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✨ New and Improved! I originally published the pattern for Harriet the Hippo in April 2018. As of June 2021, I have overhauled it for easier assembly and clearer instructions. No more sewing the snout to the head! 🎉
You’ll never guess what inspired my crochet hippo pattern… 😂
The first-ever animal I designed was a lion. I made it for my then-one-year-old nephew (before I had my own kids!) and gave it to him on a family trip.
On that same trip, my mom brought a hippo stroller to cart around my nephew. I thought it was absolutely adorable.
I took one look at that stroller and knew I would be expanding into a whole safari crochet pattern collection. A hippo would be next!
I made lots of rookie mistakes designing this hippo
Because this was one of my first patterns, there were many things I didn’t know I didn’t know about designing amigurumi.
In the previous version of the pattern, many of the pieces had to be made separately—then sewn together—when they could have been crocheted together as one piece.
For example, you had to sew the snout to the head, and sew the “pads” to the base of the arms & legs. It was difficult and time-consuming to get everything on straight. Not anymore!
Spend less time assembling (more time for crocheting!) 👏
I’ve updated this hippo amigurumi pattern to be as simple and streamlined as possible.
To better emulate a real hippo, I added nostrils. I also made the ears slightly smaller and eliminated the pink centers. Take a look through the new pattern below!
Harriet the Hippo is one of six free safari animal crochet patterns.
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Harriet the Hippo
Height: 14" standingSkill level: IntermediateRavelry: Harriet the HippoHarriet is a bit bashful and awkward, which only adds to her charm! Her floppy limbs and adorable buck teeth warm the hearts of everyone she encounters.
Supplies
Yarn (acrylic, weight 4) – 265 total yards
- Medium Teal – 213 yards (I used Red Heart Super Saver – Jade)
- Aqua – 47 yards (I used Red Heart Super Saver – Aruba Sea)
- Dark Teal – 1 yard (I used Red Heart Super Saver – Real Teal)
- White – 4 yards (I used Red Heart Super Saver – White)
Notes
Abbreviations
General Instructions
Recommended Sequence
Here are the steps to create your hippo, in order:
Crochet Video Tutorials
Assembly Tutorials
Snout & Head: Round 11 – Marking Stitches for the Teeth
Snout & Head: Round 16 – Additional Stitches
Snout & Head: Round 20 – Marking Stitches for the Eyes
Snout & Head: Round 29 – Marking Stitches for the Ears
How to Indent the Eyes
How to Attach the Ears
How to Crochet the Tail Tuft
- ch – chain
- slst – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- inc – complete two single crochets within the same stitch
- dec – combine two stitches into one with an invisible decrease
- 2hdc – Complete two half double crochets in the same stitch. Also known as a double crochet increase. You do not need to chain before completing the 2hdc.
- BLO – crochet in the back loop only
- *sc x* – repeat the instructions between asterisks(*) the indicated number of times. If the pattern doesn’t tell you how many times to repeat, then repeat the sequence until you reach the end of the round.
General Instructions
- Work all stitches in both loops unless the pattern instructs otherwise.
- This pattern is worked in one continuous spiral. Do not join rounds unless the pattern indicates otherwise (in other words, do not slip stitch and chain to start a new round).
- Use a stitch marker to keep track of where one round ends and the next begins. I prefer to place my stitch marker in the last stitch of the round.
Recommended Sequence
Here are the steps to create your hippo, in order:
- Crochet the Snout & Head
- Crochet the Ears
- Attach the Ears to the Head
- Crochet the Teeth
- Crochet the Body
- Crochet the Belly
- Crochet the Arms
- Crochet the Legs
- Crochet the Tail
- Attach the Head to the Body
- Attach the Legs to the Body
- Attach the Arms to the Body
- Attach the Tail to the Body
- Attach the Belly to the Body
- Add the Nostrils
- Attach the Teeth
Crochet Video Tutorials
- Magic ring
- Slip stitch closed
- Chain 5 start
- Invisible finish
- Ultimate finish
- Perfect Arm Base
- Perfect Leg Base
Assembly Tutorials
- How to attach the head to the body
- How to attach the legs to the body
- How to attach the arms to the body
- How to attach the tail to the body
Snout & Head: Round 11 – Marking Stitches for the Teeth
Between rounds 10 and 11, you are going to insert 2 markers, showing you where to attach the teeth at a later step.
Center them above the chain 5 start with 11 stitches in between (counted on round 10), as shown in the photo.
You will leave the stitch markers in place as you crochet the remaining rounds of the head, so I recommend using strands of yarn to mark these stitches, ensuring they’re easy to crochet around.
Use a yarn needle to insert each strand to mark your stitches.
