Inside the Hype That Surrounds Fiona, Ohio’s Celebrity Hippo

A 2,700-word New York Times profile delves into how the beloved hippo became “like Beyoncé.”

November 27, 2017 2:13 pm
Fiona the hippo. (Cincinnati Zoo/YouTube)
Fiona the hippo. (Cincinnati Zoo/YouTube)

You don’t need to live in Ohio or even go to the zoo — any zoo — to have heard of Fiona the hippo. Videos of her splashing, playing and rolling around have racked up millions of views online; she ended up on the Tonight Show after “photobombing” the engagement photo of a local couple.

She’s inspired t-shirts, an ice cream flavor and a 7-episode reality show sponsored by Facebook, according to the New York Times. Her magnets and other merchandise are shipped all around the world. And the 500-pound hippo is only getting bigger — both literally and figuratively.

“I feel like an agent with a very famous client,” Chad Yelton, the Cincinnati zoo’s vice president of marketing, told the Times. “I feel like I represent Beyoncé. When she comes around the corner in her pool, crowds lose their minds. Every single time. People cry. People fly across the world to just catch a glimpse.”

The hype isn’t limited to visitors, either. Zoo staff are also extraordinarily passionate about Fiona, who was born prematurely. Michelle Curley, the zoo’s communication’s director, got Fiona tattooed onto her back, just below the nape of her neck.

“I didn’t think any experience would ever top this experience,” Curley told the Times. “I’m never going to regret getting it.”

Take a look at one of Fiona’s most famous videos above. Do you think she lives up to the hype?

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