Hippos in Fashion

Of course, we hippo-lovers already know for a long time, hippos are very "haute couture" and "fashionable". It's more that fashion designers have to catch up, with this (I hope :-)) growing trend. The designers of Hermes already understood the beauty of hippos in designs, but very happy to see that they got company from Salvatore Ferragamo, an Italian luxury brand. Last week, I was flipping through the New York Times Magazine. And there they were, showcased in a fancy ad, lovely hippo ties. If you go to their website www.ferragamo.com, then search (upper right corner) for "Hippopotamus", they will all come up. Wonderful colors and great design!

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (new release)

One of my first posts (published 22nd December, 2011), was about this very famous Christmas song by Gayla Peevey, recorded in 1953.  What a surprise it was to hear this song again during the "Christmas Tree Lighting" at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, this year. LeAnn Rimes made this year's celebrations a little more special, because of her interpretation of the perfect Christmas song (for Hippo-Lovers that is....). I am thrilled hippos are still very much part of Christmas!

Please enjoy the "live" version

LeAnn Rimes live at Rockefeller Plaza 2014

or the recorded version

LeAnn Rimes recorded version

and don't forget to sing along!

Richard (&) Wagner

A rather funny coincident, this German Composer shared his name with two wonderful people who made it possible for this bronze beauty, to get to me. Last year, I attended the annual convention of the International Hippopotamus Society. I already published a post about the prize I won during the second "Hippo Game" (see post: Mr. Stuart). It is about time to write about the prize of the first game, I won thanks to Richard and Wagner. A beautiful bronze statue, that weights 7 lbs, or 3,5 kg! This prize comes with a little story. When flying back, my suitcase had to go through the X-ray machine at the airport... all alarms, bells, lights and whistles went off! So a very stern looking airport security lady took my bag, and told me: "I will have to check your bag, ma'am". So the lady went through my bag, took the box and opened it. In the meantime, I felt all the eyes of a long line of fellow passengers poking in my back....  The lady's face broke into a huge smile, when she unwrapped "the threat"... "OH, its a HIPPO!" she shouted out. I took my bag and the box, and headed to the nearest chair to wrap it up and put everything back. "You need any help with that, dear?" she asked me. "Thanks, I'm fine" I replied. Actually, I was still confused. Being approached as a potential terrorist, and then treated as a favorite niece in less than a minute, felt weird. But then I looked at the newest addition to my collection, and all was good!

 

Horace The Hippopotamus

Although I am calling myself a collector of hippopotamuses, I am in fact only a mere amateur when compared to some (what I call) real collectors. "Capable of finding a hippo" (in any store or flea market) would be a more accurate description of my level of collecting. This was of course, long before the internet era. Now, not only are hippos and hippo-products just a few clicks away, I also can enjoy the company of many hippo collectors who know their artists, brands and of course the hard to find collectables. I would never have expected a collectable (black & gold, hippo, see picture below) would join my collection. A wonderful Christmas present of my dear friend Sheila. She wrote to me:  "This gift for you is a retired Kevin Francis "Facepot". They only made 2 hippos that were sold until 2005. The first one (grey color) came out in 2002, with only 195 made. This black with gold tone one came out in 2003. Only 22 of those were made. Most were sold in the UK."

Thank you Sheila, for giving me this wonderful gift (and the only hippo I own, who has its own Certificate of Authenticity!). Who knows, I will become a Real Collector like you, one day!
 

  Horace The Hippopotamus

 

 

Inside Name: Horace The Hippopotamus, Inside Script: Got Mud? Artist: Andy Moss, Number: FP121G, Colorway: Black & Gold, Collection: Animal, Exclusive: Collectors Guild, Status: Retired, Release Date: July 1, 2003, Retirement Date: August 5, 2005, Edition Size: 22, Hand made and hand painted in Staffordshire, England, Produced by Peggy Davies Ceramics.

(photograph grey hippo from: britishcollectibles.net)

The Choir

This is the title of a card, I received a few days ago, from my dear friend Marius. It is printed by a French company called: Nouvelles Images (new images). The artist is: Nathalie Choux. One of the great things of the Internet: wonderful hippo products, just a few clicks away. While checking out the website of Nouvelles Images, I saw a few more "Happy Birthday" cards with hippos. They are very hard to find, so happy I found them. Dear Marius, thank you so much for always looking for nice hippo cards for me. Of course, I will be up and running in no time, especially with the help of this cute fellow with his singing friends.

