History: Hippos in Second Life (Updated January 2021)

Hippos at Hippotropolis

According to the Second Life Wiki, the hippo meme started when Darwin Appleby started a thread about hippos in 2003. The thread went on for over 27 pages, and hippos became a part of Second Life history. 

There were hippo statues, and avatars, and hippo products. There was even an invocation to the hippos "Oh the great Hippo! Stomper of gnomes! Savior of all Second Life! How we worship thee!" (This was to encourage the hippos to stomp the bugs in the SL computer code.)

One of the first hippos was found in Hikaru Yamamoto's zoo.

Statue of Hippo at SL History Exhibit 

National Hippo Day is February 15th, and although not too many people still celebrate it, you can find references to hippos everywhere in Second Life. 

If you search place names you will find "Happy Hippo Building School & Hippo Resource and Learning Center", "Hairy Hippo Fun Land", and "Hippo Technologies".

Hairy Hippo Fun Park. Do try the Hippo Eating Challenge there, if you dare. 

Now, I have a theory that hippos were in Second Life long before 2003. How else to explain the mysterious underwater hippo statues in two regions, and the hippo earrings I found in the Ruins of Cividale?

Underwater hippo statues

There's a nice hippo statue at the Nerditorium http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Warmouth/25/144/95

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