is the only part that is sort of OK. So, what to do? To buy or not to buy? I had to think about it for a while, as I walked around in the shop. Then I saw it "again" and had to laugh. And that is why I bought it, because it is such a comical looking Half-Hippo! It stands on our table at our balcony making sure our newspaper does not fly away.... while trying to say "Woof"... but after curling up his tail, sounding like "Oink"!

Hippo Behinds

As I already shared with you in the post: Happy (hippo) Feet, I must have a zillion pictures of every part of the hippo. During one of my visits to the Ragunan Zoo (Jakarta - Indonesia), the hippo mum Dania and the hippo dad Jacky were outside, eating some dried grass, but then went inside to have their fresh vegetables and fruits. When they walked away, I took a million shots of them.... it was such a lovely sight... the two of them "waggling" away together... I love this picture for several reasons. For the fact that you can see their tails very clearly. Some people asked me about how hippo tails look like. They have funny looking tails, but I find it a bit difficult to describe them properly. No better way than to show a picture! Another reason is the fact that you can see the sole of a hippo's foot. In this shot, Jacky is just lifting his leg.... letting me capture the underside of four cute looking toes. And last but not least.... not having one but TWO hippo behinds in one shot... is just hippo-terrific!

Ted and Nina

No... these are not MY hippos.... but my hippos-gifts for our dear friends Gerard and Meike (see also post: Smelly Harry... whose name turned out to be: Basil). If I remember correctly, Ted (brown one), was a birthday gift... on what occasion or how Nina (alias: The Swamp Hippo) ended up there, I can't remember. To be honest, I had forgotten all about them, as it had been such a long time since we visited these friends in their home. Now, Ted and Nina are being confiscated by their son Jiri... who can, by the way, imitate a hippo perfectly ("HAP")! I had been busy with a small serie of photos: "all good things, hang in trees"... in order not to upset Jiri... I waited till he had his afternoon nap, and took some shots. He did not like it very much, seeing aunty Lien play with HIS hippos, but to find them in a tree, I feared, would be way too much. As you can see, Ted and Nina had a great time up there!

Hippo Birthday Card

Over the years, I have received many cards with hippos from family and friends. I guess every hippo-collector has a small hippo-card-collection as well. It would be a bit too much to put all my cards on this blog, but I have an absolute favorite, so I decided to make an exception. The card is designed by Leendert Jan Vis. Best design ever, if you'd ask me ;-) (if you Google him, you will find out, he has made a million more designs, not so many with hippos though....).

When you open the card it says: it's YOUR birthday..... enjoy it!

I have this card for more than ten years already, but every time I see it, I still have to laugh (just imagining what they must be thinking...). The expression on the faces of those hippos, left with that tiny piece of cake.... is absolutely hilarious!

Fat bastard

No, it is not the description of a mean hippo, but of a (as the label states: "a remarkably full bodied") red wine. The name was NOT inspired by that very cute little hippo they put on the label.... On the back of the bottle it says: No-one remembers exactly where the hippo came from. Now how is that possible? I will ask them ;-)*.

"The Origin of the Fat bastard: Good friends Thierry (renowned French winemaker) and Guy (British wine industry rebel) created Fat bastard almost by accident. It started out as an experiment Thierry had been doing in the back of his cellar, leaving a barrel "on the lees" (yeast cells). He didn't know what to expect, but when the friends tried the wine Thierry exclaimed..... "Now zat iz what you call eh Phet bast-ard" (read with a strong French accent). This very British expression perfectly described the wine's wonderful color and round, rich palate so that's what they called it."

Unfortunately, I can't get this wine in Asia (yet!). This bottle is a gift from our friends Ton and Joke (see posts: ToJo Maputo and Hippo Cork). They brought it from The Netherlands. The most perfect gift for a hippo AND wine lover ;-). So if you see it, get yourself a "Fat bastard", even if you do not like to drink wine, or love hippos that much... just looking at the bottle will make your day!

*) I did ask them, see comment for their reply.

Fat Bastard

Round and Round

It really is a coincident that my first round numbered painting, is actually a round one! The tenth hippo-painting of my collection, is made by a young artist called Anuchit Klinkulab,  but he is better known by his nickname: "A". He is a very good friend of Mr. Pon's nephew (see post: Hippo Pon) and Mr. Monchai Kosolpradit (see post: The Ninth). A does not own a shop at the Chatuchak Weekend Market (or JJ Market), but he can use one of the side walls of one of the buildings at the art section, to exhibit his work. Some time ago, a friend of his gave him some round frames for free. He already made some portraits. I thought it would be nice to have a round hippo-painting. I told him he could paint whatever he felt like. The result? A very cool looking pop-art-hippo-painting. A is a very kind, young and talented painter, I do hope he will become famous one day!

