Every December, that old song gets stuck in my head — "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" — and every year it sends me straight to my yarn stash. There is just something about a crochet hippo: the round tummy, the enormous friendly snout, those tiny ears sitting on top like afterthoughts. Hippos are the cuddliest shape in the whole amigurumi zoo, and they suit everybody, from a brand-new baby to the friend who swears she is too grown-up for plushies (she is not).
So I have gathered twenty of my favourite hippo designs for you, and every single one is genuinely free. There are big squishy cuddlers, two cosy loveys, a ballerina in ballet shoes, a pocket-sized support hippo for your handbag, a teething ring, a hat in four sizes, a C2C blanket square, a flat little appliqué and — of course — the Christmas hippo himself, Santa hat and all. I have noted the yarn, the finished size and the honest details for each one as we go.
1. Henry the Hippo, Big Snout and All
We are starting with a classic: Henry the Hippo from Nicole Chase, a proper round-bellied amigurumi hippo with a big square-ish snout, little U-shaped nostrils and ears that sit neatly at the sides of his head. My favourite detail is the finishing touch — three tiny embroidered nails on each foot and arm, which sounds like nothing and somehow makes him look completely finished. The full written pattern is free on her site with tutorial photos to guide the assembly, and if you prefer printing, an ad-free PDF version is also available in her shop. He is an advanced-beginner sort of project: nothing tricky, just patient sewing-together at the end. Worked in a soft grey worsted he is the hippo equivalent of a bear hug, but he would be adorable in lilac or powder blue too.
Pattern: Henry the Hippo by Nicole Chase — Get the free pattern
2. A Cuddle-Sized Purple Hippopotamus
Stephanie at Grace and Yarn designed this hippopotamus for her daughter, who asked for a purple one — and honestly, purple might be the perfect hippo colour. She calls him cuddle-sized, and she is right: worked in about 150 grams of worsted yarn with a 3.5 mm hook and big 15 mm safety eyes, he comes out soft, squishy and made for squeezing. The pattern is free on her blog, including her mini photo tutorials for the magic circle, colour changes and invisible decreases, and she adds sweet embroidered eyelashes on her girl version, which you can skip for a boy hippo. An ad-free printable version is also sold in her Etsy and Ravelry shops if you like a paper copy. Familiar stitches only, but the result looks anything but simple.
Pattern: Amigurumi Hippopotamus by Grace and Yarn — Get the free pattern
3. Hattie the Hippo, Seated and Sweet
Hattie, from Cuddly Stitches Craft, is designed to sit up all by herself — about 24 centimetres seated, or 30 centimetres from ears to toes — which makes her a wonderful shelf and nursery companion. She is worked in fine sport yarn with a small 2.5 mm hook, so the stitches stay tight and neat, and the designer walks you through assembly step by step, pins and all. The complete written pattern is free on the blog with step-by-step photos and video tutorials for extra help, and an ad-free printable PDF is available on Etsy and Ravelry if you want one. She rates it intermediate, mostly for the careful assembly and the sculpted eye placement. Give her the eyelash embroidery and she turns into the gentlest little lady on the toy shelf.
Pattern: Hattie the Hippo by Cuddly Stitches Craft — Get the free pattern
4. Hady, the Pink Beach-Loving Hippo
Craft Passion's Hady is the most personality-packed hippo on this list: a cheerful pink lady with crocheted teeth peeking out under her snout, a stitched lip line, proper nostrils and — because every beach hippo needs one — her own tiny crocheted two-piece to wear on sunny days. The free pattern on the Craft Passion site covers everything, from the body parts to a genuinely helpful assembly guide with photos at every step, so nothing is left to guesswork. The eyes are sewn in a clever sunk-in way that gives her face real expression. She is a bit of a project, but such a rewarding one. Make her for the friend who is forever planning her next beach holiday; she will be understood immediately.
Pattern: Hady the Hippo by Craft Passion — Get the free pattern
5. Hettie the Hippo in Soft Light Grey
Lisa Auch's Hettie has been loved for years, and one look tells you why: a plump, pear-shaped body, a curly little tail crocheted straight onto her back, and googly eyes that give her a permanently surprised expression. The shaping is done mostly with the stuffing, which makes the pattern itself refreshingly easy — Lisa works her in light grey Red Heart yarn with a 3.5 mm hook, and the whole pattern sits free on her site. Rather than stitch counts for every round of the body, she has you crochet to measurements, which is a lovely relaxed way to work. Add the little bow at her ear and she is pure storybook. This is the hippo to make when you want a satisfying weekend project without a single complicated stitch.
