Hippo Coloring Pages
Make free printable hippo coloring pages from 13 hippo pictures we drew ourselves: a hippo on the riverbank, a hippo peeking out of the river with just its eyes and ears showing, a hippo opening its jaws wide, a mother hippo and her calf, a hippo with a little bird on its back, a hippo among the water lilies, a hippo in a mud wallow, a hippo grazing by an acacia tree, a hippo walking on the river bed with fish and bubbles, a round baby hippo, two hippos in the water, a hippo at sunset and a big simple hippo for little ones. Every hippo is our own drawing of the real animal, with no film, TV, book, game, toy or cartoon hippos or characters, no famous zoo hippos, no clothes and no grins, so the pages suit homes, classrooms and libraries. Print one big hippo on a page, a grid of four or six small ones, a scene of hippos at the river, a fold-in-half card, or a hippo mandala with small hippos round the edge and a new pattern at the press of a button. Blank hippos to decorate prints 1, 2, 4 or 6 plain hippo outlines with no eye, skin or toe lines, so children can design their own; one fills a 186 mm square on US Letter. Type a child’s name for a name page, or paste a class list to get the same hippo for everyone with each name at the top. Choose simple, medium or detailed lines, never thinner than 0.5 mm. Download one multi-page PDF for US Letter or A4, a 300 DPI PNG of every page, or an SVG. No sign-up, no watermark.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Names stay in your browser; the PDF, PNG and SVG are made on your device.
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Runs in your browser with our own code; names and words never leave your device, and nothing is saved. Every picture is our own drawing, black lines on white, with no film, book or cartoon characters, mascots, brands or logos. The hippos are our own simple drawings of the real animal, with no film, TV, book, game, toy or cartoon hippos or characters, no famous or named zoo hippos, no clothes and no grins. The blank hippos have no eye, skin or toe lines drawn, for designing your own. The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed. The lettering fonts keep their own open licenses.
How to make and print hippo coloring pages
- Choose what to make: one big picture, several small pictures, the hippos at the river scene, blank hippos to decorate, the lettering poster, a name page, a class set, a card, a mandala, or a whole pack.
- Pick the picture, or tick the ones you want for a grid or pack.
- Choose the lines: simple for little ones, medium, or detailed for older children and adults.
- Add a title, change the poster words, type a name or paste your class list, and pick the lettering.
- Choose US Letter or A4 and download the PDF, or a PNG of every page.
- Print on plain paper at 100% (Actual size).
What you can use it for
- An African animals or rivers topic at school
- Animals that live in and out of water
- Design your own hippo on the blank outlines
- Class sets with each child’s name
- Toddlers: the hippo peeking out of the river and the hippo in a mud wallow with simple lines
- Detailed hippo mandalas, the river bed and the water lilies for older children and adults
The 13 hippo pictures
| Picture | Shapes to color: simple | Medium | Detailed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hippo on the riverbank | 19 | 36 | 48 |
| Hippo peeking out of the river | 6 | 11 | 19 |
| Hippo opening its jaws wide | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| Mother hippo and her calf | 23 | 36 | 60 |
| Hippo with a little bird on its back | 15 | 21 | 34 |
| Hippo among the water lilies | 12 | 25 | 37 |
| Hippo in a mud wallow | 9 | 18 | 26 |
| Hippo grazing by an acacia tree | 13 | 20 | 33 |
| Hippo walking on the river bed | 17 | 26 | 40 |
| Round baby hippo | 10 | 24 | 42 |
| Two hippos in the water | 11 | 17 | 28 |
| Hippo at sunset | 20 | 28 | 41 |
| Big simple hippo | 10 | 16 | 28 |
Shapes are the closed outlines the tool draws for each picture at each level, counted by the tool. Simple keeps the hippos, water, trees and the bigger props; Medium adds the eyes, nostrils, jaw lines, ripples and skin folds; Detailed adds toes, wrinkles, the inner ears and the smallest lines.
Blank hippos to decorate
| Hippos per page | Each fits (US Letter) | Each fits (A4) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 186 mm square | 181 mm square |
| 2 | 120 mm square | 129 mm square |
| 4 | 89 mm square | 86 mm square |
| 6 | 77 mm square | 83 mm square |
Sizes are for the page with No title chosen; a title at the top makes them a little smaller. Each blank outline is a plain hippo (head, eye knob, ear, body, four legs and tail) with no eye, skin or toe lines (9 shapes), so the design is up to you.
Simple to detailed lines
| Lines | Outlines | Small details | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | 1.8 mm | 1.4 mm | Toddlers, chunky crayons, big markers |
| Medium | 1.1 mm | 0.8 mm | Most children, colored pencils |
| Detailed | 0.75 mm | 0.5 mm | Older children and adults, fine pens and pencils |
Line widths are measured at print size. The thinnest line on any page is 0.5 mm, so every shape stays open to color.