 Anuchit Klinkulab

Sheila

You might be surprised, but “Hippo-Heaven” does exist. It tends to change its location every year, but most of the time you can find it in the USA. This year, it could be found in Denver, Colorado. From 14^th till 16^th of September 2012, the International Hippopotamus Convention took place. Every year, this event changes an ordinary place into a small heaven for hippo-lovers. A place where you can wear a hippo-t-shirt while carrying a hippo-bag with a plush hippo sticking its head out, and get admiring smiles, instead of the “you-are-weird” look… now how great is that? I brought home so many fond memories and lovely presents. This little angel was a gift from a new friend. My daughters do not like hippos, but it became their most favorite of my collection, instantly. I am sure it does not mind, being named after a human angel :-). Dear Sheila, thank you so much for all those gifts and your friendship. I can’t wait to meet you in Hippo-Heaven again, next year!

      

Elly & Bee

Sometimes, I feel a bit guilty because collecting hippos is not a very environmentally friendly hobby. Some of my hippos have carbon footprints as huge as.... well, hippos! I have been thinking about a hippo museum, but I think it would make more sense to plant a huge hippo-forest, to compensate for all that carbon. I had to think about that, when my friend gave me these hippos. They are handmade in Kenya. She bought them on-line from a store in South-Korea, and then brought them from there to Thailand. Who knows where they will end up eventually. These fellows have already been travelling half way around the globe!! To name them: Carbon and Footprint, would be stretching things, but it crossed my mind. These two are called Elly and Bee ("B" for her last name). Thank you Elly, for thinking about me and bringing them all the way from your home town..... will not forget you anymore! And when that hippo-forest will be planted, I will make sure some trees will be named after you too!!

Turkish Delight

This lovely pair is also a "first". Not the first of my collection, but the first hippo-present from my then boyfriend, now husband. Before our relationship became "official", he already had booked a trip to Alanya (Turkey) with some friends. Only for a week, but of course at that time, it felt like an eternity. When he came back, he brought this hippo mum with baby for me. I do not think he could have imagined the number of hippos, hippo-paintings and hippo-stuff that would follow... poor guy :-). So this "first" is very special to me. Not very yummy, but certainly as sweet as Turkish Delight!

Leo back in Norway

This mini version of Boris (see post: Boris), is called: Leo. We went on holiday to Norway, about 10 years ago. I thought it would be fun to clip a hippo on my backpack with a carabiner. Plushies do not weigh much, but for practical reasons it had to be a small one, so Boris had to stay home.... I forgot why he is called Leo. I do remember that this hippo did not have any name before we went on holiday. It had something to do with giving him a name starting with "L", because of my name, but that's all I can remember...... Normally, I never travel with any hippo, and I do not know why I decided to do so on that occasion. But this time, I just had to bring him, we were going to Norway again after such a long time! This photo has been taken at Spiterstulen, a former mountain farm, now a tourist station in Jotunheimen (translated: The Home of the Giants) National Park. We had been camping for some days... a bit tired but happy to have made it to this hut... this sign says it all: hot showers, nice food and cozy chairs - this way, please!!!!!!!!!!!

Kaba Tomigaya

Sometimes, friends send me what I like to call: surprise-hippos. My friend saw this hippo guarding somebody's front door, in her neighborhood in Tokyo, named: Tomigaya. She wrote to me that she simply had to take a picture and send it to me. She also named the hippo after the area where she found it! When my friend moved to Japan, one of the first things I asked her was: what is "hippo" in Japanese? She immediately asked her teacher (who must have found it a bit funny, I guess....:-)) and found out it is: Kaba. So that explains the title of this post. A few weeks ago, one of my fellow hippo-collectors Diane shared her winning haiku sequence with the group. As haiku is a Japanese poetic form, I thought it would be nice to publish a "Japan special" this week! She won First Honorable Mention in the contest, which was the June Monthly contest sponsored by the Poets' Roundtable of Arkansas, her state poetry society. She enjoys writing haiku because she likes the challenge of saying what she wants to say well and in a limited number of syllables. The 'chosen' subject was "Why I love...." .... no need to guess what it is she loves! Dear Muriel, thank you for making and sending the photo, and of course for thinking about me. Still missing you a lot. Hope we will be able to meet up soon! Dear Diane, thank you so much for allowing me to put your haiku on my blog, I would love to read more of your work in the future, whether or not it is about our beloved hippos!
                                             

lumbering on land

pure weightless grace in water

hippos can do both

wide wide open mouth

aggressive survival chomps

closed-mouth – see the smile

oft times     just like me

contradictions define them—

so I love hippos

   

