Sally

Sometimes it happens. You meet somebody for the first time and you get that warm, comfortable feeling you get when being together with a longtime friend. What are the odds? We both had to travel from our home countries to meet in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A kindred spirit, being equally addicted to coffee and shares the love for photography. I am sure we were destined to meet.

Dear Sally, thank you so much for finding this sweetie. It must be added that it came in a beautiful box, accompanied by a heartwarming smile. It feels already quite at home in the "International Hippopotamus Bloat". I can't wait to tell her about the exciting adventurers we are going to embark on. Stay wonderful, stay strong. Speak soon!

Lina and Devina

Another proof that the "Hippo Virus" is contagious and still spreading. From infected friends, to their children, family members and friends. I know of some friends who are really getting tired of always "having to" look for hippos, or involuntarily think about me when seeing them. It makes my heart smile, to have introduced hippos in their lives. I still believe that blowing bubbles under water, wallowing in the mud and wiggling your ears when surfacing, are still the best responses to most life scenarios. 

These gifts were given by a longtime friend (Lina) and her daughter (Devina). Lina ordered 2 of these phone cable holders (cable bites) and Devina gave me my first batik hippo. 

Somehow, FB (Face Book) makes you forget distances and time. It is a great way to stay in touch, and get the sense of being up to date, but nothing beats meeting face to face,  drinking (gallons of) coffee and simply feeling thankful for the moment. Dear Lina, thank you for always making me laugh, for your spirit and for your friendship. Dear Devina, it is wonderful to getting to know you, and I can't wait to see where your amazing talents will lead you. Thank you for finding this "batik-beauty" which is, as tradition dictates, named after you. 

Orna

Another first: a Hippo-Pencil-Sharpener. Thinking about all the stationary items I have: hippo-staplers, hippo-paperweights, hippo-erasers, hippo-paperclips, hippo-post-its and, hippo-notebooks. And now, a cute looking, pink, hippo-pencil-sharpener has been added to my collection. 

Dear Orna, thank you so much for thinking about me while you were in Thailand. I wish the circumstances of your visit to Bangkok were of a more happier nature, but we can't decide everything in our lives. As custom dictates, the pencil sharpener will be known as Orna, from now on. A very fond reminder of you. No matter where in the world we we end up, I will proudly point this special gift out when people have a look at my collection, and mention her name!

Simple Woman

Just looking at this mug makes me smile, because, even though my friend lives on the other side of the world, if I listen very carefully, I can hear him make a snorting sound... followed by a not-so-subtle rolling of both eyes... as in his world the words simple and woman do not belong in the same sentence. My rebuttal: men are as complicated as women,  has, by default, been met with a cynical smirk.

The question, whether being simple depends on gender or not, is one, a second question arises too:  what is the connection between coffee and hippos? I have 2 paintings and 1 salt and pepper shaker set, suggesting there is indeed one, but I still can't think of what it actually could be. Coffee and hippos both come from Africa? I honestly have no clue. The second question becomes even more intriguing, when you take into consideration that this mug was a gift of a very dear coffee-hating hippo-loving friend, for both me and a fellow we-count-coffee-consumption-in-gallons hippo-collecting sister (you know who you are :-)).

Whatever it is... it works for me. Simple? That, apparently, is debatable.... Coffee? Hippos? O YES!

Lu

This post is a link to an article of the the Tampa Bay Times, written by Jack Evans. For those familiar with Lu's story and or this article, I felt my blog would not be complete without it. For those of you not familiar, enjoy reading. This is such a nice article, a real treat for all hippo lovers.

lucifer-americas-oldest-hippo-confronts-his-age-in-homosassa-springs

Abbas

How do you name a hippo, that is given by a friend, who already gave you several hippos and already has a hippo named after him? Well, in this case, the question was answered very easily. My friend told me that he bought this beauty in a store called: Abbas (link to the store is in Dutch). A store in my home town Utrecht (The Netherlands), where one can buy Middle Eastern carpets and many other exotic items. My friend had a discussion about this hippo with the owner, and learned that it was hand carved in Togo (West- Africa). 

When he gave it to me, he told me that if I did not like it, he would keep it himself, as he had grown attached to it. So sorry, I really could not lie, and pretend not to like it. So it came home with me. 

But I will promise you this Marius: if you ever find another hippo, you like as much as this one, and you want to keep it, I will give this one back to you, so you can start your own hippo collection. Pinkie square!