 

 

www.nouvellesimages.com

An Apple a Day...

Once in a while, I just Google: Hippo (or Hippopotamus), select: Images, and I am able to enjoy myself for quite some time. During one of those "entertainment" sessions, I found this beauty. As an apple a day can keep a doctor away, I would like to make the case that you can change that to: A hippo a day... as the best medicine (cure) in the world is a good laugh. And that is just what this is. Look at those eyes... and try NOT to laugh :-).

 

 

www.wallpaperup.com

Hippo News!

It is not possible to miss the birth of a "surprise" hippo, when you are part of a group of fellow hippo lovers. The arrival of the newest addition to the L.A. Zoo was shared immediately. But if I had not been a member of "Hippolotofus", the news would have reached me through many friends.

 

How old is the story of a female, thinking she is gaining weight, but then finding out something else is going on? I think it is very convenient if this happens to a female hippo, as it is easy to hide those extra pounds... three thousand two hundred pounds, or three thousand four hundred pounds... who is counting anyway??

 

It reminded me of the story of my hippo friends in Jakarta, Indonesia. The keeper Mr. Bagus, thought Dania's baby would come a few months later... the next week Semar was born. It is not easy to examine a hippo, let alone a pregnant one. As you can forget the "come sweetie, time for your ultrasound" approach, the only thing left is a "well educated guess".

 

But in all cases (with or without birth control) eight months later, you have the cutest baby of all animal babies... if you love hippos, of course ;-).

Hippo News CNN

Ps. The baby does not have a name yet, if it is named, I will add his/her name to this post.

Power of Purple!

I think this hippo - bank was part of an abandoned hippo collection, saved at a flea market by my brother in law, a very long time ago. Although it looks cute, to be honest, it is not my favorite bank, and not my favorite "style" of hippo... but it will always be part of my collection, as this is the all time absolute favorite of my girls. I believe, mainly because of its bright color. Also, it looks very much like a toy. I know some of you very loyal followers, love purple very much, so this is for all of you: Purple - Hippo - Lovers. Enjoy!

Bunch of... hippos?

My dear friends suffer from a severe form of the "look-for-hippos-for-Lien" decease (see posts: Hippo Crisps, Hippomallow, and Hippo Head Cake). This is an excellent example of Christmas Shopping getting out of hand. My friends already bought some very pretty hippos for me, and some horses for my girls. Just before that packet would be delivered to our home, they "accidentally" bumped into these guys... "When we saw these, we had to buy all of them" they told me... of course all of them did not fit into the original bag... so everything was repacked into a huge box. Christmas of 2012 will be remembered for sure, thanks to a colorful bunch. Hippo Happiness can't be represented any better!

Pasar Raya Rally

Pasar Raya is the name of a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. They have an amazing selection of handicrafts and souvenirs from every part of the country. And as you can see, they even have beautifully carved hippos. Despite that, I never learned to like this place. Being impatient doesn't help.

Imagine, while dealing with handicraft overloads and souvenir oceans, you find a lovely wooden hippo. You are ready to pay. Only problem: where? You start circling around. Just when you want to give up, you spot a large group of smiling sales people around a small table. You smile back, and gladly place your item in front of them. One of the persons picks it up and hands it over to a colleague. That person puts it in a small cabinet in the back. A third person writes a slip, has it checked by one or two colleagues before handing it to you. And NO (but keep smiling), you are not supposed to pay here. You have to go to the other side of the store, to the cashier (another smile). Silly you, of course. So you take your slip and navigate to the other side of the store, trying to find anything that could possibly be a cashier. Needless to say, this takes a while. Note to self: when you see a huge line of people in the middle of the store, it is most likely that the cashier is at the other end. Finally, it is your turn. You are now the proud owner of a slip that has a nice stamp: PAID. Yeah! But then you realize you will have to go back wherever you came from, to pick up your purchase. Where was that again?

 

On your way back, you see the same lady wearing a striped shirt and a gentleman in shorts about five times. Each time passing them, while going in a different direction. Fellow tourists also walking the gauntlet. Miraculously, you see that small table and because you are so happy, you start to wave that beautifully stamped slip, not knowing this will cause quite a stir: While you have been going on the payment-expedition, they have (for efficiency reasons, obviously) packed your purchase already, in a nice Pasar Raya gift bag. Tiny detail, they have done that for all customers' items that have found their way there over the last few hours whilst you were on expedition. So now, it requires at least three people to go through a mountain of look-alike-gift-bags, to search for your item. You are lucky, they do find it. Of course, it needs to be double, no, triple checked, whether the item in the bag matches with whatever is written on the slip. Only then you can take your purchase home.... if you are able to find the exit, that is. 