Pattern: Hettie the Hippo by Lisa Auch — Get the free pattern
6. The Sitting Hippo With Two-Tone Ears
Amanda at Loops & Love Crochet positioned this hippo's legs toward the front of his body on purpose, so he sits up proudly without leaning on anything — a small design decision that makes a big difference on a shelf. His ears are a sweet detail: an inner circle in an accent colour crocheted together with the main-colour outer circle, then pinched into a gentle teardrop fold. The snout is worked around a foundation chain for that wide hippo oval, with the nostrils stitched right at the front. The full pattern is free on her blog with plenty of photos, written in her usual clear, friendly style. In classic grey with a pink inner ear he is nursery perfection, but a mint or mustard hippo would be just as charming.
Pattern: Hippo Amigurumi by Loops & Love Crochet — Get the free pattern
7. Holly the Hippo Lovey in Pastel Shades
Holly, from The Blue Elephants, is a lovey: a soft little blanket with a friendly amigurumi hippo head at its heart, made for babies to grip, drag and eventually refuse to sleep without. The designer worked hers in a variegated pastel yarn — a gentle swirl of blue, pink and purple — with a solid blackberry shade for contrast, so no two Hollys ever come out quite the same. The complete pattern is written out free on her site, and a low-cost printable PDF is available in her Etsy and Ravelry shops for those who like one. She dreamed Holly up after a family zoo trip with a certain Christmas song stuck in her head, which I fully understand. This is my top pick on the list for a baby-shower gift.
Pattern: Holly the Hippo by The Blue Elephants — Get the free pattern
8. A Cosy Hippo Lovey in Classic Grey
If you prefer your lovey in timeless grey, Loops & Love Crochet has you covered with this second design: a sturdy hippo head — worked from the bottom up with a 3.5 mm hook — attached to a soft blanket you can simply keep crocheting round after round until it reaches the length you like. The head is generously stuffed before the final decrease rounds, and the wide snout is worked in continuous rounds and stuffed lightly so it keeps its shape. The pattern is completely free on her blog, with the same careful photo guidance as her full-size hippo. Because the blanket part is endlessly adjustable, this is a forgiving first lovey if you have never made one. Add a ribbon bow at the ear and it is ready for gifting.
Pattern: Hippo Lovey by Loops & Love Crochet — Get the free pattern
9. A Baby Hippo in Ricorumi Cotton
This little baby hippo, designed by CatKnit and shared on Claire Abelle Makes, begins in the most unexpected way: the head starts as a flat square of rows, which is then worked around to become a rounded hippo head — clever, neat and very satisfying. It is designed for Rico Ricorumi DK cotton, the little 25-gram balls made for amigurumi, with a 2.5 mm hook, so it is a wonderful stash-buster if you collect those mini skeins. Grey does the body, with rose, white and black for the details. The result is a small, firm, very huggable baby hippo that sits beautifully in small hands. The full pattern is free on the page, photographs included. If you have never tried Ricorumi, this is a delightful excuse.
Pattern: Baby Hippo by CatKnit at Claire Abelle Makes — Get the free pattern
10. Irina the Hippo Ballerina
Every collection needs one show-off, and ours is Irina: Elisa Sartori's hippo ballerina, whose legs begin in a warm red-clay colour so she appears to be wearing her ballet slippers from the very first round. Elisa writes some of the friendliest free patterns around, and this one is no exception — the complete pattern is published free on Elisa's Crochet, suitable for confident beginners, with her usual clear round-by-round writing. The tail is made from the yarn left over from the last arm, which is the kind of thrifty little touch I adore. She is the natural gift for a small dancer, a big dancer, or anyone who once pirouetted around the kitchen as a child. Grey yarn, blush cheeks and those clay-red shoes: utterly irresistible.
