Bogyoke

For those of you who follow my blog, you might remember the challenge I gave my friends, last July. Find me a hippo (from a store) in Myanmar. I truly believed that it would be impossible. Then the day came... October 30th, 2016. Since then, the only thing I can do is respectfully bow to and worship these Master Hippo Finders! 

Dear Lien,

We came, we saw, and we found a hippo, in Bogyoke market in downtown Yangon. There were several shops selling carvings of Buddha, animals, etc., and we were asking 'do you have a hippo' and most didn't know what we were talking about until we came to this one, who said straight away 'YES'. So here is it. You've got us hippo-loopy now. But at least we met the challenge.

Lots of love from our side.

Didi and Mr. Bo

Marrakech

When my husband told me, he had to go on duty travel to Marrakech, the first thing I said was: "Oh, I do not have a hippo from Morocco yet". Speaking of a "One-Track-Mind" or in my case, it would be: speaking of a "Hippo-Obsessed-Mind". On top of that, during his trips, he is greeted on Skype with: "Did you already find a hippo?" before he is hearing: "Hi, how are you?" Luckily, I am spoiled with the sweetest husband in the world, who is not only fine with undergoing the forever-lasting-hippo-related abuse but also brings home the most wonderful hippos from all over the world. 

This beauty is hand carved out of stone from the Atlas Mountains. If you look closely you can see many small fossils. A fine example of "natural decoration". Dear Alex, I love you infinity.... I win!

Happy Hippo

When you are fortunate to have a  dear friend, who is (of course) not only a wonderful person but also a very gifted artist, it is almost impossible to avoid asking the inevitable question: "Would you be able to paint a hippo for me?" This question started out as a genuine custom order, but over time, transformed into a much anticipated, very special, and shipped overseas present. The title of the painting is Happy Hippo (80 cm (31,5 inches) square), a very appropriate name indeed. Not only referring to this blog, but the hippo has a truly radiant smile. When I look at it, I simply have to smile back. Dear Joke, thank you so much for this masterpiece. I can now boast about possessing a real: Joke Aarsen. But its value can't compete with the treasure of having you and Ton in our lives. HHHLL

Seed of Love

Don't you just love macro photography? This beauty looks massive, but it is only an inch long (2.5 cm) and half an inch (1.27 cm) high. It was given to me by a dear friend last year. My friend met this artistic couple at one of the art fairs she attended. The husband makes the figurines out of all sorts of seeds and his wife is painting / decorating them. Please have a look at their website: Filigraine. Normally they do not make hippos, but this, of course, was a special order. The fact that this is the first ever hippo made by this artist, is pretty amazing too. Since I do not have an ounce of patience myself, I am very thankful for artists like these. I would never be able to make anything remotely close to this. I am happy to be a very appreciative customer, or in this case, the friend of a fellow-artist-customer. In this way, I am able to own pieces of art, made with hard labor, love, and tons of patience. Dear Jen, thank you so much for this lovely gift. This seed is doing a great job, growing a wonderful friendship!

 

Ronneby

Another "Surprise-Find" at my favorite flea market, the Elephant's Trunk in Connecticut. A paperweight, signed: F M Ronneby, Sweden B-749-90. I found one for sale on E-bay, so I copied the specifics. I paid less, so that was an extra bonus. I saw it, just at the moment I was thinking about gravitating my collection more towards ceramic hippos. This beauty was too cute to pass up, so another glass one found its way to my bloat. Maybe I should specialize in hand made ones? I probably should stop trying to come up with excuses because it does not seem to help. The words of true hippo addict, an incurable addict it seems... :-).

Open mouth hippo, 3 7/8" (9,84 cm) in height and 2 7/8" (7,3 cm) in width, 1 lb and 60 oz (0,7 kg) in weight.

Ramon

For those of you familiar with the International Hippopotamus Society (www.hippos.com), also known as: Hippolotofus, you already know about the yearly conventions. If you are not familiar yet, please visit the website, and find out about our wonderful group of hippo lovers. Like every year, a game is played during our meet and greet event. To participate, you will have to bring a hippo present. In a way, it is a sort of hippo exchange game, so you bring a present, and you take another present back home. I have played this game several times now, and I have  to say, I have always been very lucky. Because of this game, many beautiful hippos found their way to my collection. This year, the prize was a hand carved, malachite beauty, which is (according to tradition) named after the person who brought it in. Dear Ramon, thank you very much for bringing such a beautiful gift to the reunion. I enjoyed your costume, singing voice and company. I do hope we will be able to meet again during future conventions!