What you can make
| Page | What prints |
|---|---|
| One big picture | One picture filling the page, with an optional title at the top and an optional frame |
| Several small pictures | Four or six pictures on one page, each in its own box |
| Hippos at the river | Two hippos in the river and one on the far bank, with reeds and an acacia tree, under clouds and a sun; Medium adds eyes, nostrils and ripples, Detailed adds toes and the smallest lines |
| Blank hippos to decorate | 1, 2, 4 or 6 plain hippos, to decorate |
| Lettering poster | Two lines of big hollow letters to color (“Hip Hip” and “Hippo” or your own words) above three pictures |
| Name page | Words such as “Colored by” and a name in large hollow letters, with three pictures |
| Class set | The same picture for every child, each page with one child’s name at the top (up to 40 names) |
| Fold-in-half card | Picture and title on the front, a small picture on the back: 139.7 × 215.9 mm (5.5 × 8.5 in) from US Letter, 148.5 × 210 mm (A5) from A4 |
| Hippo mandala | A symmetric pattern with small hippos round the edge; every pattern number gives a new design |
| Whole pack | Your ticked pictures, one per page, plus the scene, the poster, three mandalas and a name page if you choose |
Titles you can choose: Hippos, River Friends, Hip Hip Hippo, Big and Splashy, Hippo Days, or your own words. Lettering styles: Fredoka, Baloo 2, Sniglet, Cherry Bomb One.
Hippo facts to read while you color
- Hippos cannot float. They push off the bottom or walk along the river bed, as the hippo with the fish does.
- A hippo can hold its breath for five minutes or more under water.
- Hippos leave the water after dark to graze, and eat about 40 kg (88 lb) of food a night.
- Hippos have no true sweat glands; their skin makes a thick reddish fluid that protects it.
- Find the eye knobs and ears on top of each head: they stay above the water when the rest of the hippo is under it.
Source for the first four facts: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Animals and Plants, Hippo; read 11 November 2026.
Coloring ideas
- Hippos: gray, gray-brown or purple-gray, with a pinker belly, ears and snout.
- Water: blue or green, with lighter ripples; the lily pads green with pink or white flowers.
- Mud: brown, with darker patches; sunset: orange, pink and gold.
Printing tips
- Every page keeps a 12.7 mm (half inch) margin from the paper edge, on US Letter and A4.
- Plain paper is fine for crayons and pencils; use thicker paper or card for markers or paint.
- Print one page first and check it before printing a whole pack or class set.
- Choose Detailed lines only with fine pens or sharp pencils, and Simple lines with chunky crayons.
More things to make
- Turn a photo of a river or your favorite zoo animal into line art to color: Photo to Coloring Page.
- Draw your own symmetric patterns: Mandala Maker.
- A paper mask to color as a hippo: Mask Template.
- A word puzzle to go with the pages: Word Search Maker.
More free printables
More to make with hippos?
Line art from your own photos, mandalas to draw, masks, more animals and word searches: free tools that run in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
Are these hippo coloring pages free?
Yes. Every page is free to make, download and print, with no sign-up and no watermark. All the hippos are our own drawings.
Which hippo pictures are there?
13: hippo on the riverbank, hippo peeking out of the river, hippo opening its jaws wide, mother hippo and her calf, hippo with a little bird on its back, hippo among the water lilies, hippo in a mud wallow, hippo grazing by an acacia tree, hippo walking on the river bed, round baby hippo, two hippos in the water, hippo at sunset, big simple hippo. On top of those there is a scene of hippos at the river, blank hippos, a mandala, a lettering poster and name pages.
Are there cute hippos and realistic hippos?
Yes. The round baby hippo and the big simple hippo are the cute ones; the others show a real hippo’s barrel body, short legs, eye knobs and small ears on top of the head, and the calf beside its mother.
Are there cartoon or film hippos?
No. None of the hippos is from a film, TV show, book, game or toy, and none is a famous zoo hippo. There are no clothes, tutus or grins, so children can make each hippo their own.
Why are some hippos half under water?
Hippos spend the day in rivers and lakes and come out at night to graze. In four pictures the water is drawn in front, so only the top of the hippo shows, the way you would see one in a river.
Can children design their own hippo?
Yes. Choose Blank hippos to decorate and pick 1, 2, 4 or 6 per page. Each is a plain hippo (head, eye knob, ear, body, four legs and tail) with no eye, skin or toe lines. With no title, one fills a 186 mm square on US Letter; six fill 77 mm squares.
Which hippo pages suit toddlers and preschoolers?
Choose Simple lines: big shapes with thick outlines. The hippo peeking out of the river and the hippo in a mud wallow have the fewest shapes, as the table shows.
Can I make a page for every child in my class?
Yes. Choose Class set, pick a picture and paste the names, one per line, up to 40. Each child gets the same picture with their own name in hollow letters at the top, all in one PDF.
Are there hippo coloring pages for adults?
Yes. Choose Hippo mandala with Detailed lines: each pattern number gives a different symmetric design. Choose 16 repeats for the most intricate pattern.
Can I sell what I make with these pages?
Yes. The pictures are our own drawings, and the note under the tool sets out how you may use them, including for things you sell.
How do I print the coloring pages?
Download the PDF and print it on plain paper. Choose 100% or Actual size to keep the margins and sizes as drawn; Fit to page also works if your printer cuts off the edges.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Names and words are not sent anywhere, and nothing is saved when you close the page.