Pygmy Hippopotamus (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)

I wasn’t originally going to post a review this week but there was one last figure I wanted to cover before October began and creepy critters would dominate the blog. It’s the Safari Ltd. pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) and the reason I wanted to cover it sooner than later is thanks to a certain baby pygmy hippo that has taken the internet by storm. Moo Deng (Bouncy Pork) is a female pygmy hippo born on July 10^th, 2024, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. After the zoo posted pictures and videos of Moo Deng to their FaceBook page the pugnacious little chunker when viral. Now the internet is full of memes, fanart, and unofficial merchandise celebrating an animal most people probably haven’t heard of and might still not realize is a different species from the common hippopotamus. I must admit, I have become a fan of Moo Deng, and before her popularity inevitably wanes, I thought it would be fitting to feature the pygmy hippo on the blog.

The pygmy hippopotamus is found in the forests and swamps of a small portion of west Africa. It is endangered, and the only other extant species of hippopotamus. Pygmy hippos are semiaquatic, primarily nocturnal, and feed on fruit and vegetation. In appearance the pygmy hippo is as its name suggests, a smaller version of the common hippo. They’re about half the height of their more widespread cousin, and 1/4^th the weight! They’re not identical though. Pygmy hippos are more gracile in build, with a proportionally smaller head, longer neck, and longer legs. They’re more terrestrial than the common hippo and have adaptations that reflect that, including orbits and nostrils that don’t protrude as much as those of the common hippo.

Adult pygmy hippos stand 2.46–3.28’ (75-100 cm) tall at the shoulder and measure 4.92–5.74’ (150-175 cm) in length. They weigh between 315-606 lbs. (180–275 kg). The Safari pygmy hippo stands about 1.5” (3.81 cm) tall at the shoulder and measures 3” (7.62 cm) long, putting it at 1/23 in scale. This figure was released in 2018 and sculpted by Doug Watson. It is presented in a trotting pose with the head looking leftward, and the right forelimb and left hindlimb propelling it forward.

With its barrel-shaped body, thick fat rolls, and rounded features it’s easy to see how the pygmy hippo has achieved internet fame. The Safari figure reflects these features and nicely illustrates the pygmy hippo’s life appearance. It looks very much like a small, toned-down common hippo. The mouth is broad with nostrils placed on top of the snout. Small ears are pricked up on the back of the head and fatty rolls can be seen on the neck.  The legs are short and stout with fat rolls rolling over them and ending in four weight bearing toes. A tufted tail hangs over the rump. The entire body has a stippled texture to it.

The figure is painted in blended dark brown tones. It is darkest along the back and transitions to a lighter tone along the sides of the torso and is palest along the underside. In life the pygmy hippo can also be greenish-black and gray. The shiny eyes are brown with black pupils and the toenails are shiny black.

There are a few decent pygmy hippo figures out there and you can’t really go wrong with most of them. Aside from Safari’s the most noteworthy and accessible is probably CollectA’s. CollectA makes a calf too, so if you’re a diehard Moo Deng fan that might be a figure worth pursuing. Kitan Club makes a couple pygmy hippos, including one in a sitting position. Safari’s is an excellent figure though. Thanks to Doug Watson’s masterful craftsmanship and a naturalistic and nicely executed paintjob this ranks among Safari’s very best. The Safari pygmy hippo is currently in production and retails for about $5.