Feel the Love

Whenever I am looking at this pendant,  I can't help but smile. When I am wearing it, it makes me feel loved, thankful and happy, all at the same time.

This pendant is designed by a very talented Mongolian artist (see post: Byambajav), and made by her equally talented husband. When I received it (Dec 2018), I was speechless. Even now, I really don't know what to say, so maybe that is exactly its purpose: making people lost for words. You just need to look at it, and let the feeling of love find its way. Oh well, it works for me!

Henri

It is not the first time this happens. Sons and or daughters of infected friends falling victim to the "looking-for-hippo-for-Lien" virus. In some cases, the symptoms are even worse than those of their parents. Judging from the number of times I have heard the "we have been looking for hippos" comment, I foresee a rather serious case developing in the near future. 

Proof? Here it is! A lovely hippo from the shop of the San Diego Zoo. How nice  is that? The carbon footprint is impressive. Being made in Africa, sold in the US and brought all the way to Mongolia... but anything for hippo love (and world peace).

Dear Henri, thank you for thinking about me and for asking your lovely mom to get it. I am already looking forward to your next find :-).

Hippo Creature?

For those familiar with my blog, you already know I have been talking about the side collection, many of us hippo collectors have. The: "almost hippo" collection (rhinos, cows, pigs, dragons etc). Now, this present does not fit the category: almost hippo, because it is immediately recognizable as hippo... but looking closer and a little bit longer, questions do arise... 

I think the craft person must have a wicked sense of humor, its vibes picked up by a buyer with an equally twisted mind. Dear William, thank you for getting this hippo creature in Kenya for me, and making me laugh every time I see it. The world needs more people like the creator of this masterpiece and you! hhhll

Beauties from Burundi

Another first. My collection holds many colored soapstone hippos, but non from Burundi. Brought all the way to Mongolia by my husband's colleague, who upon seeing our house, immediately committed to get me some hippos from her home country. Their bright colors and big smiles made me fall in love with them right away. Good things always come in threes, the saying goes. I think this is very true. Especially if it comes to hippos. 

Dearest Speciose, thank you so much for finding these treasures for me. They instantly made my collection more colorful and special. I can't wait to visit your country one day, returning with loads of bright African cottons and yes.... more Burundian Beauties!

Hippo Bookend

Indeed, just one :-). Bookends usually come in pairs. This beauty was on display in The Netherlands, in the window of a very stylish shop in my hometown, selling lamps. Designer, smart looking lamps and some fancy accessories scattered here and there. The first sighting was done, very early into our holiday. "Not enough space in my suitcase", was the main argument. Which was solved rather quickly thereafter. "Hello" new check-in bag!" 

The label said: Bookend, but even if I wanted to buy a second one, they did only have one. Oh well, apparently the Style Police has decided that one leather Zuny Bookend is fashionable, two are overkill. Not certain about that, but it would have been access luggage, for sure.

(Hippo) Love from Lebanon

As tradition dictates, this post should have been called: William, as it is the name of the friend who gave it to me. But this blog already has a: William (see post: William), as it is also the name of the unofficial mascot of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Although the MET William is very special, it can't compete with the "specialty factor" of this one, so I decided it deserves it's own post name. 

When I met William, I already knew he was (and still is) Lebanese. It took quite some effort not to ask for a hippo right away (knowing him better now, I think he would have found it hilarious). But of course, after a while the pressure became too high and the inevitable question was asked. 

Through the grapevines I heard about several attempts of William to find a hippo in Lebanon, without any luck. I could imagine him going to these craft stores, filled to the rim with carpets and pottery "do you guys have a hippo?" And then the silence... Still makes me chuckle.

The one finding it's way to my bloat, had to be brought all the way to Mongolia... delivered with a huge sigh: "this is the ONLY one!" So, lo and behold, the one and only Lebanese hippo, named William.

Dear William, thank you for going through such an ordeal. Please know, this one will always be very special to me, not only because of its origin and history but mainly because of that kind, wonderful and special person who gave it to me :-).

Salt & Pepper & Coffee Hippos?