Snout & Head: Round 16 – Additional Stitches
At the end of round 15, continue to single crochet until your most recent stitch is centered above your teeth markers, as pictured. This ensures your color join will be on the bottom of the head.
These additional stitches are not included in the stitch count for round 15 nor for round 16.
Move your stitch marker to the last stitch you made and continue on with round 16 as normal.
Snout & Head: Round 20 – Marking Stitches for the Eyes
Between rounds 19 and 20, you are going to insert 2 markers, showing you where to insert the eyes at a later step.
Center the markers above the snout with 18 stitches in between (counted on round 19), as shown in the photo.
Note that the eye markers should be centered above the snout, and the teeth markers added in a previous step should be centered on the bottom of the snout.
You will leave the eye markers in place as you crochet rounds 21 – 35, so I recommend using strands of yarn to mark these stitches, ensuring they’re easy to crochet around.
Use a yarn needle to insert each strand to mark your stitches.
Snout & Head: Round 29 – Marking Stitches for the Ears
Between rounds 28 and 29, you are going to insert 2 markers, showing you where to attach the ears at a later step.
Center the ear markers above the eye markers with 13 stitches in between (counted on round 28), as shown in the photo.
You will leave the stitch markers in place as you crochet the remaining rounds of the head, so I recommend using strands of yarn to mark these stitches, ensuring they’re easy to crochet around.
Use a yarn needle to insert each strand to mark your stitches.
How to Indent the Eyes
Note: This video shows a unicorn, but the technique is the same for all of my patterns.
Cut a strand of yarn approximately 18″ long. Tie a large, secure knot in one end and thread the other end through your yarn needle.
Insert your needle through the back opening of the head and sew between the two spots where you’ll be placing your safety eyes (marked with strands of yarn).
Pull your strand of yarn taut, which will create indents. Fasten off with a knot and hide your yarn tail inside the head.
How to Attach the Ears
At this point, your ears should be fastened off and slip-stitched closed. Now we need to create a circular base for each ear.
To do this, thread the yarn tail from your ear through a yarn needle. Pass the needle through the first and last slip-stitches at the end of the ear and pull it tight.
With a disappearing ink marker, mark 6 stitches evenly spaced around each ear marker. Attach each ear where marked, stitch-for-stitch.
Make sure your stitches are nice and tight, then secure with a knot and hide the yarn tail inside the head.
How to Crochet the Tail Tuft
Note: The video shows alternate colors, but the technique is the same!
With dark teal yarn, create a slip knot on your hook. slst into the first stitch, chain 6, then slst into the same stitch.
Repeat this process in the 2 remaining stitches across: slst into the next stitch, chain 6, then slst into the same stitch.
Fasten off and hide the yarn tails inside the work with a yarn needle.
How to Add the Nostrils
With a disappearing ink marker, mark out two groups of 3 stitches centered on round 7 of the snout. There should be 8 stitches between each group of 3.
Mark the stitches directly before and after each group of 3 on the previous round (round 6), creating a U shape.
With matching yarn, create a slip knot on your hook. Turn the head so the top is facing you, then slip-stitch in one end of the marked out U shape.
Make 2hdc in the next three stitches, then slip stitch in the last marked stitch.
Fasten off and repeat on the other side. Hide the tails inside the work with a yarn needle.
Instructions
Snout & Head
With aqua yarn:01. Chain 5 start: ch5, inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 2, 5sc in the last ch. Continue on the other side of the chain base, sc 2, 3sc in the last ch [14]02. inc, sc 4, *inc* 3 times, sc 4, *inc* 2 times [20]03. inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc, inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc [26]04. inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times, inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times [32]05. inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc [38]06. inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times, inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times [44]07. inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2 [50]08. inc, sc 16, *inc, sc 3* 2 times, inc, sc 16, *inc, sc 3* 2 times [56]09. *sc 26, dec* [54]10. sc in each st around [54]11. *sc 7, dec* [48]12. sc 3, dec, *sc 6, dec* 5 times, sc 3 [42]13. sc in each st around [42]14. *sc 5, dec* [36]15. sc in each st around [36] Between rounds 19 and 20 (the last two rounds you completed), you are going to insert 2 markers. Center them above the snout with 18 stitches in between. See "Snout & Head: Round 20 – Marking Stitches for the Eyes" in the Notes section for more details. 31. sc 4, dec, *sc 8, dec* 5 times, sc 4 [54]32. *sc 7, dec* [48]33. sc 3, dec, *sc 6, dec* 5 times, sc 3 [42]34. *sc 5, dec* [36]35. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 5 times, sc 2 [30]
Ears (make 2)
Teeth (make 2)
When attaching the teeth, I recommend sewing them 3/4 around, stuffing, then sewing the remaining 1/4.
Body
Belly
Arms (make 2)
Legs (make 2)
Tail