Phenomenon in Thailand How dwarf hippo Moo Deng became a box office hit
With her chubby cheeks and cute facial expressions, Moo Deng conquered hearts and the Internet last year.
Image: dpa
The hippo girl's expressive facial expressions quickly went viral.
Image: dpa
Key rings in the shape of Moo Deng are a popular souvenir.
Image: dpa
Shopping with Moo Deng - tote bags like these make it possible.
Image: dpa
This is where Moo Deng lives: the Khao Kheow Open Zoo outside Bangkok.
Image: dpa
Children in Thailand love Moo Deng cuddly toys.
Image: dpa
Moo Deng T-shirts in particular are a real bestseller.
Image: dpa
The "Bangkok Illumination Festival" chose Moo Deng as its mascot and erected huge sculptures.
Image: dpa
Such whimsical Christmas tree decorations were on sale in December.
Image: dpa
The hippo child also adorns floating bags.
Image: dpa
Bizarre euphoria: Mary with the hippo child - pictures like this can currently be seen in shop windows.
Image: dpa
With her chubby cheeks and cute facial expressions, Moo Deng conquered hearts and the Internet last year.
Image: dpa
The hippo girl's expressive facial expressions quickly went viral.
Image: dpa
Key rings in the shape of Moo Deng are a popular souvenir.
Image: dpa
Shopping with Moo Deng - tote bags like these make it possible.
Image: dpa
This is where Moo Deng lives: the Khao Kheow Open Zoo outside Bangkok.
Image: dpa
Children in Thailand love Moo Deng cuddly toys.
Image: dpa
Moo Deng T-shirts in particular are a real bestseller.
Image: dpa
The "Bangkok Illumination Festival" chose Moo Deng as its mascot and erected huge sculptures.
Image: dpa
Such whimsical Christmas tree decorations were on sale in December.
Image: dpa
The hippo child also adorns floating bags.
Image: dpa
Bizarre euphoria: Mary with the hippo child - pictures like this can currently be seen in shop windows.
Image: dpa
The birth of the dwarf hippo Moo Deng in July was a stroke of luck for Thailand. The hype surrounding the hippopotamus is making the cash registers ring - even Jesus and the Mona Lisa are getting in on the act.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The pygmy hippopotamus girl Moo Deng has become an internet hit and box office hit in Thailand - mainly thanks to her excessive marketing.
- Several fan articles are available to buy in Thailand. Even the Mona Lisa is now available as a poster with Moo Deng in her arms.
- Moo Deng attracts huge numbers of fans to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo near the capital Bangkok.
- Photos, videos and, above all, memes with Moo Deng's funniest facial expressions went viral.
- There is now an official logo and the animal has become a registered trademark of the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand.
- Meanwhile, animal rights activists criticize the hype and point out the animal's real needs.
When cute baby animals from zoos go viral, the hype usually lasts a few weeks and then dies down noticeably. Whether it's a polar bear, panda or mini gorilla - as soon as the offspring get bigger andthe baby features get smaller, interest wanes. Not so in Thailand: Moo Deng, the dwarf hippo girl born last July, is still the talk of the town after six months, mainly thanks to her excessive marketing. The hippopotamus is making the cash registers ring - but the commercialism is now taking on bizarre forms.
Because when it comes to Moo Deng, there is almost nothing that doesn't exist. Hippo-shaped key rings, soft toys with pink Moo Deng cheeks, T-shirts and mugs with her face and all kinds of figurines and knick-knacks - that's how it started. In the meantime, Moo Deng's famous elephant pants are now hanging next to her. Stickers and stickers, postcards, cushions, calendars, shopping bags, commemorative coins, coloring books and smartphone covers have also been dedicated to her.
At Christmas time, the creative minds in the Buddhist country outdid themselves and designed some pretty bizarre Christmas tree decorations: Jesus holding Moo Deng in his arms. A religious hippo picture was spotted in a shop window in Bangkok's tourist district of Sukhumvit, with Mary gazing lovingly at the beaming baby animal. Anyone looking for something special for their wall at home will also find what they are looking for: Even the Mona Lisa is now available as a poster with Moo Deng in her arms.
How Moo Deng memes conquered the internet
In fact, the birth of the chubby-cheeked dwarf hippo was a feast for the tourism industry, which had been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Moo Deng quickly became an internet sensation and attracted huge numbers of fans to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo near the capital Bangkok. Photos, videos and, above all, memes with Moo Deng's funniest facial expressions went viral. With her expressive facial expressions, she quickly became an international it-girl.
Suddenly, the rather unknown zoo was attracting record numbers of visitors from home and abroad. The "Moo Deng fever", as the media call it, soon created new jobs as souvenir stores and food stalls sprang up.
Practical: nowadays, if you want to marvel at the chubby hippo, you don't even have to go to the zoo - it comes into your home by remote control: the "Moo Deng Diary" program shows what hippo girls are up to every day on TV. "Get ready for endless cuteness with Moo Deng's daily highlights!" promised the provider True. An official song and music video are also on the market. The 50-second song is available in four languages: Thai, English, Chinese and Japanese.
A hippo girl as a registered trademark
Moo Deng also served as the mascot for the "Bangkok Illumination Festival" from mid-December to early January: The Tourism Authority of Thailand had installed illuminated hippo sculptures all over the city - from the old Hua Lamphong train station to the shopping mile around Central World - and dubbed the entire event "Moo Deng Conquers Bangkok". "Whether you're dancing alongside DJ Deng, shopping with Madame Deng or taking photos with Dengzilla, this unique experience combines creativity, fun and innovation," cheered the authority.
There is now an official logo and the animal has become a registered trademark of the "Zoological Park Organization of Thailand". Dozens of large companies have secured the rights to use Moo Deng motifs for their products.
"It's strange what's been going on for months, but somehow I also find it funny," says Natasha Taylor-Bryson from the UK, who has lived in Bangkok for four years and went to the zoo herself last year to see Moo Deng live. Does she think the hype will continue? "Definitely! I think the Moo Deng brand will even outlive the animal and at some point it will be impossible to imagine society without it - like a kind of Thai Snoopy," she says with conviction.
Incidentally, the name Moo Deng means something like "jumping pig" and also refers to a well-known Thai street food dish: roasted pork belly on rice with a thick red sauce. Last year, around 20,000 Facebook users voted on the name of the zoo's funny new addition - and although the round visitor magnet is not a pig, the name seems to be tailor-made for her.
Animal rights activists are concerned
Despite all the Moo Deng euphoria, however, animal welfare is usually overlooked. "What does Moo Deng want?" asked the animal rights organization Peta in a recent blog. "We can't read minds, but you don't need psychic abilities to know that fame, crowds or T-shirts with her image are not Moo Deng's top priority."
Pygmy hippos live reclusive lives in the wild, mostly hiding during the day and are nocturnal, it said. The Khao Kheow Open Zoo, on the other hand, exposes Moo Deng to noisy crowds from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. "She has nowhere to hide and barely has enough water to swim in." The baby animal only serves to entertain the masses and make a profit, the organization complained, adding: "Being everyone's 'darling' doesn't feel good when you are exploited by everyone."