 

Row - Row - Row Your Clog

If you are following my blog, you already know that I love all the hippos handmade by the very talented artist Jen Robinson (see Posts: Hippopottermiss, Wishing on a hippo and Precious). I am very proud and happy to announce that another masterpiece found its way to my collection.

Dear Jen, thank you so much for your beautiful gift. But the greatest gift of all, was you staying with us for a few days. We all enjoyed your company and friendship. It was great to be able to get to know you better, and we can't wait to meet Yves some day too. Maybe in France or somewhere else in the world. You know you will always be most welcome! HHHLL

Leo in Iceland

If you are a follower of my blog, you know about Leo, the little version of Boris... (see posts: Leo back in Norway and Paris Je t'aime). Most of the time, I do not take my hippos with me, only on long summer holidays, Leo has to come along. Once in a while, his sister Tutu Terry joins if the trip needs a little silliness (see post: Tutu Terry Two Hundred). 

Leo has joined us even before our children were born. Although they make the "here-we-go-again" face all the time, it just cracks me up when they tell me not to forget to make a picture of him or inform me that they have been taking pictures, while I was not with them. Taking pictures of Leo has more or less become a family tradition. A silly little thing, that always sparks a lot of laughter and fun. And of course, as a hippo lover and photographer, I do believe any photo with a hippo in it, is infinitely better than one without!

Before and After

What to do when you receive a super cute looking hippo-present, from a dear friend that is not really a hippo-present? I can understand the confusion. The  huge smile and overall cuteness make almost everybody oversee a tiny detail... Luckily the presents are made of fabric, so I decided to give alteration a try. It must be understood that reattaching a button is about as far as my sewing skills go, so give it a try, is really giving it a try... I am happy to report that the operation was successful and the patients did not die. Dear Adit, thank you for thinking about me. I did not want to say anything at first, but I thought it is more important for you to know that I really really love your presents, and they are way too adorable to be tossed into the "almost hippo" pile. So they are decorating my hippo cabinet, and every day I am smiling back at them! 

 

Challenge Accepted

Dear friends of ours recently moved to Myanmar. I claimed in my post: Masterpiece from Myanmar, to have the only hippo themed art piece of this country.  I immediately challenged them, to prove me wrong. And the challenge was excepted. I did not expect to receive a reaction within a day. A photograph of a hippo, to be seen on a card set for early childhood learning. My friend spotted it, while at a workshop, in an exhibition of learning materials used in the country. Of course, I told my friend he was cheating (not good at losing that quickly :-)), so the challenge was rephrased a bit... The first piece of hippo art, that he can hold and buy at a local shop or market. I don't know if that will cover it, but since I did not receive a message yet, I believe this to be the real challenge. Dear Paul, thank you so much for thinking about me. We did not have the chance to meet in Hippo Heaven (Tanzania), but we will meet someday, somewhere... I am sure! Missing you and Didi very much. HHHLL

Google Translate: English to Burmese (Mayanmar) 

Hippopotamus = ရေကြံ့ကောင် /  Ray Kyaan Kaung

Tutu Terry Two Hundred

A little celebration today, as this will be the 200th post published on this blog. I could not have imagined it still being here, after starting it in 2011 as a personal archive. Just to record the hippos already in my collection, and to keep track of new additions. A hippo sized thank you to all my loyal followers and a warm welcome to the bloat to those who just found Happy Hippo Lien!

I know there are some people who never leave their home without their hippo companion. I only bring one occasionally. But some days are just not complete without some hippo fun (meaning: not to miss the opportunity to freak out your teen and pre-teen kids). So on this sunny and breezy summer's day, Tutu Terry (see post: Terry) joined us. Having a picnic in Battery Park (New York - USA), strolling along the Hudson River and enjoying the views on Lady Liberty and the Freedom Tower. A Hippo-Terry-fic day indeed!