 

A fifteen minute hippo hunt, turned into a three hour challenge. I have been dangerously close, to inflicting serious bodily harm to every person working there. I decided then and there, it was in everybody's best interests, not to shop there anymore. Cute hippos or not!

Hippo Works

A few months ago, my husband received an e-mail message from an artist named: Denis Thomopoulos, with a few questions. Attached was a link to an animation film: education material for young children, to teach them about climate change. Did he have time to take a look, and would some sort of cooperation be possible? The first thing that "spooked" my husband was the fact that the password to get access to the animation was: Red Hippo. Living together with a hippo fanatic for many years is challenging enough... but to have hippos entering his work life as well, made him wonder...

The real shock came shortly thereafter. In the form of a bright red hippo named Simon, talking about climate change and most importantly... the Power of Poop! Then, he forwarded that e-mail with the link to me. Did I know Simon? The real question obviously was: did you have anything to do with this? I do wish I had... unfortunately, I did not.

But all that has changed. I am very happy and honored to have met Simon. It is my longtime believe that hippos contribute to World Peace. Not everybody agrees. But from now on, Simon is my living proof that hippos are Eco Heroes (check website link below). And of course, all heroes contribute to World Peace!

Thank you Denis, for creating him and doing an amazing job. Our planet is going nowhere, if we do not teach our children to care, protect and respect it. It is wonderful to know, a few decades from now, there will be decision makers and action takers, who will remember how Simon and his friends inspired them, to become Eco Heroes themselves!

Please visit: http://hippoworks.com

 

It's a jungle out there - Let's keep it that way!

Heavy Metal

Some time ago, a wonderful birthday present made by Mr. Chatchai Suvannachot was featured on my blog (see post: Hippo JJ). At some point, this great artist had some beautiful lotus leaves hanging in his gallery. I asked him whether he would be able to make a huge lotus leaf that I could put (flat) on a table. Of course, hippos always being present in our conversations, we discussed some mini hippos sleeping on top of the leaf, too. It seemed a great idea. A few weeks later, I came to pick up my order. Only to find a wonderful lotus leaf but... no hippos. Mr. Chatchai's wife smiled and handed me another packet. A huge hippo head. "Not nice, mini hippos" she told me firmly. "My husband, he made head for you." And that was the end of the discussion. Not that I ever would have started one. To me this Heavy Metal Hippo Head is Hippo Art at its absolute finest.

Doesn't this head look like it comes right out of a very old Frankenstein-Movie-Scene? Imagine some scary music... and then look at this head... slowly rising out of dark and absolutely deadly waters... 

 

 

Rocke-Fellow

It is not a secret, I am a City-Girl. May friends laughed when they heard where we were going to live... Although not entirely true, I call the area where we live: The Woods. Luckily, these woods are one train ride away, from one of the most wonderful cities of the world: New York. To avoid, starting to talk to squirrels, I make as many trips to the city as I can. To inhale some city fumes, enjoy all the noises, and to do my favorite thing: people watching. One of a few great spots in the city to do this, is Grand Central Station. I know some people get irritated, because tourists will stop at most unexpected places and times, to look up and around. Blocking the way of people rushing to get to work or catch their train. But I never get tired of looking at those faces... all smiles and in wonder. And then the people around the "Big Clock", their faces lighting up when they spot their friends, family or loved ones. Another great spot is Rockefeller Square. Famous for the ice rink and Christmas tree in the winter. I love to sit on one of those benches (preferably enjoying a nice hot coffee) and watch people walking by. I could sit there all day. Especially in the company of my "Hand-Bag-hippo"... or any hippo for that matter :-).

 

 

Portrait of a Hippo

This portrait is great at reminding me, why it is important to keep a record of all my hippos. At the moment, I still have pictures of the part of my collection, that is packed in boxes and stored in our basement. At the same time, my "while-living-in-the-USA" collection, is growing at an alarming rate. It is already becoming hard to keep up with my new ones... while not even half of my "old" ones are featured here on my blog. What is worse... when I came upon this picture, I could not even remember owning it... After a while, some memories came back. I bought it during one of my trips to Chatuchak (JJ) Weekend market in Bangkok, Thailand. Of course it stood out to me, because it was a hippo, but also because it was the only hippo... surrounded by colorful swans, gnomes and panda bears. I could not, and still can't decide what the expression means on his face. I think he is not even sure himself...

