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GMM Music, one of Thailand’s largest music companies has released a song for viral baby Pygmy hippo Moo Deng.
Moo Deng, which means “bouncy pork” in Thai, has captured the hearts of people across the world, rising to global fame just a month after she was unveiled on Facebook by the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand’s southern Chon Buri province. Her mom Jona and her caregiver are also featured on social media.
Now she has an official song produced and written by well-known Thai composer Mueanphet Ammara. You can find it on YouTube and streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
The 50-second upbeat song available in four languages—Thai, English, Chinese and Japanese—is composed of simple repetitive lyrics like, “Moodeng, moodeng, deng, deng…/Moodeng, boing, boing…/Mommy, mommy play with me. Please mommy come play with me.”
Flaunt Weeekly Who Is Moo Deng?
Moo Deng, who is now four months old, is a pygmy hippopotamus, an endangered species threatened by poaching and loss of habitat.
The entertaining hippo likes to “deng,” or bounce around her enclosure and has been filmed playfully biting her caregiver’s knee.
Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa and there are only 2,000 to 3,000 of them left in the wild.
Flaunt Weeekly Moo Deng On SNL
Moo Deng’s fame has surpassed social media appearing in a skit on NBC‘s Saturday Night Live. Her image has also been used by sports teams and businesses.
In late September, comedian Bowen Yang played Moo Deng during a recurring segment called the Weekend Update.
“For the past 10 weeks, I have been going non-stop, running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose. And the response has been overwhelming.”
Who added: “I’m your favorite hippo’s favorite hippo,” a reference to rising pop singer Chappell Roan‘s phrase, “I’m your favorite artist’s favorite artist”—a homage to drag queen Sasha Colby, who has said, “I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”
Flaunt Weeekly Where Can I Visit Moo Deng?
Moo Deng lives at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, about a two-hour drive from Thailand’s capital of Bangkok.
The hippo has drawn a huge amount of visitors to the zoo which has profited off of selling clothes, bedding and other merchandise based on Moo Deng.
The zoo estimated that it has received a daily average of 3,000 to 5,000 visitors in the past few months.
Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi has said the extra money generated from Moo Deng will help its breeding programs for many endangered species including pygmy hippos.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in …Read more
