Some baby animals seem born to make people smile, and Hugo the pygmy hippo is taking that job very seriously.
John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently celebrated Hugo’s first birthday with an adorable video showing off his huge personality.
The zoo’s self-described “feisty little spud” turned 1 on Sept. 3, and the birthday footage is packed with some of Hugo’s funniest moments.
In the clip, Hugo races around his habitat, splashes through the water and even playfully chomps on the ear of his mother, Penelope.
Penelope takes the interruption in stride, showing the kind of patience any tired mother might recognize.
Hugo may officially be a year older, but he clearly has no plans to calm down anytime soon.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
To celebrate the milestone, John Ball Zoo threw Hugo a special “Pickle Hippo Party” complete with decorations, snacks, stickers and even a gigantic toy pickle.
The zoo joked that his birthday was “kind of a big dill,” leaning fully into the pickle theme.
Fans across social media were delighted by the birthday celebration.
“Now I understand why that one kid wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas,” one viewer joked.
Another wrote, “And now I need MORE room,” while someone else called baby hippos “always a cute and funny glimmer.”
Hugo was born on Sept. 3, 2025, to parents Penelope and Jahari.
He weighed around 11 pounds at birth and made history as the first pygmy hippo calf ever born at John Ball Zoo.
During his first month, Hugo stayed behind the scenes while learning important skills, including how to swim, hold his breath underwater and follow his mother.
By late November, he had already grown to around 60 pounds.
His care team has described him as “quirky and curious,” which certainly matches the playful personality seen in his videos.
Hugo’s arrival was also important for conservation efforts.
Pygmy hippos are endangered, with fewer than 3,000 believed to remain in the wild.
Hugo is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, a program designed to help maintain healthy and genetically diverse populations of threatened and endangered animals in human care.
That makes Hugo much more than just an adorable internet star.
For now, though, he seems perfectly happy spending his days splashing, running around, enjoying snacks and occasionally testing his mother’s patience by biting her ear.
If his first year is any indication, Hugo has plenty more chaos ahead.