Counting Hippos

I am very proud to be able to feature another painting made by Anuchit Klinkulab, or "A". He already made my first and only round hippo painting (see post: Round and Round). One of his "signature" painting styles, is painting the outlines of portraits (mainly musicians) with white paint, on a white canvas. I already mentioned a few times, that it would be nice to have something similar, with (what else?) hippos. After some time of not selling much, I decided to help him out a bit by ordering my "hippos in white". I spoke with him about the option of having one of them, done in red. I thought it would look nice to have one stand out. I also told him it would be entirely up to him, as he is the artist. To be honest, I was very surprised when I saw the painting when it was finished. It was not what I had in mind at all! But it would not take long, before I would fall in love with this cute looking fellow, in the company of many friends, you can only see when you take a closer look. I believe every piece of art should be like that, making you want to take another look, and discover something new, each time!

Bep

Many of you have heard me say: "I do not collect plushy hippos anymore!" But what to do, when a plus-sixty-centimeter or two-foot furry hippo is staring at you, from a shelf above the lady's-coats-section at a local Goodwill store? Of course I tried: "NO, too large" and "NO MORE PLUSHY POS" and "NO SPACE"! But those arguments were very quickly defeated by "I believe Boris (see post: Boris), needs to have a girl friend" and "Excuse me, do I buy this for USD 4,99? What kind of question is that?" And so, Bep was accompanied to the car by my daughters, who tried not to look too embarrassed, (what is worse? People assuming it is their hippo, or knowing it is their mum's hippo?) and my parents in law, who are already far beyond the point of being surprised. Of course, Bep needed to have a bath (washing machine). It made her ears, feet and nostrils sparkly clean... minor detail: this adventure almost made her head fall off. Luckily, my mother in law is a specialist in emergency-plushy-hippo-attach-head-back-to-body-operations. Bep is as good as new... and already busy at work. Guarding our pumpkin, from evil squirrels, badgers and what-ever-else-eats-pumpkin-seeds.

 

Need to get this off my chest. It looks like this pumpkin is not going to become any larger. The package of the seeds promised 'Championship worthy Pumpkins"... whoever came up with that, must be a Minion or coming from Gulliver's Island... According to Bep, huge pumpkins are so overrated... locally-grown-organic-mini-pumpkins are the newest trend. I believe it is much more likely, our Bep had a spin or two, too many in our machine :-)...

Inside and Out

Some time ago, I already scolded at my American friends, for not warning me for a very dangerous store called: TJ Maxx. Especially, if you live only five minutes away from one, and about 20 minutes away from another. I would go there, because I really need new flip flops, for example. But coming home... let's just say, it turned out there were much more things I needed... at least at that moment ;-). And to make matters worse, they also sell hippo-mugs. Only once in a while though... and it seems to differ from store to store, whether they will have a certain item or not. So, regular hippo-mug-checks must be done! Isn't this the most wonderful excuse to visit any TJ Maxx store, any time? A very important task, as this hippo-mug proves. It does not matter from what angle you look at it, front, back and bottom, all perfect. 

 

But the little hippo on the inside makes this mug the ultimate hippo-mug. There is a slight chance, you might forget about hippos and hippo-happiness from the time you pick up your mug, till the moment you put it down. At least now, WHILE you are drinking, this little fellow is making sure there is no way that could happen, not on his watch!

Anthony

A few posts ago, I mentioned a flea market in Connecticut, called Elephant's Trunk. It takes place every Sunday during the "flea market season" (see post: Hippo Dinner Bell). I love going there, mainly to hunt for hippos of course. I saw an antique one, made of paper mache. Luckily, I did not fall in love with that one. He looked nice, but not "two-hundred-and-fifty-USD" nice. Almost at the end of the day, I found this planter, I did fall in love with. "You can have it for ten bucks" sounded perfect to me. How could I resist such a sweet face?

When I came home, I saw the maker's name written at the bottom: Anthony. So I decided to give him the same name. Further more, no date was written, only that he is made in the USA. After I made a few photos, I almost felt guilty. Don't you agree he looks like he wants to say: "was that really necessary to take pictures? Does everybody has to know, I am just a planter?" "Yes! Sorry Anthony... you are just looking way too cute, not to be shown on my blog!"

