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!

Flanders and Swann: Hippopotamus Song

Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!
So follow me, follow
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow
In glorious mud

Hippo learned this song today from Flanders and Swann. It's about a boy hippopotamus who serenades a beautiful hippopotamus maid. She swoons for the song and joins him in the cool river Shalimar, diving and splooshing in happiness. But later, when the boy hippo is a dad, he wonders whether it was such a good idea after all.



If you know how to read the music, then you can sing to your love too!

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Well, I already have a hippopotamus. But hippos are so popular that people write songs and record funny videos to make their Christmas wishes clear.



Hippo is still working on his own Christmas list.