Lipper & Mann

When our family roams around at flea markets, we never stay close to each other for long. Not because we do not enjoy each other's company, but because we are all looking for different things. When it comes to hippos, they are spotted by every member of the family, no matter where we are. So when I told them (on our way back home) I bought this Lipper & Mann figurine, made in Japan, they told me they had seen it, but thought I would not like it, because it looked dirty and a bit scary. As every hippo lover knows, sometimes you need to look past the mud to see the beauty! So I decided to take it home and give it a gentle foam bath and the result: a sparkling clean and happy hippo. I am not sure if it stays in my collection, but I could not constrain myself. Such a huge amount of hippo happiness for only USD 1,- can't be beaten easily :-).

Scrapbook Hippos

A few days ago, an "Estate Sale" was announced on a local FB Moms page. As a flea market, thrift shop and Goodwill store enthusiast, it is needless to say I did not know how fast to get there... Often times the items are priced well above my price range, but to be able to enjoy a rare opportunity to see the inside of beautiful houses is always well worth the trip. And of course, once in a while, you bump into a beautiful item, you did not know you needed until then :-). Like this huge pile of scrapbook pictures, hidden in very old, ugly looking brown envelopes on a side table.

When I was young, it was a very popular hobby to collect scrapbook pictures and trade any "doubles". Seeing all those pictures made me a bit nostalgic, so just for the fun of it, I bought the whole lot. When I came home, I sorted them, and of course, took a closer look. I found many very old ones, from the 1930s and 1940s. Many of them in excellent condition. There were a lot of "series" of Disney characters, angels, father Christmas, flowers and yes... animals too. And to my surprise, I found 3 hippo ones. A little treasure in a treasure!


They are measured about 3 inches by 2 inches, which is 7,5 cm by 5 cm. On one is written: Flodhast, which means hippo in Swedish.

Polyvore Hippo

It was probably during one of those "internet-hippo-hunts" that made me stumble upon this item. The moment I saw its picture, I fell in love. I could see it on my desk, filled with colorful pens and pencils. Unfortunately, the space of the hippo head is too deep (or my pens and pencils too short). I will have to put something inside, so everything sticks out, like on the picture, to be grabbed easily. For the time being, it is decorating a shelf above my desk, keeping some hippo friends company. I have not decided yet what to do, as it found its perfect spot. Maybe I will have to find another hippo-pen-and-pencil-holder.... :-).

Picture and description below can be found at www.polyvore.com 

IMM Living The King's Subjects Porcelain

Animals might roam the plains of Africa, but this hippopotamus container is yours to place wherever you like. From imm Living's King's Subjects collection, the exotic hippopotamus and his avian companion is the inspiration for this irreverent Porcelain Hippopotamus Container, its mouth open wide to hold a bouquet, art supplies, or assorted odds and ends. The bright white porcelain is contrasted with a salmon-colored bird perched atop its snout. When you can't vacation to see them in the wild, bring a little imm Living hippopotamus container into your own habitat. Made of white porcelain. 5"W x 6.5" D x 8" H. Designed by Michael Revil Madjus. The Porcelain Hippopotamus Container is part of the King's Subjects collection.

Wire Hippo

On the path through Central Park, towards the Central Park Zoo, New York, you can find many vendors and artists. It is also one of my favorite places to sit on one of the many benches and watch people. Groups of tourists following a flag or umbrella, with visible stress: Do I take the time to take that picture, but what if I loose the group? Mothers pleading desperately "Sweety, could you please try not to smear the ice cream all over you?" Some, multitasking. What could be better than enjoying a cold drink while having your portrait drawn? And you can have your name made out of a long piece bright colored wire, by a young man. I think he is from China and speaks only a few words of English. Hippo???? Luckily I was wearing a bright pink polo shirt with an embroidered hippo on it. So I pointed to myself... HIPPO! PINK! PLEASE! I had to laugh.... my daughters tried to look not too embarrassed. When he showed the end result, I was pleasantly surprised.... The heart was his idea, and I suspect he did not make a hippo before, but he did a great job. I might go back to order a few more!

Very Very Sorry Hippo

In my post: James, I already told the story about my husband missing his flight in Zimbabwe, and because of that, missing my birthday. He bought James the next day because he felt so sorry. Actually, he already bought an "I-am-very-very-sorry-hippo" before he saw James. He was at a local market with a colleague. The news that this foreigner was only interested in hippos, spread like a wildfire. Before he knew he was surrounded by everything hippo available. "A very efficient way of shopping", my husband joked later. So he bought this big guy (length about 14 inches or 35,5 cm). A large hippo, because he was very very sorry.... Then he went to another market and bumped into James, and had to get him too, as he liked him very much. Of course, I was already happy because he was back home, safe and well. The fact that he brought a few extra friends was a huge bonus!