Wishing on a Hippo?

Some time ago, I already published a hippo made by Jen Robinson on my blog (see post: Hippopottermiss). I purchased that and this hippo during the same event: The Annual International Hippopotamus Convention, taking place in Branson, Misouri, October 2013. Beforehand, many jokes were made about certain people  kicking, pushing and jumping the line, so my imagination had gone wild. I expected a huge pile of hippo-lovers, having come to a halt against the table of Jen, after a desperate dash turned into a stampede. Too much coffee is to blame. The sale of Jen-Pos turned out to be a rather civilized and friendly affair. It could be that I have missed "the action". Not enough coffee would be to blame for that. 

When I took this photo, I had a post in mind about a relaxing hippo. Having his feet already up in the air, all what needed to be added was a soft and comfy cushion. But then I started playing with settings. Before I knew it, the very light peachy colored hippo, with little bit darker stars, on a bright red cushion, turned into this black and white converted, blue tones decreased and contrast increased, creation. And the longer I looked at it, the more I started to like this image. 

Dear Jen, I hope you are not too shocked to see your work back, like this. Of course, the cuteness and playfulness of your hippo is to blame, I am sure he set me up to it. I am looking forward to see you again in a few months... in the meantime, this hippo is wishing for a new companion... as he already has some stars, is he wishing on a hippo? 

Hippo-Happiness from Holland

This time not a first, but a latest! A wonderful water color painting. The name of the maker is rather hard to read, but it is made in the year 2000. Like all the other painting I have, this one comes with a story too. A very sweet one. Once in a while, I am looking for hippos on a Dutch site called: Marktplaats, which means market place. It is comparable with e-bay. A few months ago, I saw this painting up for auction, and I loved it right away. Luckily for me I did not have to enter a bidding war. A few weeks later, it arrived at my home, with a surprise. The seller had included a photograph of a hippo, taken at the Noorder Dierenpark (Northern Zoo), in The Netherlands, with the (translated) title: Clean water for the hippos, June 2002. Her son, working for a Dutch newspaper, had arranged this print. How incredibly sweet and thoughtful is that? Dear Gerrie from Mariahout :-), thank you so much for your efforts to get the painting and photo to me. If you ever find another hippo painting at an art fair, and you like it, please let me know. I completely trust your eye, when it comes to hippo art. And thank you for proving my believe that Hippo-Happiness comes in all sizes and shapes... and from everywhere. This time, all the way from Holland!

Looking Like An Egyptian

In Dutch, hippos are called: Horses of the Nile. I am sure the artist was inspired by their origin, before putting some eye liner on this mum, making her look like an Egyptian queen.

I have this wooden hippo in many different sizes, two large sized (size of a football) mum and dad, two teenagers and two babies. I bought them at the Phat Pong Night Market in Bangkok, Thailand. The place to be if you are looking for fake watches and bags, visit the go go bars or (apparently) want to buy a hippo family. I think the owner of the souvenirs shop saw the golden opportunity to get rid of all his hippos at once... looking at the layers of dust and dirt, I figured he must have had them for a while. To make a long story short, the price for one hippo was about the same as for the whole bloat. Needless to say, I hauled the whole family home. 

I thought about putting them all together in one "family photo", but it just did not come out the way I liked it. After trying different things, I liked this "Mum-and-Dad-Kiss" best. Of course, I did not take this photograph in front of the kids...., we would not want them to witness that, now would we? 

Bangkok's Beauties

Thought it is time for another painting, and another first. Not my first painting (see post: Hippos by Jaap Venema), but my first hippo painting ordered in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2010. This was before I met all my friends at the art section of the Chatuchak (JJ) Weekend Market, and before I would have many more paintings made. As we had lived in Bangkok before, I was very happy to be back at my most favorite place to shop. I came across a tiny open-front-shop where a lady was sitting on the ground, painting away. Mostly elephants, decorated with pretty flowers. I sat down next to her, going through her photo book of her work. I took my time, because I was enjoying the cool breeze from the fan. It gave me a good excuse to escape the sweltering heat and humidity for a while. As expected, no hippos in her book so I asked her if she could paint hippos. Of course she could. Then the conversation became a bit difficult, as she did speak little English, and I couldn't (and still can't...) speak Thai. So I pointed at one of her other paintings, saying I would love to have the same color as background. The rest was up to her. The result: a beautiful painting of a hippo mum with her two babies, pretty flowers and all. Now, the thing is... I can find her shop, but I can't explain to anybody how to get there. If I ever come back to JJ Weekend Market, I will look for her, ask her name card, and put the information below. Every time I passed the shop, it was busy, so I think she is doing well. But it would have been nice for her to know, after today, many more people can see and enjoy her work.

