Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus who became a viral sensation thanks to her rosy cheeks and chaotic charm, turned one on 10 July, with the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand hosting a four-day festival to mark the occasion.
The celebrations began on Asalha Puja, a Thai public holiday, and will run until 13 July at the zoo’s hippo enclosure in Chonburi province, about two hours from Bangkok. Moo Deng was given a massive tropical fruit platter as throngs of adoring fans turned up for her four-day party.
Highlights include a birthday cake funded by a skincare beautician for 100,000 baht (approx £2,100), mascot parades, and a photo exhibition titled Moo Deng in Every Moment, chronicling her journey from a 5kg newborn to a 93kg toddler, reported the Nation.
Children under 12 or shorter than 135cm are being granted free entry during the festivities, which also feature drawing and modelling corners, games, and licensed merchandise ranging from plush toys to Moo Deng-branded ice cream.
A charity auction will sell off memorabilia and some of the young hippo’s belongings –including her favourite plastic basin – with proceeds supporting animal care at the zoo.
The festivities have attracted fans from across Asia.
“She’s really special to me, she makes me happy,” Jennifer Tang, a visitor from Malaysia told AFP as she described the young hippo as a “chaos rage potato”.
Moo Deng – meaning "bouncy pork" in Thai – was born on 10 July 2024 and quickly rose to stardom after her keeper, Atthapon Nundee, began sharing her antics on social media. Within days, her videos went viral, prompting the zoo to livestream her enclosure and capitalise on her fame with merchandise and corporate endorsements.
In the final quarter of 2024 alone, Khao Kheow Open Zoo saw visitor numbers triple to 600,000. Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy secured sponsorship deals with an e-commerce site and a telecoms firm, while Moo Deng-themed sculptures now welcome guests at the zoo entrance.
Her fame has even reached diplomatic and celebrity circles. The US Embassy in Bangkok sent a plush toy named Sammy as a birthday present, and Hollywood actors Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook – stars of The White Lotus – visited her earlier this year.
Moo Deng has appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch and correctly predicted Donald Trump’s 2024 US presidential win by choosing between two vegetable cakes. Google honoured her with a doodle, and a Thai music label released a viral techno anthem bearing her name.
But her popularity has begun to dip, mirroring the short-lived fame of other internet-famous animals like China’s Hua Hua the panda and Australia’s Pesto the penguin. Still, Mr Nundee insists Moo Deng enjoys the attention. “Her eyes light up when people take photos of her,” he told AFP. “She used to be very naughty and jumped around all the time. Now she only eats and sleeps.”
Despite the fading frenzy, Moo Deng continues to bring joy. In February, zoo staff granted the final wish of a terminally ill six-year-old Thai boy, Auto, by organising a private viewing of the hippo, reported the Strait Times. Moo Deng unusually stayed out of the pool and visible until the boy left. “That day was so much fun,” staff later wrote on Facebook. Auto died on 2 June.
The pygmy hippopotamus is an endangered species, native to West Africa, with fewer than 2,500 left in the wild according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. While Moo Deng’s fame hasn’t significantly boosted awareness of their plight, experts suggest her early cuteness may ensure lasting affection.
“Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it doesn’t last very long,” said Dr Joshua Paul Dale, who researches cuteness at Japan’s Chuo University. “That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up,” told AFP.
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