Happy Hippo Mom

Figurines of sleeping hippos are my favorite. Thinking about it for a while, I think hippo moms with their baby are my second favorite. I believe that is why, when I saw this ceramic beauty on E-bay, I just could not help myself. I bought this about two years ago, I forgot whether I just bought it, or bid on it. It says K (Kitty) Cantrell on the mom's belly. One little sticker: made in China and another sticker: Elsa's Safari. I think it refers to Elsa's Safari Collection, but I am not sure. It just makes me happy, seeing these faces. How can you not love hippos?

Auburn-Jewelry

A few days ago, I was mentioned in a post on Facebook. A dear friend was so kind to bring something "hippo" to my attention. A lovely local jewelry store promoting their newest collection. Hippo and pink... how could I ever not love that? A pendant with a hippo footprint is already part of their collection for a long time. Several friends already pointed this out. I just had not gotten around to get myself one, but it had always been on my mind. I think I will have to come up with an excuse to give myself a nice present. Please, check out their lovely website Auburn-Jewelry. And if you are not into hippos that much, I am sure you will find something else to your liking as their designs and products are absolutely beautiful.

Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-turvy is another word for upside down. The first time I saw topsy-turvy on a label, I thought it was part of the name of the product or brand. Another addition to my list of favorite Englis words and expressions. Two years ago, I found the first mug on the yearly Christmas market at Bryant's Park in New York City. Luckily they had two, so I bought them both. One, for daily use and one for my collection. I have several hippo mugs, but this was the first upside down one! Then, a huge Christmas Store opened on 5th Av. Seeing the sales signs, I could not help myself. I went inside and immediately bumped into a whole topsy-turvy-hippo-bloat! I enjoyed using mine so much. I knew they would make a perfect gift for any hippo collector... and I happen to know so many. So, I got all of them. These mugs are certainly not shot-glass size, but the same rule applies when drinking from them: Bottoms Up!

Napco

It is not only better temperatures, blossoms and baby animals that make me happy about springtime but also the fact that the open-air-flea-market-season has started too. Flea markets and thrift stores are, as every collector knows, perfect hunting grounds. There happens to be thrift / consignment store in the small town where I live. I do have an account there, so I can bring in things for them to sell. The reality is that I bring more things home from that store than I bring to it. Of course, I am always on the lookout for hippos but never saw one. Until a few days ago. Casually walking by the window, and there it was.... a hippo. The sticker on it was a bit damaged, but I could read: Napcoware. Internet gave me the rest of the information. It is a vintage crystal hippo from Napcoware, made in Taiwan. Another first. A first hippo from the local thrift store, price USD 3. A very successful hunt indeed! 

De Rosa Collection

Not often do I meet people from Uruguay. I have the privilege of knowing two, both extremely nice and both... totally unaware of the beautiful artwork a fellow countryman is producing and selling all over the world. Of course, I am only interested in the hippos of the De Rosa Collection, but I have to admit, I love all the other animals he makes, very much too. 

A few years ago, I found the small brown baby hippo on E-bay. At that time, I did not know it was part of a set. One of my collector friends sent me the link to the brown mother for sale on E-bay also, which I had to snatch up too (yes Becky, your fault :-)). Then my dear friend Sheila gave me a mini hippo for Christmas (see post: De Rosa) ... and then I needed an excuse to get the blue set, which I had seen on the website of the company (derosacollections), and already fallen in love with, for a while. After I ordered the set, I told everybody it was a gift from my cats... Happy birthday to me! I blame the company... their beautiful products make you do crazy things. My photographs can give you an idea about the level of craftsmanship... but they can't really convey how nice it is to hold them. They are rather heavy and have a really nice feel to them. No, I am not holding my hippos in my hands all the time, but it certainly does contribute to their popularity. They are all immensely popular :-).

 

Priceless

Hearing parents ooh and aah to their children, when presented with a few scribbles and smudges on a piece of paper, would make me slightly doubt their sanity and definitely their artistic taste. Of course, becoming a parent changed all that, and I too believe my children are gifted artists and they always produce nothing less than masterpieces. So when they decorated a wooden hippo, made by their grandfather (a real family project), and put it under the Christmas tree, it was the most beautiful gift they could have given me. For those of you (not related and not biased), liking this masterpiece, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, this piece will never be for sale, so it can only be enjoyed when you visit me or on this blog. The good news is that your artistic taste is excellent :-).

