The Plush Hippo & Interesting Facts

Next to teddy bears, plush hippos are perhaps the most cuddly and huggable stuffed animals in the plush animal world

. With their oversized bodies you can't help but just want to snuggle with them as much as possible. There is no denying that every plush animal toy has its own distinct place when it comes to the large and varied world of stuffed animals but there is just something quite irresistible about a plush hippo that can't always be explained.

The Greeks named hippos river horses because of their love of water. Up to 16 hours of their day is spent submerged in lakes and rivers so as to keep their bodies cool while living under the heat of the African sun. Given all the time they spend in the water, it is no surprise that hippos are terrific swimmers and can even hold their breath under water for up to five minutes. Despite their enormous size (they can weigh as much as 8,000 pounds), they are also very graceful in the water. Due to their bulk, they actually are able to stand and/or walk on the lake floor more than they have to swim in it. With their eyes and nose positioned high up on their head they are able to both see and breathe while submerged. Hippos are also known to stand on the shoreline which is where the myth began that they sweat blood. In fact, their body secretes an oily red liquid that actually moistens their skin and provides their bodies with sunblock. No such oily liquid exists on plush hippos which is just as well since it would surely destroy their lovely plush fur.

When the sun sets, hippos leave their water 'homes' and head for areas in which they can feed on grass; they are known to travel up to 6 miles a night so they can consume some 80 pounds of it. They will return to the water, however, if they are threatened while on land though they have the ability to run at the same speed as a human for short hauls.

At birth, hippo calves weigh a whopping 100 pounds and have the unique ability to be able to suckle their mother either on land or underwater. In so doing, their ears and nostrils close. Female hippos only have a single baby every two years and when its born, both mother and baby will quickly join other schools of hippos so as to have some measure of protection from lions, crocodiles, and hyenas.

From the moment we set eyes on our very first stuffed animal, it helps us discover the world around us. Plush toys like the plush hippo, allow us to role-play, envisioning what it might be like if we were out in the wild with these enormous animals. Part of the fun in all this is that we are the one that is in control, using our plush hippo and our vivid imagination as a means toward adventure, or even escape. Either way, that plush hippo will always be a treasured toy and companion.

by: Angeline Hope

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