Over the years, several cute hippo salt & pepper sets became part of my collection. The sets are almost forming a mini collection. People who know me, know about my addiction to hippos, and of those, most know about my coffee addiction too, less severe, but equally incurable. This blog has a few posts with both themes. But this post will be the first featuring, salt & pepper, coffee AND hippos. My dear friend found this at the weekend market in Bangkok, and of course, had to buy it. Her comment: "This is sooooo you!" Dear Divya, I am so happy to be living closer to you again. Thank you for spoiling me with this lovely gift.  Can't wait to have some coffee with you again soon! HHHLL

Byambajav

When it comes to artistic talents, I always feel those are very unfairly distributed. It seems that very often, people have multiple talents, or no talents at all. A few month ago, I met one of the multi talented kind. Her name is Byambajav Tsend-Ochir. She is teaching calligraphy at the Mongolian Fine Art Institute in Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator) Mongolia, and she is a very talented ceramic artist too. Of course, almost every conversation I have with any artist, will quickly turn into a hippo-oriented conversation. She had never made a hippo before, but was happy to try. So I am pretty confident in claiming, I have the first Mongolian ceramic hippopotamus. Since we will be living here for a while, I am sure it will definitively not be the last. If you look very closely, you will see that the hippo is decorated with traditional Mongolian script. It gives this hippo that extra special something, making it such an unique piece, in every way. 

Stephanie

It was in October, 2017. Suddenly, a post appeared on the Face Book page of Hippolotofus (International Hippopotamus Society). One of the American members found a beautiful ceramic hippo, while being on a business trip in Amsterdam. She found the  hippo in a souvenir shop, selling Delft's Blue (famous Dutch porcelain). I could not believe my eyes. Being Dutch, and having visited Amsterdam so many times.. but never ever having seen this Delft's Blue hippo, how could that be? Then I wrote to this fellow hippo collector, and things got even worse... because it turned out, I knew the shop too! So, within minutes I went online, wrote to the shop (in Dutch). Yes, they still had a few (M. de Wit collection), and yes... they did ship worldwide, so Mongolia was no problem. A few weeks later it arrived, thoroughly packed, and in mint condition. I could not be happier.

Dear Stephanie, thank you so much for sharing your find. Being Dutch and collecting hippos... my collection would have been less complete without this one. Since you found it, I decided to name her after you.  

Borbaatar

To all the followers of my blog, I do apologize for not being active for some months. The good news is that our family has settled comfortably in our new home country: Mongolia. The bad news is that there are no hippos to be found here, and many people have no idea what a hippo is. Yes, I was shocked too... they do exist!

Luckily, my Mongolian friends are fast learners, they themselves, their families and friends, are catching up fast. So word is spreading, and artists are being mobilized to fill the existing hippo void. In other words: the "Hippofication" of Mongolia has begun. 

I am very proud to present another "First" of my collection. The first hippo painting of Mongolia and my first painting on leather.

The artist (short name Ari), is selling his work to tourists at the steps of the Zaisan Memorial, in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia). Ulaan means: red, and Bataar means: hero. So the name of the capital translates as: Red Hero. I could have called this painting: Ari, after the painter, but looking at the face of the hippo I decided that brown (Bor) hero (Baatar) suits it better. 

Drunken Hippo

About five years ago, my husband brought back a large hippo from Kenya. It almost caused him to miss his flight home, but it also came with a very funny story, making up for the stress of the adventure.

During the weekend he had planned a little trip to the Tsavo National Park, not far from Nairobi. In the lobby of the hotel he saw huge hippo statues, so he started to ask where they came from and who made them because he wanted to buy a small one. The staff had no idea, but the driver who brought my husband to the resort told him that he had a friend in his home village, a wood carver, and artist, who could probably help him out. So, off they went. When they reached the village, they met the guy.... only to hear that he had never in his life made a hippo, but was willing to give it a try. My husband paid the deposit and received the promise that it would be ready in a few days. 

Three days later, my husband and the driver went back to the village to make sure everything was still on track. The good news was that the hippo was halfway done.... the bad news was that the artist was drunk, very drunk. Apparently, the deposit had been a reason to party. So there my husband was, in the middle of nowhere, sharing a beer in a roadside shack in the company of a very happy but drunk artist, who was all the while trying to make a hippo. I am sure you get the picture.

Finally, it was time to pick up the hippo and head straight to the airport. The hippo was finished. Sort of. Nothing could be further done because time was ticking, it was getting dark, and the traffic was horrendous. At some point, the driver asked if he could take a shortcut to the airport because there was no way they would arrive in time to catch the flight. My husband agreed. So the mad dash began. The wish to get to the airport was rapidly replaced... by the hope that the car would not break down. Through the pitch dark slums at full speed, racing through the winding, narrow streets, passing the occasional roadside fires where people stood silhouetted against the flames...and eventually speeding out of the dodgy area with clouds of dust billowing up into the air.