Splat

It took a little debating with myself, whether to call this post: Patrick Mavros, after the Zimbabwean designer and silversmith, or Splat. Splat is the official name of this silver hippo necklace. I found Splat to be better fitting but also more fun so, Splat it is! Patrick Mavros' work is being sold in stores located in Harare - Zimbabwe, Terre Rouge - Mauritius and Nairobi - Kenya. His flagship store can be found in London - UK. More information can be found on his wonderfully designed website: www.patrickmavros.com. Of course, it goes without saying, I love his Hippo Collection most, but every piece is absolutely beautiful. Dear Alex, thank you so much for spoiling me with another perfect birthday gift. I love you infinity, I win! 

Hot Hippo

Last year, my parents in law visited "De Kaarsenmakerij", what would translate into "The candle makers store" in a historic town in The Netherlands, called Buren. Much to their delight, they came upon this beautifully hand crafted candle. Since they have known me already for a long time, they are always on the look out for hippos. The internet has made it easier to find hippos on line, but the occasions where you bump into one in a store or at a market, are still rather rare. Their story about their excitement sounded all too familiar, and still makes me smile. It was a perfect Christmas present, lighting up the occasion. But, I feel any day would be a little brighter with a lighted hippo :-).

James

Actually, the real name for the newest addition to my collection should have been: I-am-very-very-sorry-I-missed-your-birthday-hippo. My husband had to travel for work to Zimbabwe. Needless to say, he had to bring back a hippo (or two). He would be away in the week before my birthday, but arrive the morning of my birthday, in time to join for a birthday lunch or dinner. The office in Zimbabwe had planned a meeting around 4pm on departure day. My husband said that he could not make it because he thought he had to fly at 5pm.

Not to worry, the staff assured him. They checked and his flight was leaving at 9:30pm, more than enough time and he didn't bother to double check himself... So the work continued.... and while in the taxi at 7pm, on the way to the airport in Harare, my husband took a closer look at his ticket... only to find out that his flight was indeed leaving at 9:30pm..... his connecting flight at Johannesburg. He should have been on the 5pm flight out of Zimbabwe to be able to catch that flight in South Africa. So he had to turn around, and rebook his tickets and stay another day. Leaving him with enough time to buy an "I-am-very-sorry-hippo". While looking at this hippo, I thought he looks a bit like our cat... grey, little bit overweight and very cute... so, therefore he is named after him.

Kiss the Cook

For a very long time, I did not know about the existence of Hippo-Christmas-Tree-Ornaments. When I started collecting hippos, it was difficult to find anything hippo... let alone in the form of a Christmas tree ornament. A lot has changed since then. Now, I own several very pretty ones. Last year Christmas, another one found its way to me. It combines many things I love: hippos, Christmas and cooking. Dear Sheila, thank you so much for arranging the perfect gift. At the moment it is safely stored, together with all the other Christmas decorations. I will have to wait till Christmas, to see it again.... or I can just look at this post on my blog. Just looking at this picture makes me smile... who wouldn't want to kiss this cook? 

Angus

It is astonishing and sometimes intriguing how some of the additions to my collection were able to find their way to me. I am sure, every collector has one or more of those stories to tell. A few of mine can be found on this blog. No better way to start, after a long winter break, with adding another, rather amazing one. 

About five years ago, I helped a friend out by taking a few photographs for him. My negotiated fee: coffee and hippos. No joke and no surprise to those of you who know me personally :-). At the time, we all were living in Thailand. To get coffee was not very difficult, a hippo was more challenging. But then he remembered having a hippo at his house in the UK. He purchased it a long time ago in Livingstone, Zimbabwe (close to the Victoria Falls) he would happily part with it.... at least, if he could find it. But time went by and our friend moved to Switserland, and our family moved to the USA. Then, because of work, my husband had to be in Switserland, and met our friend. When he came back home, he was all smiles. "You never guess what I have for you!" 

Dear Angus, thank you so much for remembering me. It is a very special hippo, as all "previously owned" hippos are to me. This one is extra special, because of its amazing journey it had to travel to get to his new home.