     Photograph by Mrs. Muriel Moorrees - Haiku sequence by Mrs. Diane Stefan

Wood Cut on Silk Screen

The latest hippo-painting, is not really a painting. It is carved out of wood, then printed on a silk screen. Like "Hippo-Pon" and "The Ninth" this painting comes from the art section of the JJ Weekend Market. All the artists know me by now, and I think it will not take long before they will actually call me: khun hippo! Also funny to mention, there is one artist who makes wonderful paintings..... of (mainly floating) elephants, and elephants only! Of course I asked him already whether he could paint me a hippo, but he only wants to paint elephants..... His artist-friends make jokes about it every time I come visit. Unfortunately, I do not speak any Thai, but the message is clear: "you silly man.... just leave out the trunk and make the head a bit wider, and you have a hippo!!! What's your problem?" But no luck so far.... ;-). I am thinking about buying an elephant painting some day.... because I feel a bit sorry for him... being tormented by everybody every time I'm there. Fortunately for me, his colleague Mr. Sitthisak Natheechaichana did not mind to make some hipppo-art. He made 6 prints, and all are numbered, but I have the number 1/6 of course!!

Pema & Tashi

I also could have named this post: Two hippos from Tibet. Let me explain. During our holidays in Nepal, we came to know two ladies from Tibet. They were selling jewelry outside the hotel in Pokhara where we were staying. Our daughters loved to sit next to them, on their carpets and play with all the necklaces and bracelets, putting everything on themselves, and their teddy bears. We have had the privilege to visit the homes of these ladies. They live in a Tibetan Refugee Camp (Tashi Palkhiel), outside of Pokhara, but the term camp is a bit misleading, as it is more a permanent settlement, with a wonderful temple, school and carpet factory. In Pokara City there are many Tibetan shops, and one day I was just looking around. I was not looking for hippos, it actually did not even cross my mind.... but between a few singing bowls and some Buddha statues, I spotted these two bronze hippos. I could not believe my eyes... I do not know whether they were made in Nepal or Tibet, but since I bought them in a Tibetan shop, I like to believe they came from Tibet. I decided to name them after our Tibetan friends. Unfortunately we have not seen them for a long time. I hope all is well with them. I wish them "Tashi Delek" through cyber space.

Hippo Cork

In my post: ToJo Maputo, I promised to tell you about another hippo-gift, I received during that occasion, sometimes later.... well, here it is. This other hippo-gift was a wonderful cork stopper, or cork, with a cute looking hippo, made of glass, on top. Our friends visited the Kruger National Park in South Africa during their stay in Mozambique (only a few hours away), and in a small shop in the park, they found this cork. It was a very special afternoon: my first hippo from Mozambique and my first hippo-cork. I really felt spoiled! Dear Joke and Ton, time to open a nice bottle of wine, and make a toast: to good health, a wonderful friendship and happy hippos. Cheers!

Happy (hippo) Feet

As most of you know by now, I have spent a lot of time, with the hippo family in the Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a hippo lover to be able to come so close to them, is really very special. But as a photographer, being able to "fill the frame" with hippo, is just awesome. I know, it is cheating a little bit... and absolutely not the same as making similar pictures of wild hippos. I hope to be able to do that some day. Probably, I will have to use a mega-zoom as I do not think it will be safe to come anywhere near them... Many people ask me why I like hippos so much. The most reasonable answer (if there is any ;-)) I can come up with is that I like the fact that most body parts are out of proportion. The mega-mouth.... the huge head with on top of it: tiny turning and flapping ears. A huge behind, with a small (funny looking) tail and an enormous body, with legs that really look too small..... Just looking at them make me laugh.... but really explaining..... is impossible, of course! Having visited my hippo friends so many times, I must have a zillion photographs of all of them. Not only of their heads, open mouths and ears, but also of every other body part. These are the legs and happy feet of Dania, the hippo mum of the family. And every time I see these feet, I wonder.... what color nail polish would she like???

Hippos by Jaap Venema

I already introduced the first hippo statue of my collection (see post: The First). Now it is about time, I share with you my first hippo painting that I got as a present in 1998. I am a very proud owner of twelve great hippo paintings, of which eleven are made especially for me, including this one. A few of them can already be found on my blog (see posts: Hippo Pon and The Ninth). At that time, my then boyfriend, now husband, did tell me his uncle was an artist, but he did not tell me that he had asked him to paint a hippo for me. And so his uncle did.... not one hippo, but a whole bloat! Best surprise ever! I was collecting hippos already for some years, but I did not have a painting, yet. I also could not imagine that that painting would be the start of a whole collection of hippo paintings. The painting is made with a combination of water colors and ink. I could boast about the fact that I own a real "Jaap Venema", as he is a well known and established artist in the Netherlands, but the story of this painting will always be most important. And it does not matter, even if "Uncle Jaap" will become world famous one day..... this painting will never be for sale!

