Baby Thai Hippo's Global Fame Inspires Makeup Products, Life-Enhancing $150K Gift

A three-month-old pygmy hippo in Thailand named Moo Deng has won fans around the world, inspired commercial campaigns and appeared on the hit comedy show Saturday Night Live in the US.

On September 28, American comedian Bowen Yang played Moo Deng during the show’s Weekend Update segment, wearing a hippopotamus costume and joking about living a life “running around and trying to bite water from a hose.”

The baby hippo, named after a Thai dish meaning jumping pork, was born on July 10 to parents Tony and Jonah.

Moo Deng's popularity became so great that the viewing time to see her at the zoo was reduced to five minutes. Photo: Khao Kheow Open Zoo — Moo Deng’s popularity became so great that the viewing time to see her at the zoo was reduced to five minutes. Photo: Khao Kheow Open Zoo

Moo Deng became an online sensation after his caregivers posted his mischievous and adorable reactions to online taunts.

The animal increased the number of visitors to the Khao Kheow open zoo in Chonburi, eastern Thailand, by 50% between September 1st and 19th.

The lines to see her were so long every day that the zoo had to limit interaction time with her to five minutes.

Molly Swindall from the US flew 18.5 hours to Thailand just to see Moo Deng. She said she was so devoted to the hippo that customs officials in Thailand couldn’t believe it.

Videos of their visit posted to the TikTok account @1989vinyl attracted millions of likes, with many sharing their enthusiasm.