A Hippo for Hope

A plaque on the campus of The George Washington University in Washington, DC reads:

GW'S RIVER HORSE

Legend has it that the Potomac was once home to these wondrous beasts. George and Martha Washington are even said to have watched them cavort in the river shallows from the porch of their beloved Mount Vernon on summer evenings. Credited with enhancing the fertility of the plantation, the Washingtons believed the hippopotamus brought them good luck and children on the estate often attempted to lure the creatures close enough to the shore to touch a nose for good luck.

So, too, may generations of students of The George Washington University.

Art for wisdom,

Science for joy,

Politics for beauty,

And a Hippo for hope.

Alongside is this lovely bronze hippopotamus. Hippo whispered something in his ear, eliciting a brassy guffaw. I didn't get what was so funny. It must have been hippo humor.

George Washington University

Hippo likes watching football and other sports. Many teams have animal mascots like the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions. Hippo wondered why nobody had thought of choosing a really great animal mascot – Hippopotamus amphibius.

Well, last weekend Hippo learned that somebody did, and they're right in his own backyard! George Washington University has had an unofficial hippo mascot since 2001 when this statue was erected at 21st and H Street NW.


Unfortunately, the bosses at GWU decided that making the hippo their official mascot was too problematic. John Och explains: "We regulate marks and logos that we own as a university. But from a legal perspective, we don't have any recourse to regulate the hippo." I know what he means – I have trouble regulating my hippo every day.

Fortunately, the hippo will remain as an unofficial mascot. The GW Bookstore announced that it will continue to sell hippo apparel. Hippo might go shopping there for fall fashions, though he tries to dress a bit smarter than this fellow.