  Jaap Venema

Nilpferd

For many years, I would go to the famous Christmas markets (Weinachtsmarkt) in Germany. I have been to the ones in Cologne and Düsseldorf several times. A few months ago, I met a German gentleman, on holidays here, from Dresden. We were chatting away. Already 80 years old, but still traveling around Asia and at home busy with gardening and square dancing. I was telling him how I love German food and about the Christmas markets I visited. But then he told me off (nicely though!), according to him I had not been to the best and greatest Christmas market in Germany..... the one held in Dresden of course! I promised him, if I ever have the chance, I will go there. This hippo, I bought a long time ago at the Christmas maket in Düsseldorf. I remember asking the German name for hippo. To my surprise (why did I not come up with that myself?) it was: Nilpferd.... very simmilar to the Dutch name: Nijlpaard. My friend told me some time ago, that it is also called Flusspferd, or (according to Wikipedia) Großflusspferd. This one is made of soapstone. I have several, carved out of this very smooth feeling material, but it is one of the few "sleeping hippos" of my collection. I hope they will have nice hippos in Dresden too!

Hippo Jo

The latest addition: a hippo from Hong Kong. A difficult part of living abroad is the fact that many friends are living very far away. Because they move, or we move away ourselves. Luckily, most of them travel a lot, so once in a while we get the chance to meet up, although it sometimes takes a long time. Our friend, we have actually met in Bangkok a few years ago, visited us for a few days. Then he spent a long weekend in Hong Kong with his brother and sister in law. When he came back, he made us jealous with all his stories about great food, especially tasty dim sum... something we have to miss here.... but we couldn't stay jealous for a long time, because he spoiled us all, with nice gifts. For me, of course... a hippo.... my first from Hong Kong! A short holiday, he called it, but I am afraid not much time for relaxing. A fully booked agenda... meeting up with a lot of friends, colleagues and family.... I think next time, dear Jo, you should plan a few extra days at the beach! Thanks for all the presents and a wonderful diner the other night. Hope to meet up again soon!

Hippo Cookies

Every day, I receive news and updates from the International Hippo Society through the hippo-yahoo-group-Digest. Fellow hippo-lovers have shared photos of cute looking hippo cup cakes, a huge hippo cake and even a hippo head made of a whole watermelon with marshmallow teeth (I am planning to make one, one day Sheila!). Time to share: salty hippo cookies and the fact that hippo-craziness is a little bit contagious. My dear friend has 2 sons, and since they know me and my love for hippos, they both have become a bit obsessed as well. My friend told me the other day, no matter where they go, her boys are busy looking for hippos, all the time! My husband already gave me the: what-have-you-done-to-those-poor-kids?-look... but honestly, I do not force them... on the other hand, I also can't pretend I do not like it when they present me with yet another find... so that makes me a little bit guilty, I guess. Their latest score: salty hippo cookies! Soooo sweet (the present, not the cookies ;-))!! So, Divya... sorry for infecting your children with the hippo-virus, but tell Adit and Anuv they are the best! Always thinking about me, and being so nice..... they are just like their mum :-). Love you all!

Adorable Daisy

You must be a bit crazy to give your plant pots names, but I just did (besides, I never claimed to be "normal" ;-)). While looking through my viewer of my camera, I thought Daisy would be a perfect name for my one-and-only-hippo-plant-pot. A few moments later, I realized plant pots do not have names.... but then, not all plant pots are sweet looking hippos, now are they? So Daisy it is. She came in a large box, together with some hippo-toys, around 12 years ago. My brother in law found them at a flea market, a very rare occasion.... how many times does one find a hippo, not to mention a bunch of abandoned ones? Most of the hippo-toys I did not keep, because at that time, we lived in a very small house, and they took up too much space. But I kept Daisy. I had fallen in love with her eyelashes and little-yellow-flowers-decoration. I never put any plants or flowers inside it, because I am afraid it gets dirty or spoiled. Actually, today it was not only her first photo shoot, but also her first time to be outdoors (poor Daisy ;-)).... I think that's why she looks extra happy. Now she is back on her shelf, together with all the other hippo-statues......smiling away as always!

               

Big and Chunky

A few years ago, I sent this Youtube clip to all my friends because I wanted to share this piece of pure hippo-happiness. Even though I watched it so many times, every time I see Moto Moto come into the frame in the beginning... I can't help laughing. I also think the way Gloria moves should be made into a new dance style. Any suggestions for the name?? It takes only 1 minute, please have a look! I am sure it will make your day!!