Central Park Zoo

Believe the "Madagascar-Movies" and the Central Park Zoo in New York City would have a lion, giraffe, zebra and a hippo. Unfortunately they do not. They do have penguins... so who knows what a few of them are doing when the gates are closed? Of course, I am a bit disappointed about the fact that I can't visit Gloria, but it is a very nice Zoo. The perfect place to relax. While strolling around, you almost forget that you are in the middle of Manhattan. Just outside the main gate (close to ticket boots) you can find many artists making portraits. Also, a lot of vendors selling ice cream and hot dogs, and the "latest-must-bring-home-I-Love-NY-souvenirs". In between all of them, a man is selling hand carved animal figurines. How happy was I to see he had made a whole bloat of hippos. All made out of different colored stone. I asked him whether he would take any orders, for a custom carved (in my case, larger) hippo. He smiled and said: "No! My wife does not allow me to do that, because she knows how stressed I become. And she is right, it gives me way too much stress, to have it ready on time, and to the customer's satisfaction." He looked so guilty, poor guy. I quickly told him, that I was happy to give these four a new home. So, here is my insider's tip: when you have visited the Zoo, or happen to be in that area, look out for him. Animal lovers (and hippo-lovers in particular) will find something nice, for sure. No hippos at the Zoo... but very, very close by :-). 

Say "Ahhhh"

Sometimes, people ask me "why do you like hippos?" And of course, I have all my answers ready: "because it looks like they are always smiling", "because they have wiggling and flapping ears", because they have cute whiskers", "because they have funny legs and feet" and "because their butts make me laugh". But once in a while, the person I am telling all this, is not buying it. Closing statement: "they are absolutely not cute, and extremely dangerous". Of course they mean: you are nuts! :-). I know they are very dangerous and I have to admit, some hippos I find are flat out scary looking. Like a few I have already written about (see posts: The Hippo has landed and Scary Hippo Part Two). I think this post could have been: Scary Hippo Part Three, because it is hard to see the cuteness in this, not very friendly looking, one. I almost did not buy it, because of its scary looks. I remember it took some time to convince myself it is very nice piece of art, but I forgot where I found this "beast". While posing for this picture, I imagine he is opening his mouth to say the "A".... the "A" of Art mind you... and (hopefully) not the "A" of Attack!!!

Hippo Blue

A few days ago, I was talking with a dear friend about a certain shade of blue. When I saw this photo in my files, it reminded me of that conversation. Within a few hundreds of a second, Google overwhelms you with millions of sites where you can find the names of every shade of blue imaginable. I knew: Baby Blue, Midnight Blue, Cobalt, Denim and Imperial Blue... I came across shades with names like: Blizzard Blue, Carolina Blue, Honolulu Blue, and Freedom Blue, just to name a few. Did you ever hear somebody describe a shade as: "darker than French Sky Blue but lighter than Italian Sky Blue"? And believe it or not, I even found a site, where you can design your own jeans, and you can choose: Heavy Hippo Blue. I have not figured out whether the "Heavy" is for the "New Age Heavy Ring Denim" or for the "Heavy Hippo", or for a "Heavy Blue". Anyway, please meet this sweet looking, ceramic, blue hippo figurine. I have no idea how it ended up in my collection, but simply love the two flowers he is holding under his arm... eh... leg... and his color. I am sure his shade of blue does have an official name... but to me: Hippo Blue sounds about right!

Hippo Dinner Bell

It never crossed my mind, I would need a dinner bell. Seeing a Hippo-Dinner-Bell changed that, completely. How can you live without one ;-)? Another first. And not "just" a first... a signed-by-the-artist-and-dated, first! I was roaming around the flea market, called Elephant's Trunk in Connecticut, last Sunday. Suddenly, I saw this odd looking object. I inspected it carefully, to make sure it was a hippo. The seller came up to me and said: "That's an original Todd Warner!" My silence and blank face already gave me away, so I told her "I am very sorry, but I am not familiar with that artist". She smiled, and told me this artist is still alive, and is making huge pieces, dinner bells too, but not as nice as this one. "Google him" she said. "You will find his work". So, when I came home, that is what I did. And I sent out a message to my fellow hippo-collector friends, who obviously know the artist. Now, to be very honest... the hippo is a bit odd looking, especially the butt, toes and crooked looking face, but never question the artistic interpretations of a famous artist. A hippo it is! Dinner, anyone?