At last, my husband managed to get to his flight, half-running with a misshapen hippo through the terminal and onto the plane. When he came home, he told me not to get too excited about the hippo, because it was not exactly what he had in mind. Upon inspection, it turned out that it has a "good" side and a "not so good" side. He was not finished, or polished at all, and overall a bit rough looking. Shortly after this adventure, we moved to the USA, and the hippo was packed and shipped... only to end up stored in the basement of the new home. 

Now it is moving time again, and a few weeks ago, we discussed this hippo. Should we keep it, or should we leave it behind? It had been in its box for four years now. We decided to unpack it, and to our surprise, it looked much nicer than we both remembered. Then my husband spend a few hours sanding and polishing him, and voila! 

A beautiful looking hippo, almost a yard (meter) long, and sturdy enough to sit on. We thought about a name for a while, but the name we had given him temporarily stuck, so Drunken Hippo it is :-).

Cristina

My husband: "Cristina (colleague) is in Malawi this week". Me: "Really? I do not have a hippo from Malawi yet". My husband: "??? ok, ok, ok, I'll ask her....." That's how this newest addition to my collection came into my possession. The stress about not having asked for a hippo, of my husband, transferred to a very busy colleague, on duty travel. I almost felt guilty about it, but it is such a cutie... it was very much worth it! And for anybody out there, looking for hippos at the Kamuzu International Airport (the gateway to the warm heart of Africa) of Lilongwe, Malawi... they have only one more hippo left...

Dear Cristina, thank you for bringing this beauty back. I am going to miss meeting up with you, during one of those "escape the squirrels" days. Will be checking regularly though, how my amazing, funny and cool New York friend is doing :-).

Zulu

My daughter and I were browsing through the last aisle of the outdoor flea market: Elephant's Trunk in Connecticut (from April till September, every Sunday morning). We were a bit tired and ready to go home. I feel it is always like this: either you find little or nothing at all, or you find so many things, you have not enough hands to carry everything back... This was one of those trips, of not finding much.... untill my daughter spotted this beauty, on one of the last tables, next to a pile of African cloths and wooden masks.

He (I thought Zulu is more for a guy?) is handmade by Zulu people (the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with an estimated 10-11 million people living mainly in the province of Kwazulu-Natal (Wikipedia)). I love the colors and the design. The hippos itself is made of wood, the beads are strung in the form of a "suit" around it. My favorite part? No doubt.... his butt!

Amy's Hippos

A few months ago, I published the post: Hippos for Lien. It always makes me very happy when I find a message with this subject in my inbox. Hippo happiness is great, but nothing beats hippo happiness shared by friends. Since I already have a post named: Hippos for Lien, I decided to call this post: Amy's Hippos. Amy is a colleague of my husband, fortunate enough to be posted in Zimbabwe. Since she is encoutering many of "my friends", I suspect she will be contributing more to this blog in the future... as long as she lives there, that is. 

Dear Amy, thank you so much for thinking about me, and sharing these beautiful pictures. I wish I could have been there with you, taking many pictures together....

Sharing a few more hippo pics from my weekend just gone! I took them at Rhino Safari Camp, Matusadona. Enjoy! (text and photo credit: Amy Wickham)

Hippo Ballerina

From 7 February - 31 July 2017, Dante Park, across from the Lincoln Center in New York City, is the temporary home of a beautiful statue, named: Hippo Ballerina. She is part of an art installation by Danish sculptor Bjorn Okholm Skaarup. She is over 15 feet tall (4.57 m), weighs 2.5 tons, and is made of bronze and copper.  

I have been people watching for a while, sitting on one of the chairs, very close to the statue. It was so nice to see people interact and react. Most people started to smile right away when spotting her. Something I understand oh so well :-).

Photo and information credit: Smithsonian Mag

Hippo Spoon

It is always hard to leave friends behind, every time we move. And it is equally hard when friends move, and we are the ones left behind. But luckily this cloud has a silver lining, in the form of being able to visit friends all over the world. So when my husband had to go to Zimbabwe for work, he made some time to visit our friends, who moved there a few years ago. It is always nice to catch up and be able to experience a country as a local. As local as you can become as an expat that is. And in exchange for some goodies from the US, he brought back a lovely hippo-gift. Another first. My fist hippo spoon. I have not used it yet. Maybe I should. Dear Inge, thank you so much for arranging this lovely gift. Zimbabwe is still on my bucket list, hopefully, when we have the chance to tick that off our list, you will still be there.