     

ToJo Maputo

I agree, a very strange name indeed! After a long time of deliberation, I came up with this name for the latest addition to my collection: a nicely carved (and look at the colors of the wood!) hippo from Maputo - Mozambique. Unfortunately, we do not see those friends, who brought it for me, very often. Luckily, we could find some time between their arrival after a long flight in the morning, and my husband's departure for duty travel that evening. Enough time to catch up, enjoy Sunday-Brunch and great river views. Normally, I name the hippo after the person who gives it to me. While looking at this one, I could not decide whether it was a: her (Joke) or a: him (Ton). I thought about calling it Maputo, as I like the sound of that city's name very much... but it feels like cheating, because I only call hippos after places, if I have bought them there myself. I decided that the combination of their names was the best solution. The first hippo of my collection with a combi-name.... and because I like the sound of Maputo so much, also the first one with a last name! During this occasion, I also received another hippo-gift, and even a bottle of hippo-wine. I will write about those in following posts. Dear Joke and Ton, it was so nice to see you again after such a long time. Thank you for all the gifts, treats and sweets but most of all, for your company that day. We all had a lovely time. Hopefully, it will not take that long before we see each other again.

Himalayan Hippo

One of our favorite holiday destinations is Nepal. Its capital Kathmandu is very dirty, dusty, smelly and noisy, but when I am there, enjoying the view of the Bothnath Stupa with its prayer flags fluttering in the wind… it is the best place to be. What has all this to do with hippos? Let me explain. Thamel is the name of the most scary looking hippo of my collection. It is also the name of a very touristy-guesthouses-restaurants-shops area of Kathmandu. Some people do not like it, and head for the breathtaking landscapes and majestic mountains as soon as they can. Of course we do too, but I like this area very much. The hustle and bustle, the tourists, the rickshaws, the places where you can have Yaks embroidered on t-shirts or jackets and a million little shops where you can buy all kind of souvenirs, tea, singing bowls, carpets and Gurkha knives. One of those shops had some carved animals in its window, but no hippos. I did not expect to find any hippos in Nepal, but as all collectors know…. you can’t help looking. So I said: “I’ll just have a quick look inside”. My dear husband followed with the “here-we-go-again” expression on his face. And to my surprise we saw 2 hippos (collecting dust) on top of a cabinet! The second surprise was: they were made of leather, they looked solid but they were very light weighted. I bought one. It was rather cheap. I think the shop owner never expected to sell one of those; he looked like he was happy to get rid of it. Who knows, when the glaciers melt away, they will find the remains of an ancient breed: the Himalayan Hippo. I am sure they looked like Thamel.

Semar

Semar is the youngest son of hippo-mum Dania in Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta Indonesia (see post: Mustache Mummy), and the baby brother of Donna and Reno (see post: Donna and Reno). On March 10, 2010, Dania gave birth to a 30 kg baby boy. The number 10 in the Indonesia language is: sepuluh. March is Maret. So, his name is a combination of his date of birth: Sepuluh Maret = Semar. When I took this photo, Semar was around 4 weeks old. A few months later I could stroke his incredibly tiny and soft ears, and feed him some pealed bananas. I am sure, not many people have felt the soft toothless inside of a baby hippo’s mouth….. From a photographer’s point of view, it was… challenging! Imagine trying to photograph an object, moving constantly and having almost the same color as the water..... On top of that..... being inside, in a very dark part of a building, harsh and very bright light shining directly into the camera, and hanging half way on an iron fence. And then… when I found the right angle….. Semar decided to disappear under water, for a minute of 5 or 10, several times…. And when he surfaced (ears turning and flapping, my favorite thing… hippos do!), his preferred place to be was safely behind his mums enormous head…. Bye bye photo opportunity! After a million misses (long live digital photography).... finally..... a lucky shot!

Boris

The largest, most popular and cutest hippo-soft-toy I own. I forgot (what's new?) when exactly I bought it, but I remember seeing it, together with smaller versions, in the window of a large department store: De Bijenkorf in The Netherlands, at least 15 years ago.... and just had to have it! I do not know, why I called him Boris, I just liked the name. He was wearing blue pants when I bought him, but I did not like those..... some hippos just look better without pants! We took Boris to birthday parties with us, decorated and with party hat! He is the only hippo which has been invited to stay for a few weeks sleep over at friend's homes and most importantly, he was the guest of honor at our wedding (bow-tie and all). Lately, he is doing a lot of photo modeling work. When I experiment with camera settings.... he is much more patient than the usual victims (children and cats ;-)), and he does not complain. I used to have a lot of soft toys. When we left to live abroad, I asked our friends to pick one, so they would not forget us. The only one I kept was Boris! It was also the moment I decided not to collect soft-toy-hippos anymore, because they take up so much space.... but the last time I checked, I counted at least 10.... hmmm.... I wonder......

