Celebrate Fiona the Hippo’s Birthday on Hoopla

Celebrate Fiona the Hippo’s Birthday with the Fiona the Hippo BingePass!

Who Is Fiona the Hippo?

Fiona is a Nile hippopotamus who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo. She has been a very big deal since the day she was born (January 24, 2017) because she was a very little hippo. Fiona was born six weeks early and weighed only 29 pounds. Other Nile hippos weigh between 50 and 110 pounds at birth.

Fiona was tiny and needed special care. Fiona had caretakers who were with her around the clock. Her journey was streamed on the Cincinnati Zoo’s Facebook page, and in no time at all, Fiona became a star. A video of the young hippo learning how to walk up and down a ramp was viewed more than 21 million times!

Fiona Has Her Own Books

People love Fiona’s strength and persistence (as well as her cuteness!). There are even books about Fiona and her adventures. In honor of Fiona’s ninthbirthday,we’re excited to introduce the Fiona the Hippo BingePass.

BingePass is unique to the Hoopla streaming service and offers seven days of unlimited access to entire platforms, collections, and series. Explore the rest of Hoopla’s growing BingePass collection, all for free with your library card.    

What’s Included in the Fiona the Hippo BingePass?

Fiona the Hippo is on Hoopla with it's BingePass! Fiona is a Nile hippopotamus who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Hoopla’s Fiona the Hippo BingePass includes 20+ eBooks designed for kids and families. These titles explore Fiona’s life, her caretakers, and her impact. Fiona stands for perseverance, teamwork, and nature conservation—and her brightly illustrated eBooks cover all of those topics and more. With the Fiona the Hippo BingePass, you can read all the books as often as you want for seven days with just one borrow.

Here are a few highlights:

Fiona the Hippo introduces readers to Fiona’s inspiring story.

In Fiona Plays Soccer, the hippo and her zoo friends find a soccer ball and then must work together to get it down from a tree.
As seasons change, Fiona learns that friendship, family, and love remain constant—even when everything else feels different in You’ve Got this, Fiona.
In honor of Fiona’s birthday, Happy Birthday, Fiona finds the hippo missing her friends. She throws her own birthday party and gives them some of her own gifts.

All these books and more are part of Hoopla’s Fiona the Hippo BingePass.

How Old Is Fiona the Hippo?

Fiona was born on January 24, 2017. She turns 9 years old this year. Her birthday is a day of celebration at the zoo. Because Fiona is so famous, she receives cards and gifts from people all over the world.

A Few More Fiona Facts:

Fiona has a baby brother. Fritz was born in 2022 and lives with his big sister in Cincinnati.
Fiona is a Nile hippopotamus. The name means “water horse.” These hippos are herbivores and are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Full-grown Nile hippos usually weigh around 3,000 pounds.
The zookeepers and staff who cared for her after she was born gave Fiona her name. She is named after Fiona in Shrek because their ear shapes are similar. Also, the name means “fair.”