Hippos for Lien

Today's post is about the "shared hippo-happiness" I mention in the introduction of my blog. Once in a while, I receive messages directly or via my husband or friends, with the subject title: Hippos for Lien. One of my friends even has a special folder on her phone to store all the hippo related stuff, her family and friends think I should see.

So this post is for all of you, to thank you for thinking about me, and making my day when sharing your finds. Below are some very lovely examples from last year. Keep (hippo) happy and above all, please keep sharing :-) HHHLL

I saw this hippo on Saturday (Attaching for Lien) (text and photo credit: Amy Wickham)

 Attaching some more hippo love (from Kariba and the Zambezi) (text and photo credit: Amy Wickham)

I was on the shores of lake Leman in Switzerland last weekend and found this baby hippo. Not in the lake, but in the display of a bronze artists' shop. In case you would like to diversify your collection from ceramics to bronze. See attached, photographed in Vevey.

(text and photo credit: Jo Cadilhon)

Herma

It is hard to translate the term enabler into my mother tongue. Let alone the term for an enabler of an enabler. I think we would refer to those people by saying " that person knows a person and that person knows a person who collects, in my case, hippos". This is an amazing story about how sometimes, things and people come together.

In October of 2015, a friend of my mother in law (hence the name of this post) visited a Quilting Exhibition in Maastricht, the Netherlands. where she found an embroidered hippo (black inside part), handmade in Africa. Apparently, by somebody called Grec R. Knowing that my mother in law is always on the lookout for hippos, she got it right away. Then my parents in law went to a fabric store called: De Naaidoos (the Sewing Kit) in a little village: Nieuw Buinen. This village is not far from where they grew up. My mother in law found the pieces of cloth for the frame, and my father in law discovered that the owner of the store is actually a distant cousin.     

The result of all of this is a beautiful piece of art, with a quilted frame, arriving by mail as a present, on time for my birthday. A wonderful example of how hippos are bringing family and friends together. A true enabler and enabler of an enabler's project, I am very proud to own.

Power of Plush

Too many times I have mentioned in my posts, that I am no longer collecting plush hippos. I think I have to stop that, because equally as many times, I have found excuses to bring them home with me anyway. This sweet little thing made me surrender :-). I tried fooling myself, that I would only use her as a prop for photo shoots or as practice material, or.... forget about it. When it is a hippo, wearing a tutu and looks irresistibly cute... plush or no plush... It comes home with me!

Hippo Tree

A few years ago, I had to find a safe place for my growing collection of Hippo-Christmas-Ornaments. Cat-safe, that is. Luckily, our two cats are not that interested in the "re-decorating" of our Christmas trees. However, one of them has done the "Can-you-reach-the-top-in-one-jump-challenge" once. The large and lazy one is banging on the low-hanging decorations, once in a while. The higher ones take too much energy to reach, and the lower ones are being pounced... not because it is that much fun, but sometimes they are just hanging is his way. 

So just as a temporary solution, I put a few on our "Art Tree" made of metal. It was an anniversary gift from me to my husband a few years ago. Seeing it, it actually looked pretty good. When my husband saw it, he started to complain, about "his tree, being full of clutter". But then agreed... Christmas ONLY :-). So since then, once a year our metal art tree becomes the "Hippo-Xmas-Tree". By the looks of it...it is starting to run out of space....

Pretty in Pink

Often times, I describe my affection for hippos as a disease. Very serious and incurable (until now). Just recently, I started wondering how long it would take, before I would hear about a therapy/support group, for partners/children of hippo-lovers. Maybe it would be a relief for partners to be into contact with people who understand the stress, of having to bring back a hippo from business trips. The threat of finding the door locked, when coming home without a hippo, is still a joke, but for how long? Or children who understand the embarrassment when a parent buys, wears or drives something hippo in public. What is the best strategy? Sabotage and rebellion, or ignoring and trying to perfect the "become-invisible-act"? Until that day comes, I will treasure these very special occasions like the one I will share with you now. Coming back from my latest hippo-lovers-reunion, my youngest daughter presented me with her surprise, made from air-drying modelling clay. My eldest added the finishing touches, in the form of a bow and mumbled comment: "I like drawing.. not so much this 3D clay stuff".

Of course, sometimes I see their "I don't see this and I don't know her" looks exchange, but as long as I am still spoiled with sweet hippo gifts, I am the happiest hippo-lover-disease sufferer on the planet!

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.