Hippo Googled Himself

Sometimes I get a little carried away. I couldn't decide what to be for Halloween, so I did what any tech-savvy hippo would do – I Googled myself.


Um... That does have something to do with Googly eyes, right?

It was the perfect costume! I went trick or treating and got a big bag of chocolate Googly Eyes!

Happy Hippo Halloween Everybody!

Trick or Treat?

When these guys knock on your door and ask "Trick or Treat?"which would you choose?







Now we know why Hippo eyed that Zoolights pumpkin so fondly.

What to be for Halloween

Halloween is almost here, and Hippo STILL can't decide what to wear trick-or-treating.

Pumpkins are festive, but it is so embarrassing when everyone else shows up dressed the same.

Hippo likes 'noceroses, but this 'noceros costume looks more friendly than scary. It also makes it hard to breathe!

Groucho glasses are always funny. But Hippo wants to make sure his friends know that it's him ringing the doorbell. This might be too good a disguise.

Maybe Hippo should be a witch and take a friendly cat with him to help sniff out the best treats. Or maybe Hippo doesn't have to decide. He could go around the block once in each costume – nobody will know it's him!

Hipboopotamus

As October ripens, the sun is setting sooner and the air is turning chillier. That means long nights of howling wind and clanking radiators. So I didn't think much when my reading was interrupted by clanks and howls last night.

But the ruckus was accompanied by an eerie glow down the hallway, so I decided to investigate. There I was startled to see this frightening apparition!


Usually Hippo would be squeezing my hand hard in such a scary situation. But he was nowhere to be seen, so he must have been hiding safely under a blanket.

Yummy

Happy pumpkin to you,
Happy pumpkin to you,
Happy pumpkin dear hippo!
Happy pumpkin to you.

Cute Little Companion

When Hippo is traveling or just playing tourist around town, he likes to bring along his stuffed hippopotamus, Tiny.

Tiny is very comforting. He is also a good model to pose in pictures while Hippo documents his travels. Sometimes he seems to take on a life of his own.

Tiny enjoys all the exciting things that Hippo shows him. And Hippo gets more adventurous when he has Tiny to entertain.

It's a little embarrassing when Hippo goes through a security check and has to reveal the stuffed animal in his backpack. But the screeners usually just smile and let him through.

House Hippo

Last night, Hippo and I fell asleep watching an old movie on TV. I woke up to the sound of rustling and saw sticky hoof prints leading away from my plate of peanut butter on toast. Hippo was still asleep on his pillow and his paws were clean, so I knew it wasn't him.

I tracked the hoof prints into the kitchen and noticed a pile of mittens and dust bunnies behind the wine rack. When I reached to move them, I saw what seemed to be a tiny hippopotamus! It quickly ran under the cupboard and behind the refrigerator.

After confirming that Hippo was still snoozing innocently, I did a little Googling and discovered this nature documentary:


Hippo is planning to camp out in the kitchen tonight with a bag of chips and a flashlight to see if he can make a new friend.

Embassy Row

Hippo loves to travel and see distant lands. There are so many places to see that it will take quite a long time to see them all! But Hippo found a shortcut – if you walk along Embassy Row in his home city of Washington, DC then you will find outposts from countries around the globe:

Belgium has pretty flowers, a nice view of the cathedral, and waffles.

Finland is an excellent example of postmodern architecture.

Hippo waved hello to the nice lady from Norway.

Hippo heard a Big Ben ringtone outside the United Kingdom.

Italy is angular and modern.

Turkey brews irresistible coffee and plays sweet music.

Hippo forgot to pack his sombrero for this visit to Mexico.

It's a little early to stop for a caipirinha at Brazil.

The Islamic Center has pretty towers and arches.

India has a friendly pair of door elephants.

The sculptural globes outside Korea are fascinating.

Hippo resisted the urge to tiptoe through the flower gardens of Togo.

A book of flags might be helpful for identifying all these countries. Hippo imagines that there must be a wonderful variety of foods cooking along Embassy Row at dinnertime. He'd be delighted to accept an invitation from any ambassador with a little extra to share.

Personal Penguin

Hippo likes penguins, as many hippos do. But he's never had one offer to be his own personal penguin. After enjoying a nice concert at the Kennedy Center, he found this book in the gift shop:


It's the story of an affectionate penguin who is devoted to being companions with its beloved hippo.

Now, lots of other penguins seem to do fine
In the universe of nothing but ice.
But if I could be yours, and you could be mine,
Our cozy little world would be twice as nice.
I want to be Your Personal Penguin.

There's even a song by Monkee Davy Jones to go along!