Pattern: Irina the Hippo Ballerina by Elisa Sartori at Elisa’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
11. Harper the Hippo in Grey and Purple Cotton
Harper, from MummaJ Crochet, is worked in 100% cotton yarn — light grey for the body with purple as her second colour — and cotton gives her that firm, huggable, slightly heirloom feel that washes well and lasts for years of cuddles. A 3.5 mm hook keeps the stitches tidy, and the pattern is free in full on the blog, with a low-cost, print-friendly PDF offered if you prefer to work from paper. Leanne's instructions are written for real humans, with the stitch abbreviations spelled out in full at the start, so a careful beginner can absolutely manage Harper. She is soft, calm-faced and pleasingly plump. If you are building a handmade menagerie in cotton, she will sit very happily alongside MummaJ's other animals.
Pattern: Harper the Hippo by MummaJ Crochet — Get the free pattern
12. A Hippo in a Pink Dress, With a Butterfly
Darya Neustroeva's little lady comes dressed for the occasion: her feet and body are worked in one piece, her crocheted skirt is part of the design, and the finishing touch is a tiny crochet butterfly pinned on like a brooch. She stands about 23 centimetres tall, worked in YarnArt Jeans cotton-blend yarn with a fine 2 mm hook, which gives her that neat, detailed, almost porcelain look. The pattern is shared free on the AmigurumiCat page as a step-by-step pattern with a downloadable PDF at no charge. Because the body is built in one piece, there is less sewing than you would expect for such a dressed-up result. In her pink dress she is a birthday gift waiting to happen.
Pattern: Crochet Hippo in Pink Dress by Darya Neustroeva at AmigurumiCat — Get the free pattern
13. Aurora, the Big Plush Purple Hippo
If you like your hippos seriously squishy, Aurora is your girl: designed by leluza_knitting and shared as a free PDF, she is crocheted in plush chenille yarn — Himalaya Dolphin Baby or YarnArt Dolce — and finishes around 32 centimetres long, which is a lot of hippo to hug. The pattern builds her head first, then that wonderful wide muzzle, with 12 mm eyes giving her a gentle, sleepy look. Because plush yarn works up fast on a 3.5 or 4 mm hook, she grows satisfyingly quickly for her size. The free PDF is the pattern exactly as the designer released it, so do keep the rounds marked carefully — chenille hides stitches if you let it. The end result is pure cuddle: a hippo that doubles as a cushion.
Pattern: Purple Hippo Aurora by leluza_knitting (free PDF at Amigurumi Day) — Get the free pattern
14. A Neat Little Hippo in Cotton, 19 Centimetres
This tidy design by donglaihandmade finishes at a very giftable 19 centimetres, worked in cotton yarn with a 2.5 mm hook and 9 mm safety eyes. The head is built around a starting chain rather than a magic ring, which gives the hippo that pleasingly wide, flat-topped muzzle shape, and the pattern takes you through the nose as its own separate piece. It is shared as a free PDF pattern, complete with materials list and abbreviations, and the instructions are compact but complete. Nineteen centimetres is that perfect in-between size — big enough to hug, small enough for a desk. Worked in classic grey he is handsome; worked in lilac, she is a sweetheart. A lovely, unfussy make for a quiet evening or two.
Pattern: Crochet Hippo Amigurumi by donglaihandmade (free PDF at Amigurumi Receitas) — Get the free pattern
15. The Pocket Support Hippo, Just 2.25 Inches Tall
Natalina Craft calls this tiny treasure the Pocket Support Hippo, and the name tells the whole story: at just 2.25 inches in light worsted yarn, he is small enough to live in a coat pocket or dangle from a keychain, ready to be squeezed on difficult days. The body is worked in one piece from the bottom up, with four tiny legs, a tufted tail and little felt circles for nostrils, all with a 2.75 mm hook. The pattern is completely free on her site and genuinely beginner-friendly — a finished-in-an-evening sort of project. I cannot think of a sweeter small gift for a friend going through a rough patch, or for a teenager heading into exams. Make a whole parade of them in different colours; they take barely any yarn at all.
