Latest news with #JoshuaPaulDale
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘Hippo Birthday': Thailand's Moo Deng Turns 1 Year Old
CHONBURI, Thailand (AFP-Jiji) — Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on July 10, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng — meaning 'bouncy pork' in Thai — frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday, and the agenda includes a lecture on 'Moo Deng's cheekiness,' while a skincare beautician has paid $3,000 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. 'Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born,' said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of 'cuteness' at Japan's Chuo University. 'Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long,' he told AFP. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks, party shirts and popsicles — prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pachyderm quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 livestream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Australia's Pesto the penguin and China's Hua Hua the panda. Pygmy hippos have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years. While academic Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall 'how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born.' 'That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up,' he said.
ABC News
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Thailand's famous hippo, Moo Deng, celebrates her first birthday
Thailand's internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng has celebrated her first birthday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide fame. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng — meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai — frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness" while a skincare beautician has paid $4,500 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings — but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only about 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. "Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks and popsicles — prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pygmy hippo quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 live stream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Melbourne's Pesto the penguin. Pygmy hippos have a life span of between 30 and 50 years. While Mr Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall "how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born". AFP
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Hippo birthday! Thailand's Moo Deng turns one
Moo Deng, the star of Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo, celebrates her first birthday today. (AFP pic) BANGKOK : Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marks her first birthday today, leaving behind the animal infancy that boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng – which means 'Bouncy Pork' in Thai – frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on 'Moo Deng's cheekiness', while a skincare beautician has paid US$3,000 (RM12,760) to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings – but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo, a two-hour drive from Bangkok. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. 'Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born,' said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of 'cuteness' at Japan's Chuo University. 'Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long,' he told AFP. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks, party shirts and popsicles – prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pachyderm quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 livestream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Australia's Pesto the penguin and China's Hua Hua the panda. Pygmy hippos have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years. While Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall 'how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born'. 'That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up,' he said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Hippo Birthday': Thailand's Moo Deng marks one year old
Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng -- meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai -- frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness" while a skincare beautician has paid $3,000 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings -- but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo a two-hour drive from Bangkok. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. "Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University. "Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long," he told AFP. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks, party shirts and popsicles -- prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pachyderm quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 livestream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Australia's Pesto the penguin and China's Hua Hua the panda. Pygmy hippos have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years. While academic Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall "how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born". "That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up," he said. bur-sjc/jts/tym
CNA
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
'Hippo Birthday': Thailand's Moo Deng marks one year old
Thailand's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday (Jul 10), leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng – meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai – frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness" while a skincare beautician has paid US$3,000 (S$3,800) to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings – but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo a two-hour drive from Bangkok. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. "Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University. "Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long," he told AFP. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks, party shirts and popsicles – prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pachyderm quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 livestream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Australia's Pesto the penguin and China's Hua Hua the panda. Pygmy hippos have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years. While academic Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall "how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born". "That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up," he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by สวนสัตว์เปิดเขาเขียว (@