Hollywood Hippos

Of course I mean: Gloria and Moto Moto, but I thought, if I call my post like that.... not so much of a surprise anymore..:-). I think if I hadn't collected hippos, I would have started, after seeing Gloria in Madagascar. She is soooo cute! Madagascar 2 was even better (if you compare the number of hippos!). Although I think Moto Moto is hilarious, with his chest hair and uni-brow... Gloria is my absolute favorite. One part of the movie I like very much is the little speech the giraffe Melman is giving, while Moto Moto is trying to seduce Gloria:

"I'd give her flowers every day. And not just any flowers. OK?

Her favorites are orchids. White. And breakfast in bed.

Six loaves of wheat toast, butter on both sides.

No crust, the way she likes it.

I'd be her shoulder to cry on and her best friend.

I'd spend every day thinking of how to make her laugh.

She has the most amazing laugh."

I absolutely agree with him. She has the most amazing laugh..... every time I hear it.... I just have to laugh too! These toys came with the Happy Meals of McDonalds, some time ago. Dear Jules and Kris, thanx so much for thinking about me and giving up your Happy Meal toys, that is just awesome!

From Vienna With Love

When I started collecting hippos, I thought I would and could easily remember who gave me the hippo, or where I found it. Forgetting such important things seemed out of the question.... silly me. I don't know what happened. Maybe I thought the hippo-mania would not last that long, or my brains would work better. The result after many years? I own several hippos of which I haven't the faintest clue, how I got them. One of the reasons I started this blog was to write down the stories I still do remember... building an archive, better late than never, they say. When exactly I got this one, I forgot, but what I do remember is that my aunty Anneke (see post: The first), brought it from Austria for me. She found this hand made, little bit crooked looking hippo at a local market. She was going to revisit all the places, she had been with her late husband. To revive memories of their time together. She loved Austria (especially Carinthia) very much. Unfortunately, she became very ill during that trip. I felt so sorry for her, not being able to enjoy that special journey to the fullest. When she gave it to me, she complained about how difficult it was to find hippos, but that she was happy she found one.... For me, this was so typical for my aunty... being ill herself, but still thinking about other people. She passed away on Christmas Day, 2005. I still miss her very, very much.

Donna & Reno

Brother and sister, living in the Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta, Indonesia. The eldest son and daughter of Dania (see post: Mustache Mummy). I made this photo during the same photo shoot, in July 2010. They are the first hippos I touched in my life. While they were eating grass and all sorts of fruit and vegetables, I could touch their ears and stroke their noses. I was very surprised about how "tough" they felt. I expected them to be much softer, somehow. All this while my ears almost fell off, because of the noise they made... munching away! Reno (photo - right), is about 9 years old. Always the first to come out of the water and open his mouth... begging for snacks. You can easily recognize him, because of his scars. His father (Jacky) attacked him, when he was small. Donna (photo - left), about 7 years at that time, is a bit shy but like her brother, very sweet. The hippo-enclosure in the Zoo is very large and nice. It is divided in 3 parts. The biggest part is occupied by Daddy Jacky. Every time I visited, Jacky was hiding under water. Only at feeding time, he comes out. He likes to climb up the fence and chew on the iron bars. It is very funny to hear the keeper (Mr. Budi) shout every time: No Jacky! No Jacky! Go down! Jacky does not really listen... but then, how do you train a hippo?? The second part has an outdoor area and an indoor area with pool and garden-hose-shower! This is where Mummy Dania and her youngest son Semar are staying. The third part has a large pool, where Donna and Reno live and play together. I miss them all very much. How can you not love hippos when you see these sweeties?

Hippopotamus Grill Restaurant

I wondered whether it would matter at all, what kind of food or what quality of food they serve, if the restaurant is called "Hippopotamus Grill Restaurant" and you are a hippo-lover? Luckily, I never had to worry about that, as the food in this restaurant chain is always good. When I visited Paris, tradition dictated to eat at least once at Hippopotamus. These cool hippo-themed restaurants have not only everything with hippos on it.... they also sell all kind of  hippo-stuff. No need to feel guilty if you feel the urge to smuggle the plates and bowls with hippos on it out of the restaurant in your handbag! They have small inhouse shops... for fans like me! For many years, I have not been in Paris. Only the few bowls I have reminded me of the restaurant.... until I read in the newspaper they opened a restaurant here in Thailand! I was so excited. The following weekend we all went to this newly opened shopping mall..... to find the restaurant to be... NOT open, yet! What??????? I was soooo disappointed. When we stood there, 2 people came out of the restaurant. I inmediately ambushed them. How come the restaurant is not open yet? When will it open?.... I demanded an explanation!! The marketing manager, and the manager of the restaurants in France, from Paris, were kind enough to tell me they experienced some construction problems. They would open in a few days. A few weeks later we came again, but the restaurant was still not open. And nobody to ambush either....... I began to think it would never open.... but three's a charm, and the third time we were lucky, and we could enjoy a very nice lunch. They plan to sell hippo-stuff as well, but things have not arrived yet... will have to wait. I will keep you all updated. If all goes well, they will open more Hippo-restaurants soon. Dear Jo, the list: "reasons-why-I-am-jealous-of-you-living-in-Paris", is very long, but now I can at least scratch 1 item ;-).

