There’s something about round objects especially marbles that fascinates youngsters. It may be the smoothness of the ball. It may be the way the marble rolls around. It may be the appearance of colors with each roll. Whatever the reason, the combination of small marbles and big animals – real life, that is – has made Hungry Hungry Hippos a very popular game.
It is a relatively young toy with its introduction in 1978 with Hasbro, the famous toy manufacturer of such board games as Monopoly, as its present-day maker. We can safely surmise that parents buying the tabletop toy for their kids have played it during their childhood years and, thus, know of the enjoyment from the game. Adults, however, may not like certain aspects of the game particularly the banging noises made by the kids but that’s beside the point.
Components of the Game
The Hungry Hungry Hippos game is designed for kids aged 3 years old and up. Because of the choking hazards involved with the marbles, younger children must not be allowed to play with the toy. The colorful materials used on the game are another attraction in itself.
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The tabletop game is arranged such that there are four hippos with different colors arranged around a platform on which the marbles are placed. These hippos have names and personalities ascribed to them, which provides a sense of ownership to the kids playing with the toy every so often. The colors of the hippos have changed over the years since it was first released but the most common are the following:
- Lizzie Hippo (purple)
- Henry Hippo (orange)
- Homer Hippo (green)
- Harry Hippo (yellow)
- Happy Hippo (pink)
The personalities also supposedly differ. Thus, HoneyPotamus eats everything sweet, PickyPotamius picks on his food, BottomlessPotamus eats everything and VeggiePotamus only eats green things. The base for the Hungry Hungry Hippos game also changes with the latest edition in light blue.
Rules of the Game
Since this is designed for toddlers, the rules of the hippo game are also very simple. The hippo must consume as many marbles as possible into its mouth with as many as 20 marbles on the playing field at any time. The marbles swallowed drop down into a depression within each hippo so that these toys do not drift back into the playing field once consumed, in a manner of speaking.
A lever located behind each hippo can be pushed down to open, close and retract its mouth. Then, the marbles will be drawn into the hippo’s mouth with a combination of luck, timing and strategy. Actually, children just smack on the lever for as long as their hands can take the abuse and aim for the marbles in a haphazard way. It is the sound of the smacking, slamming and banging that can make the Hungry Hungry Hippos game one of the least favorite games where parents are concerned.
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Lest parents start thinking of just skipping this toy, think again. Aside from the enjoyment kids get from catching as many marbles as possible with the hippo’s mouth, there are skills to be learned as well. Kids learn to count, develop their hand-eye coordination and improve on their dexterity. Besides, if you enjoyed Hungry Hungry Hippos as a child, then it is only right that your children should enjoy the privilege, too.
