American History

Veteran's Day fell on a Wednesday this year. What do you do on a cold, rainy day off from school? Visit the Smithsonian Museum of American History!


We were welcomed by a protocol droid named C-3PO. He is fluent in over six million forms of communication, including Potamus. Hippo and C-3PO had a fascinating discussion about lunch etiquette, including where to stuff the napkin when you're not wearing a collar.


Hippo is a member of the V.I.P. (Very Important Puppet) Lounge. So we spent some time schmoozing with his old friend Kermit the Frog.


We like to visit the Room of Things That Are Bright And Noisy. It's fascinating to see all the clever things that people have invented in America. Hippo got a few bright ideas of his own.


No visit to a museum is complete without a pressed penny. Hippo posed with his "America On The Move - Winton Car" coin after the most important stop of the day to see the real, first Star Spangled Banner.

Holly

Hippo's new friend Holly sent holiday greetings from snowy Ann Arbor, Michigan.

She wanted to show Hippo what the University of Michigan campus looks like in cold weather. There's a definite lack of salsa dancing hippopotamuses on the plaza.

But Triton and the kids are still playing in the fountain.

Holly tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

Then she warmed up with a fresh Mexican lunch.

Holly nuzzled a puma on the way into the Exhibit Museum of Natural History.

There she learned how hippopotamuses are related to whales. An animal called Artiodactyl began adapting to an aquatic habitat 55 million years ago. Some of its descendants evolved into swimming hunters which later became whales and dolphins. Others evolved into wading grazers like the hippopotamus.

Holly is a beautiful example of Hippopotamus amphibius.

She left an impression on Ann Arbor by making hippo prints in the snow.