This small crochet hippo is the next member of our cute Kozu Palm Pets series of small crochet animals! With its chubby little snout and tiny ears, this little hippo is just too cute to resist. The best part? This little amigurumi hippo takes just a couple hours to crochet. So you can whip up a whole herd of mini hippos in no time! Or, if you prefer, you can crochet this hippo along with all the other small crochet animals in the Kozu Palm Pets series.
About this Small Amigurumi Hippo Pattern
This mini hippo pattern is great for beginners looking to practice basic amigurumi techniques like working in the round and shaping with increases and decreases. It takes approximately two hours to crochet so it’s a really quick project to finish!
Using DK yarn and a 2.75 mm crochet hook, it turns out to be approximately 4 inches in height. Want a bigger hippo? No problem! We used super bulky yarn with a 7mm crochet hook and our hippo turned out to be 11 inches tall!
Feel free to use any colour yarn that you like – you could go with gray or blue for a more realistic looking hippo. But why not try pink or purple for just a splash of colour?
Want to save this pattern for later? Save it to your Pinterest board.
Small Crochet Hippo Free Pattern
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Supplies You Need to Crochet a Small Hippo
- Yarn: You need a very small amount of yarn in the body colour
- 2.75 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Polyfill stuffing
- Two 7 mm safety eyes
Stitches & Abbreviations Used
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
BLO: back loops only
Small Hippo Crochet Pattern Notes
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Finished size: Approximately 4 inches tall, using DK yarn.
- This pattern is written in US terms
- This pattern is crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker on the first stitch of every round so that you don’t lose track of the start of your round.
- This hipp pattern is a low-sew amigurumi pattern. The legs, body, arms, and head are all crocheted in. You must first crochet the arms before continuing onto the body.
- This hippo was made using DK yarn. However, you may use any yarn with the relevant hook (usually, for amigurumi you go down 2-3 sizes from that recommended on the yarn label).
- Sizing adaptations: You can make the hippo in multiple sizes. We made it using DK yarn and a 2.75 mm hook and it turned out to be approximately 4 inches tall. In velvet yarn with a 3.25 mm hook, it was approximately 6 inches tall. And with super bulky blanket yarn with a 7 mm hook, it was approximately 11 inches tall.
How to Crochet a Small Hippo
Arms (make 2)
Do not stuff
Using the body colour
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Round 2-6 (5 rounds): SC around (6)
Now pinch the two ends of the arm together, chain one, and 3 SC through both sides to close the arm. See tutorial at the end of the pattern. Fasten off.
Legs
Using the body colour
Stuff the legs lightly as you go.
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle (4)
Round 2: INC in each stitch (8)
Round 3: SC around in BLO (8)
Round 4: SC around (8)
Fasten off. Make sure that you’ve pulled the magic circle tight so that stuffing doesn’t escape from it.
Repeat rounds 1-4 for the second leg but don’t fasten off.
Body
Stuff as you go. Now we will begin joining the legs.
Round 5: Chain 2 and SC in the next unworked stitch of the first leg. Place a stitch marker in this stitch to mark the start of your round. SC in the remaining 7 stitches of the first leg until you reach the chain, SC in each of the 2 chains, SC in the 8 stitches of the next leg, and SC on the other side of each of the two chains until you reach your stitch marker. (20)
We will be crocheting the tail in the next round.
Round 6: 19 SC, (Ch 5 and starting from the second chain on your hook, 4 sl st), SC in the last stitch of the round (20 plus the tail)
Round 7-10 (4 rounds): SC around (20)
Round 11:(8 SC, INV DEC) twice (18)
Round 12: SC around (18)
During the next round (Round 13), you will crochet the arms into your hippo on either side of the body by crocheting through both the body and the arm. See our tutorial on how to crochet in arms and other body parts.
Round 13: SC around (18)
Round 14: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Head
Round 15: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 16: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 17: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 18-24 (7 rounds): SC around (30)
If you’re using safety eyes, insert them between Rounds 19 and 20, eight stitches apart. Ensure that you have stuffed the body well, especially the neck.
Round 25: (3 SC, INV DEC) six times (24)
Round 26: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 27: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Ensure that you have stuffed the head well.
Round 28: INV DEC six times (6)
Fasten off and leave a tail. Insert the needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close.
Muzzle
Using the body colour
Tip: The muzzle is in an oval shape and will be crocheted around a chain. If this is your first time crocheting an oval, see our crochet oval tutorial.
Round 1: Chain 4. Starting in the second chain from the hook, 2 SC, 3 SC in the next chain as your work turns. Now continue on the other side of the chain. 1 SC and INC in the last chain (8)
Round 2: INC, 1 SC, (INC) in each of the next three stitches, 1 SC, (INC) in each of the next two stitches (14)
Round 3: SC, INC, 1 SC, (SC, INC) three times, 1 SC, (SC, INC) twice (20)
Round 4-5 (2 rounds): SC around (20)
Round 6: (2 SC, INV DEC) five times (15)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff the muzzle and sew it onto your hippo between Rounds 17 and 21.
Ears (make 2)
Using the body colour
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Round 2: SC around (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Pinch the bottoms of the ears together and sew them closed. Sew the ears on between Rounds 4 and 5.
Your small crochet hippo is now complete!
Small Crochet Hippo: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you crocher a large hippo?
If you would prefer to crochet a large hippo, you can try our Hattie the crochet Hippo, a very easy pattern from our Juna Series of animals. She is approximately 8 inches tall and wears the cutest dress!
Alternatively, if you crochet this pattern using super bulky yarn and a 7mm crochet hook, you will have an 11 inch hippo. This large bundle of plushy cuteness will take just two hours to make!
What are other small and quick amigurumi patterns?
If you enjoyed this small crochet hippo, you will love our collection of quick amigurumi patterns! Check out
- the Kozu Palm Pals, a series of mini crochet dolls
- the rest of the Kozu Palm Pets series
- our round of crochet keychains, which take from 15 minutes to an hour to make, depending on the pattern (and of course your skill level and speed!)