Pattern: Mini Hippo (Pocket Support Hippo) by Natalina Craft — Get the free pattern
16. A Hippo Teething Ring for Little Hands
Little Crochet Farm's hippo teething ring pairs a stuffed crochet hippo head with a smooth wooden ring — the classic first toy combination, and a beautiful handmade baby gift. The head is worked in grey with darker grey ears, and a separate oval mouth piece in light grey gives the face its friendly width before everything is sewn firmly onto the ring. The complete pattern is free on her site, written round by round with her usual tidy stitch counts at every step. Use cotton yarn so it washes easily, and embroider the eyes rather than using safety eyes for a baby-safe finish. It works up quickly, so it is ideal when the baby shower invitation arrives with rather short notice. Handmade, practical and adorable — the trifecta.
Pattern: Hippo Teething Ring by Little Crochet Farm — Get the free pattern
17. A Hippo Hat in Four Sizes, Baby to Adult
Lovable Loops brings the hippo to your head with this purple hippo hat, written in four sizes — baby, toddler, child and adult — so the whole family can match, should you be feeling brave. The hat itself is simple top-down double crochet with a 5.5 mm hook, and the fun is all in the face: a wide oval snout worked around a foundation chain, plus nostrils, eyes and ears crocheted separately and sewn on. The complete pattern is free on Melissa Hassler's blog, with a proper sizing guide if you want to fine-tune the fit. The baby and toddler snouts stop one round earlier, a thoughtful scaling detail. For a zoo trip, a book-week costume or just a very good Tuesday, this hat delivers.
Pattern: Crochet Hippo Hat by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
18. The Hippo C2C Square for a Wildlife Blanket
Kinga Erdem's hippo square is Block 23 of her much-loved Wildlife Graphghan crochet-along: a 25 by 25 tile corner-to-corner square, about 15 inches across, worked in half double crochet C2C with Red Heart Super Saver. The hippo's face emerges tile by tile in charcoal and greys against a light blue background, and the free pattern on My Hobby Is Crochet gives you both the pixel graph and the fully written row-by-row colour counts, so you can follow whichever style suits you. Nine colours sounds like a lot, but several are just a few metres of stash yarn. Join him with the other wildlife blocks for a full blanket, or let him star alone as a cushion front or wall hanging. Chart lovers, this one is a treat.
Pattern: Hippo C2C Square by Kinga Erdem at My Hobby Is Crochet — Get the free pattern
19. An Easy Hippo Appliqué in Three Sizes
Sometimes you do not need a whole hippo — just a hippo face, flat and sewable, for a cardigan pocket, a baby blanket corner or a nursery bunting. Kerri's Crochet's easy hippo appliqué is exactly that, and it comes in three sizes depending on your yarn and hook: about 13 centimetres in 8-ply cotton, down to a dainty 7 centimetres in fine 2-ply with a tiny 1 mm hook. The pattern is free on her page in US terms (a UK version is linked there too), and she offers an optional ad-free PDF with bonus reverse-hippo instructions on Ravelry and LoveCrafts for a dollar if you want the facing pair. There is even a video tutorial on her channel if you get stuck. Quick, flat and endlessly useful — appliqué lovers, bookmark this one.
Pattern: Easy Hippo by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
20. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
We are finishing where we started, with the song itself: Red Heart's famous Christmas hippo, designed by Nancy Anderson, in cheerful turquoise Super Saver with a removable Santa hat and a candy cane to hold. He is an intermediate make, and the pattern is a completely free download on Yarnspirations — no sign-up needed, just click and save the PDF. The candy cane gets its shape from a flexible drinking straw slipped inside, which is exactly the kind of practical trick big-brand patterns do well. Sarah at Repeat Crafter Me made hers in soft grey and pink for a year-round hippo, which proves the design works long after December. But in turquoise, with the hat, on Christmas morning? Unbeatable. Only a hippopotamus will do.
Pattern: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Nancy Anderson for Red Heart at Yarnspirations — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty hippos, my friend — cuddlers and loveys, a ballerina and a beachgoer, a pocket-sized supporter, a teething ring, a hat, a blanket square and the Christmas hippo himself, every single one free and every single one huggable. If you are new to amigurumi, start with the Pocket Support Hippo, Hettie or the easy appliqué; if you are ready for a bigger cuddle, Aurora and Henry are calling your name. Whichever you choose, remember the hippo's golden rule: rounder is always better, and nobody has ever regretted adding the little bow.
Now tell me — are you team classic grey hippo or team purple hippo, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
