I have never written about my unusual attraction to the Hippotomus. Many, many years ago, perhaps 40 or more I became attracted to hippos. I can't remember which of my hippos was first to come into my home but at some point in time I started acquiring them. When Brian was about ten he went Christmas shopping with his dad to pick out my Christmas present. Later in the day, Doc told me that he was not sure that I would like the present but Brian insisted that I would like it. I did and still do. If you've seen the new picture on my facebook space you've seen one of the hippo families that has resided in my house all of these years.That was Brian's gift.
The Hippopotamus is an ancient species, it has been around since 2000 B.C. The Egyptians feared the hippopotamus who lived in the Nile River, it was worshipped both as the evil god, Seth and as the protective goddess, Thouera. Some Egyptian kings had hippo pools. They are sometimes referred to as 'river horses'.
Throughout the years I have acquired more than a hundred of them. It came to pass that when people saw a hippo as they traveled around they would purchase it and tell me that when they saw the hippopotamus they thought of me! Does a lot for your self image!
I have a pink ceramic hippo that has lovely eye-lashes and green and yellow flowers on it (could it be a goddess?) that Linda made. I have a white one with a red top hat that unscrews and at one time had cologne in it. It is an Avon collectible bottle. I have pewter, glass, brass, clay,wooden, bone and many stuffed animals, large and small along with a variety of others.
One of the teachers that I supervised at the de Paul School traveled to Africa one Christmas vacation to visit her missionary parents. She brought me two hand carved Keesie stone hippos. One of them was carved at an old man's stand by the side of the road while she watched. I love it because one of its legs is shorter than the rest, so he is wobbly. The old man was displeased with the end result and he wanted to do another one. She assured him it would be greatly appreciated by her friend (me) and she bought it 'as is'. I love it!
Mc Donalds, during the Beanie Baby rage, sold lavender Mama and baby hippo Beanie Babies with their Happy Meals. Four or five of my students at school knew that I liked hippos, so they bought them and gave them to me. I think they are the favorites of the great-grand children and they play with them when they come to visit.
When Andrea was quite young, she and her dad were at a Patoka Lake gift shop,(I think it was a gas station) and she saw a brown hippo carved out of wood that had rolled eyes and gritted teeth and it soon had a home on my shelf. Courtney, when I was in the hospital for one of my cancer surgeries brought me a purple stuffed toy hippo with a pocket in his back, filled with shaped figures, with a velcro closure. He kept me company while I was recooperating.
I have four Hippo napkin rings, a tiny inch high fuzzy hippo key ring, Paula gave me a huge ceramic hippo that spends his summer on the deck with my shamrock plants and spends his winters in my family room, I have a 12x7 glass bank hippo that has provided me with 'eat out 'money when I travel to Florida. Angela asks, "Is the hippo ready to fly yet?" There is a hippo that perches on the rim of one of my planters, one that is a belt buckle, a very, very tiny one that I could put on a chain to wear around my neck, a Christmas hippo with a wreath around his neck,(he has a permanent home on the Spinet desk in the living room), I have a carved mama and baby that Paula got for me at a convention in Denver. (carved out of wood) I have a few stuffed hippos that reside on various shelves.
Some of them have their mouths open, some have them closed. I went to Gus's school, when he was in Kindergarten, to read to his class and I chose the book,"The Hippopotmus That Ate the Teacher." It was a big hit with his class. His teacher, by way of thanking me, gave me another "Hippo" book as a thankyou gift."
I have two picture frames that are Hippos, Gus is in one and Keith and the twins are in the other one. The twins have spent time with my hippos , also. I have a framed picture that Bridget drew for me while she was here last summer. She also made a book of "paper doll hippos". They have many outfits equipped with tabs to afix them to the animals. Her thankyou note for her Christmas present featured a couple of hippos by their watering hole, or river, enhanced by plants. She drew them because, "Grandma likes hippos."
Some time in the near future, I will go through the house and gather them all up for a "Hippopatamus convention" so to speak, and perhaps put them on face book. I have not lost my affection for them and will continue to enjoy them. I had hippo wind chimes,but they no longer can chime. (Their hangers broke, but I still have them. They are lying down hippos. I also used to have a cookie jar, I loved it, but it took a header off the refrigerator and broke into many peices. Even Doc was unhappy to see that happening. I've had a few Birthday cards with Hippos on them. It is surprising how many items feature them. I'm not the only one facinated by them.
The Louisville Zoo had a baby hippo there a few years ago but I did not get to go visit it! I really wanted to see it. I've seen them at the Chicago Zoo, and was even more facinated by them.
Have a Hippy Day. Ciao
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