Hopewell's Belle

A few weeks ago, I posted about a great find at an Antique Center in Hopewell Junction (see post: Hopewell Junction's Four). The post ended with the remark that maybe those four would get company one day. I left my name and number, in case a hippo would find its way there. I did not expect to receive a phone call so quickly. "Hi, are you the hippo lady? We have a hippo bank, we will keep it for you. When you come, please tell whoever is there, it is in the back room, with a note that has your name on it." Now, I have a few hippo banks (see posts: Marius and Hippo Baby Bank), and a few I still have to blog about. What if I already have it? Or, not like it at all... It is about an hour drive away, so I was a little bit worried. My goodness, was I in for a surprise! The most beautiful, with stars decorated, brass hippo bank I could ever imagine, greeted me with the loveliest smile. I am sure I heard her say: "of course I am beautiful, and coming home with you... what were you thinking?"

Hip Hippo

Another one of many hippo mugs I own. Besides a little hippo head (see picture, left), it has a little portrait of a giraffe on the back as well, but it is small enough to be ignored ;-). If you follow my blog, you already know I always try to buy two mugs. One to use and one for the collection. Last year, I found this mug in the Robinson Department Store, in Bangkok - Thailand. A huge hippo mug in a pretty, bright orange gift box! Unfortunately, the mug I used got chipped. I love the smile and the color. And because our National Day is coming up, I thought the orange is very appropriate for this post. 

Masterpiece from Myanmar

I don't think I would get into trouble if I used the title I had first in mind: Burmese Beauty, but just to be on the safe side. When we were living in Thailand, we were blessed with a wonderful woman called Mari. She was working for us as domestic helper and nanny. When she went to Myanmar on home leave, I asked her whether she could bring a hippo for me. I could not let the opportunity pass, to possibly add a hippo from Myanmar to my collection. To be honest, I had little hope. Some time before my request I had been in Cambodia, and tried to find a hippo there. The people in the shops had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, so I thought Myanmar would not be much different. To my surprise she brought back this amazing art piece. It is made with finely crushed semi precious stones. An uncle of a friend of her made it. I was completely speechless. This custom made masterpiece had to be framed right away. I am a very proud owner of probably the only hippopotamus from Myanmar :-). I do hope Mari, all is well with you. We are still missing you very much. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goodwill

Flea markets, l have always loved them. Roaming around and looking for nice things for a bargain, and hippos of course. I am already looking forward to the "Open-Air-Flea-Market-Season" which starts in the second half of April, till about end of September. To get my fix during those off-season times, I have been going to thrift shops and antique centers (see post: Hopewell Junction's Four). Luckily there are also two Goodwill stores very close by. For you to get an idea how severe this addiction is, I will tell you this story about how I found this salt and pepper shakers. I had been going around the store, ready to pay and go home. But then I heard the sound. The sound those carts make. Those large carts, staff members use to wheel in new stuff into the store. Ignore it and go home... or? Well, of course, I turned around to have (what I told myself) ONE last look! And there they were.... standing next to each other. Decorated with a neon orange sticker saying: $ 4.99, and smiling!

* some extra information has been given to me by a few very knowledgeable collectors. These are UTCTI hippos, produced in Japan, and part of a whole set, consisting of a large variety of items. Unfortunately, these "brown face hippos" are not being made anymore. Thank you Sheila and Becky for the information!

Lady in Red

Another title for this post could have been: From Russia with love, because this beauty actually comes all the way from Russia. I love Hippo-Trinket-Boxes. Hippos and bling-bling, it does not get better than that! For years I have been looking and looking... but was not able to find any. Then I won one in a Hippo-Game (see post: Maryann). I never suspected many more would follow, all presents from my dear friends. Last Christmas, my family has been spoiled rotten again by them. And I did not get one, but two trinket boxes. I am sure I will be able to remember when I got this one, and who gave it to me, as red is the color of Christmas and this friend has "red" hair :-). I also love this particular shade of red very much... so "Lady in Red" it is! Dear Sheila and John, thank you so much for making us all feel special and loved. We must have done something good in previous lives, to deserve your friendship. We'll see you soon! 