    

Hippopotamus Grill Restaurant FB page

Antonia & Elmo

A few posts ago, I mentioned how special privately-owned-hippo-donations are to me. This time, I would like to introduce you all to: Antonia and Elmo. Beautifully carved hippos, made of soapstone and of course now, within the collection, in the company of a very select few. This story is also about how sad moments can unexpectedly turn into very memorable and nice moments. About one and a half years ago our family left Indonesia. After living there for three and a half years, there was a lot we had to leave behind, besides dear friends, on the more practical side also some furniture. At that time we sold a lot of things, and that is the reason Antonia came to our house. Somehow it feels strange, to welcome people in your house when it is all empty and in moving-boxes-everywhere-super-chaos. When she left she noticed the cabinet with all the hippos... ready to be packed. "Ah" she said, "you like hippos, I have a few hippos at home". At that time, I did not think much of it, partly because of a very distracted mind (so much to do, and so little time), and partly because I was just happy to know more people own hippos. Evening came, and suddenly the doorbell rang. A gift bag was delivered, and I found 2 hippos inside, nicely wrapped. I still remember that moment: all sweaty and tired of packing and in a bit of a sad mood because we were leaving soon. That gift was not only a privately-owned-hippo-donation, it also melted away the sad mood and all the moving-stress. It made me feel so happy! Dear Antonia, as you gave them to me; I named the large one after you. I hope your husband does not mind the fact that the smaller one is named after him, or better said: is named after his nickname. I hope our paths will cross again someday. Thank you again, not only for a great surprise but most of all for these very fond memories!

The Ninth

Classical music lovers be warned! This post is NOT about the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven, often referred to as: The Ninth. For those of you not familiar with this piece of music, the ninth symphony is considered by some to be this composer’s greatest work. It is most interesting that Beethoven wrote this symphony while already being completely deaf. Another interesting fact is that this piece of music has been adapted for use as the European Anthem. Since this blog is about hippos, The Ninth in this case is the ninth hippo-painting of the collection. Mr. Monchai Kosolpradit has a shop: Cool Art, just across the shop of Mr. Pon (see post: Hippo Pon). I already noticed a very funny painting… 12 happy elephants, in all colors against a red background. I asked the artist if he could paint something similar… with hippos! No problem. Did I mind some T-shirts and shawls? I told him that was up to him as he is the artist. As you can see, he went all the way. I thought about calling this painting: Lien’s Twelve, but then I realized: The Ninth is a better name. The ninth symphony was based on a poem by Friedrich Shiller: Ode to joy! It is celebrating brotherhood, understanding and unity of all mankind. To me, this painting is an ode to joy and love for hippos, it just makes me smile, every time I see it. Ode to hippos!

      

 Monchai Kosolpradit

Hippo Widayanto

Time to confess another addiction, although not as severe as the hippo one. I love ceramics. Whether it is art objects, vases or dinner plates. Still looking for a hippo dinner set though! During our time in Indonesia, one of my favorite trips was to a  place called: Rumah Tanah Baru, Wisata Keramik, in Depok. The weekend home of Mr. Widayanto, a ceramic artist. Wonderful gardens with ceramic art everywhere, and of course a shop where you can buy pieces of his latest collection. And to my surprise, I saw the artist had made some hippos too. Some scary looking hippos I must add. I bought the one which looked least scary, going home without one was no option, obviously. Normally hippos carry hammerhead storks and cattle egrets on their backs, but the artist decided to put a cute looking frog on this one. I think it was his way of making the hippo look a little less scary..... In my display cabinet, I usually put this one with its head towards the wall, so everybody can enjoy a huge hippo-behind, with a frog catching autumn leaves.. dia ganteng sekali (he is very handsome)! Lina, thank you for providing the translation. I miss your great sense of humor and laughs a lot... but I will make sure I will come up with an excuse to keep in touch with you once in a while... with or without the help of handsome hippos!

 

Widayanto Ceramic House

William

To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was one of the most dangerous animals in their world. They not only attacked fishing boats in daily life, but one could also encounter them on the waterways in the journey to the afterlife. The hippopotamus was a force of nature that needed to be propitiated and controlled, both in this life and the next. The most famous Egyptian hippopotamus can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA). It is a gift of Edward S. Harkness, donated to the museum in 1917. For many years it has been known as "William" (due to an article by Captain H.M. Raleigh) - the Metropolitan's unofficial mascot. 