Hopewell Junction's Four

A few days ago, I decided to check out the Hopewell Junction Antique Center (NY). I heard about it from a lovely lady called Terry, who owns a shop there called: Terry's Treasures. The building is a large house, where many sellers have their space. Four floors filled with small shops, the perfect place for a good treasure hunt. As always, I am hunting for hippos. And as every hunter knows: sometimes you're lucky, and sometimes not so much. This time, I was very lucky! Finding four hippos. Actually, I found three of them, and I was already very happy. To the cashier lady it was pretty obvious that I like hippos. So, she went into a shop and a few seconds later she said "I have found a Pewter one, with a violin!" So that was the number four. First I saw the bit funny looking one (right) made of clay, somewhere tucked between some other animals on a shelf. The larger metal paper weight (Dansk design, made in Japan) was the second one I found, in a display cabinet. And the third (the cute couple in the front) I found near the register, on a table also in the middle of a lot of other animals (Unite Design, "Itty Bitty World" collection, 1986). I am sure this group will be split up (sorted by style, material and size), when I will display my collection properly, but for now, I will keep them together. This sweet cashier lady Diane promised me to give me a call, whenever another hippo comes in. So who knows the "Hopewell Junction's Four" will get some company some day...

(See comments: Yes Donkey & Baby Bird Hippo, I did polish away! ;-))

Terri

A long time ago, I decided NOT to buy any hippo-soft-toys anymore... and then it happened. Waiting for the lady at Barns and Noble to give me my receipt, I see the cutest ballerina hippo ever, displayed on a shelf behind the registers... looking at me, and calling my name! While lecturing my self in my head: "NO! No more plushy-pos. I know, it looks cute but be strong." Then I hear my self say: "Excuse me, is that hippo for sale?" In my head: "Please say no, please say no, please say no..." Obviously, to no avail. I think that Barns and Noble lady was part of the plot too, because she gave me this beaming smile and said: " Sure, isn't she cute?" Oh well, the only thing left to do was admitting defeat by an adorable looking hippo, with pink feet, a shiny bow and a tutu. You will agree, there are far worse things in life. I decided to call her Terri, after my new friend I was about to meet, just a few minutes later. Spending a day seeing new (to me) parts of the city, enjoying beautiful weather and great company (of two wonderful Terris, mind you!) I could not be happier. 

Züny

A few Christmases ago, my friend gave me a very pretty looking leather hippo. On its label it says: Züny, (which means: Funny Zoo, please have a look at this website and blog: Zuny.com.au and read more about this company and its wonderful products). A rather funny story is added to this hippo, about a year later. At one point, my friend showed me a photo of a large leather hippo (Hippo Doorstopper, the big brother of this Hippo Paperweight). She and her husband saw it during their visit to a trade show in Bangkok - Thailand, and of course had to think about me. A few days later, my friend and I decided that we had to plan a trip. My friend wanted to show me this beauty and I wanted to find out where they would sell it. And then, we looked and looked and looked... but did not see any hippo. My friend had forgotten to take a picture of the booth number, because she had been too occupied with the hippo (couldn't blame her!). Finally we found the place... only to find out that the vendor had already left... At least there were some signs left, so we had to remember "Züny", so we could Google it at home. Dear Divya, still missing you so much. The motto of the Züny company is: Make your life funny & easy. That is exactly what you did to all of us... make us laugh and make us forget any troubles or issues we might have, while in your company. Still have to get myself that doorstopper one day :-).

Easter-Po

Most people I talk to, have enough of the winter and the snow. Maybe next year, I feel that way too, but I am still enjoying the winter here very very much. When we left The Netherlands ten years ago, I never could have guessed that I, of all things, was going to miss the seasons most. Of course, Asia does have seasons, and I tell everybody (while whining about the weather), those seasons are: Hot with Rain, Hot without Rain and Very Very Very Hot ;-). How lucky we feel to experience a "proper" winter with lots of snow. So, I don't mind having a few more weeks of winter... but at the same time, I am looking forward to spring too. Maybe a year or so ago, I found this picture of cute looking hippo-cookies on the web. Can't help thinking about springtime and Easter, every time I see it. Then I thought "Easter and Hippos..." and then I smiled. You don't believe me? Imagine an Easter-Hippo carrying a basket, going around your garden, hiding chocolate eggs... you see it? What did I tell you? I know you are smiling now! If you want to know how to make these, please visit: Baking in Heels.