It is one of a pair found in a shaft associated with the tomb chapel of the steward Senbi II at Meir, an Upper Egyptian site about thirty miles south of modern Asyut. My dear husband bought a replica at The Met Store, together with a replica of the "Sleepy Hippopotamus", from the Norbert Schimmel Collection. 



Perfect birthday presents (2011)! Like the originals, both are decorated with drawings of lotus blossoms and marsh plants which could be found in their favorite habitat, the shallow banks of the Nile River. An interesting fact about the original "William" is that three of its legs have been restored. As William was part of Senbi's burial equipment, his legs were purposely broken to prevent the creature from harming the deceased. Luckily, "my William's" legs are all perfect, and I am proud to have a real celebrity in my collection.



Owen & Mzee

In my family, I am the only one infected with the hippo-virus. My daughters think hippos are cute, but they like horses much more. The only thing they have is an eye for anything: hippo. Sometimes they have spotted a hippo before I have, which I find very amusing. This post is about a book my youngest daughter found. She was, of course, looking for a book about horses, but saw this book about a friendship between a hippo and a tortoise. It became my favorite book! The story is about a baby hippo that lost its mum during the tsunami of December 26, 2004, at Malindi, Kenya. They rescued Owen, and gave him a new home at the wildlife sanctuary called Haller Park, a restored limestone quarry. As Owen could not be put with the other hippos in the park, they placed him in an enclosure where smaller and gentler animals lived. He immediately made friends with a 130 year old grumpy Aldabra tortoise called Mzee, “Old Man”, in swahili. Owen and Mzee are inseparable, and even developed their own “language”, of soft sounds and gestures, which wildlife experts still can't explain. Nowadays, they even have their own website: Owen and Mzee. So, please have a look and find out, not only about Mzee and Owen, but also about little Toto (another tortoise) and Cleo (short for Cleopatra), an adult hippo brought in to keep Owen company. It worried the keepers, that Owen was sometimes behaving more like a tortoise than a hippo. Cleo had been alone for a long time and needed hippo-company. Luckily they get along well, and Cleo is teaching Owen how to be a hippo. Or at least remind Owen that he is a hippo, and not a tortoise!  

Owen & Mzee, The Language of Friendship

Told by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu 

Photographs by Peter Greste

Rose, Pia & Isabel

Three’s a bloat! Of course, it should be: three’s a crowd, but speaking of a (living) unit of a group of hippos, it can be called, a pod, herd, dale or bloat. Since a few months, I am a proud member of the International Hippo Society called: Hippolotofus. As its members welcomed me warmly to “the bloat”, I decided to use that word more often, as I like the sound of it. It sounds very hippo-y. In October 2011, I had the pleasure of meeting 2 colleagues of my husband during a workshop. I had some e-mail conversations with them and spoke to them via Skype, but it is always nice to meet people in person, eventually. What I did not know is that they asked another colleague (I am sure somebody gave them a hint…. ;-)), who works in South Africa, to bring a hippo for me. And she did not bring 1, but 3 beautiful hippos! I am sure she must have thought about the fact that good things always come in threes, especially hippos.... During cleaning, or moving, the hippo’s “move around”, but I always make sure these three noses are touching each other. Dear Rose, because you had chosen them, and brought them all the way, I called the largest one after you. Pia and Isabel, thank you for arranging the best gift possible! I think Rose also brought 3, so I could name the other 2 after you both! It was so nice meeting you all that day. And even though you are all living far apart, don’t forget you are close together in a very special bloat!   

Diana & Raymond

There is no Hippo Art Museum yet. Maybe I will open one someday. When I do, I will arrange for a very special room, showcasing all hippos which were donated to the collection. I am very proud to have already received a few Privately-Owned-Hippo-Donations! Those additions make the collection even more special to me. Finding a hippo in a shop and buy it, is really nice, but people giving up their own hippos, because they know I collect them, makes it most special. A few months ago, during a very nice dinner with new friends in a french bistro, I was confessing my hippo-addiction. Then, they told me they have a few hippos, whether I would be interested to have some of them... what kind of question is that for an addict? Would I like the red pair or the blue pair? This offer and the choice made me feel a bit overwhelmed, but how could I refuse...? A few days later I received 2 red, hand painted, smiling hippos, originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. They are named after their donors, of course. Dear Diana and Raymond, I chose the red pair, because I do have a few blue hippos in my collection already. They do stand out because of their color, and because they are super cute. But to me they will always stand out, because of their history. Meeting new friends and getting a Privately-Owned-Hippo-Donation at the same time, it can't get much more special than that! We'll see you soon!