--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just…" description: "\"Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?\" — Mitch Hedberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png" --- # Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool… ![“Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?” quote by Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png) > “Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?” [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A playful wordplay that questions identity and highlights absurdity in naming. **In simple terms:** It jokes about names being funny. Key Takeaway Enjoy humor that challenges expectations. Themes humor language absurdity Mood playful lighthearted Type comedic observational When to use this quote - casual conversation - stand-up routine - social media memes Key Concepts wordplay identity philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What makes a name feel right? - How does absurd humor affect perception? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper linguistic concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cool Opotamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cool-opotamus-4641870/) [Hippopotamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippopotamus/) [Hippopotamus Hippopotamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippopotamus-hippopotamus-4641871/) [Hippopotamus Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippopotamus-just-4641869/) [Really cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-cool/) ## Related quotes > [“they knew what we’re doing for them, they’d kiss our feet. But mentally they are closer to the crocodile and the hippopotamus than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/they-knew-what-we-re-doing-for-them-they-d-kiss-our-feet-but-mentally/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The hippopotamus looks monogamous- he looks as if he would have to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-hippopotamus-looks-monogamous-he-looks-as-if-he-would-have-to-be/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [I have never been able to entertain a God-idea which was not integrally related to the fact of chipmunks, squirrels, hippopotamuses, galaxies, and light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/i-have-never-been-able-to-entertain-a-god-idea-which-was-not/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [“Frankly, I couldn't be more astonished that this guy was involved in something like this than if you came riding through my apartment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/frankly-i-couldn-t-be-more-astonished-that-this-guy-was-involved-in/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [The hippopotamus is a vegetarian and looks like a wall. Lions who eat only red meat are sleek and slim. Are nutritionists on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/the-hippopotamus-is-a-vegetarian-and-looks-like-a-wall-lions-who-eat/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [I found in one of the tombs an inscription saying, 'If you touch my tomb, you will be eaten by a crocodile and hippopotamus.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zahi-hawass/i-found-in-one-of-the-tombs-an-inscription-saying-if-you-touch-my/) [Zahi Hawass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zahi-hawass/) > [There is no need to worry about mere size. We do not necessarily respect a fat man more than a thin man. Sir Isaac…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-need-to-worry-about-mere-size-we-do-not-necessarily/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [ \[his healing skills\] ..lay in the ability to comfort, to comfort in the proper sense, to make strong, to fortify from The Hippopotamus ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/his-healing-skills-lay-in-the-ability-to-comfort-to-comfort-in-the-2/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [A hippo sandwich is easy to make. All you do is simply take one slice of bread, one slice of cake, some mayonnaise, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/a-hippo-sandwich-is-easy-to-make-all-you-do-is-simply-take-one-slice/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [A man is born an artist as a hippopotamus is born a hippopotamus; and you can no more make yourself one than you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-is-born-an-artist-as-a-hippopotamus-is-born-a-hippopotamus-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have figured for you the distance between the horns of a dilemma, night and day, and A and Z. I have computed how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-have-figured-for-you-the-distance-between-the-horns-of-a-dilemma/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [“Dressing, I chose the second shirt, the one softened in the mouth of a trained and perfumed albino hippopotamus and made entirely of pigeon's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/dressing-i-chose-the-second-shirt-the-one-softened-in-the-mouth-of-a/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [Molecular genetics can show off some surprising relationships like, for example, the close relationship of whales to hippopotamuses, which I think nobody ever guessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/molecular-genetics-can-show-off-some-surprising-relationships-like/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Marriage! ... Why, it is like living in a thimble with a hippopotamus!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/marriage-why-it-is-like-living-in-a-thimble-with-a-hippopotamus/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [A man looking at a hippopotamus may sometimes be tempted to regard a hippopotamus as an enormous mistake; but he is also bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-man-looking-at-a-hippopotamus-may-sometimes-be-tempted-to-regard-a/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More by Mitch Hedberg > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I like wearing necklaces, because it lets me know when I'm upside down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-like-wearing-necklaces-because-it-lets-me-know-when-i-m-upside-down/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I'm sick of Soup Of The Day, man. It's time we make a decision. I need to know what Soup From Now On is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-sick-of-soup-of-the-day-man-it-s-time-we-make-a-decision-i-need/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I don't get the regular AIDS test anymore. I get the roundabout AIDS test. I ask my friend Brian, "Do you know anybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-get-the-regular-aids-test-anymore-i-get-the-roundabout-aids/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I don't know how to fix a car. If the car breaks down, and the gas tank does not say "E", I'm screwed. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-know-how-to-fix-a-car-if-the-car-breaks-down-and-the-gas-tank/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I drank some boiling water because I wanted to whistle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-drank-some-boiling-water-because-i-wanted-to-whistle/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [What's a sesame seed grow into? I don't know we never give them a chance, what the fuck is a sesame?! It's a street...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/what-s-a-sesame-seed-grow-into-i-don-t-know-we-never-give-them-a/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I'm an ice sculptor. Last night I made a cube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-an-ice-sculptor-last-night-i-made-a-cube/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I went to a restaurant with my friend, and he said, "Pass the salt." I said, "Screw you! Sit closer to the salt."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-went-to-a-restaurant-with-my-friend-and-he-said-pass-the-salt-i/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I had a bag of Fritos, they were Texas grilled Fritos. These Fritos had grill marks on them. They remind me of summer, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-had-a-bag-of-fritos-they-were-texas-grilled-fritos-these-fritos-had/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I bought a house, it's a two bedroom house, but I think it's up to me to decide how many bedrooms there are. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-bought-a-house-it-s-a-two-bedroom-house-but-i-think-it-s-up-to-me/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Mr. Pibb is a poor imitation of Dr. Pepper. Dude didn't even get his degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/mr-pibb-is-a-poor-imitation-of-dr-pepper-dude-didn-t-even-get-his/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) [Explore all 405 Mitch Hedberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) ## More Hippopotamus quotes > [“they knew what we’re doing for them, they’d kiss our feet. But mentally they are closer to the crocodile and the hippopotamus than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/they-knew-what-we-re-doing-for-them-they-d-kiss-our-feet-but-mentally/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Marriage! ... Why, it is like living in a thimble with a hippopotamus!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/marriage-why-it-is-like-living-in-a-thimble-with-a-hippopotamus/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [Molecular genetics can show off some surprising relationships like, for example, the close relationship of whales to hippopotamuses, which I think nobody ever guessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/molecular-genetics-can-show-off-some-surprising-relationships-like/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Dressing, I chose the second shirt, the one softened in the mouth of a trained and perfumed albino hippopotamus and made entirely of pigeon's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/dressing-i-chose-the-second-shirt-the-one-softened-in-the-mouth-of-a/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [I have figured for you the distance between the horns of a dilemma, night and day, and A and Z. I have computed how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-have-figured-for-you-the-distance-between-the-horns-of-a-dilemma/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [A man is born an artist as a hippopotamus is born a hippopotamus; and you can no more make yourself one than you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-is-born-an-artist-as-a-hippopotamus-is-born-a-hippopotamus-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A hippo sandwich is easy to make. All you do is simply take one slice of bread, one slice of cake, some mayonnaise, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/a-hippo-sandwich-is-easy-to-make-all-you-do-is-simply-take-one-slice/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [ \[his healing skills\] ..lay in the ability to comfort, to comfort in the proper sense, to make strong, to fortify from The Hippopotamus ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/his-healing-skills-lay-in-the-ability-to-comfort-to-comfort-in-the-2/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [There is no need to worry about mere size. We do not necessarily respect a fat man more than a thin man. Sir Isaac…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-need-to-worry-about-mere-size-we-do-not-necessarily/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I found in one of the tombs an inscription saying, 'If you touch my tomb, you will be eaten by a crocodile and hippopotamus.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zahi-hawass/i-found-in-one-of-the-tombs-an-inscription-saying-if-you-touch-my/) [Zahi Hawass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zahi-hawass/) > [The hippopotamus is a vegetarian and looks like a wall. Lions who eat only red meat are sleek and slim. Are nutritionists on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/the-hippopotamus-is-a-vegetarian-and-looks-like-a-wall-lions-who-eat/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“Frankly, I couldn't be more astonished that this guy was involved in something like this than if you came riding through my apartment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/frankly-i-couldn-t-be-more-astonished-that-this-guy-was-involved-in/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [I have never been able to entertain a God-idea which was not integrally related to the fact of chipmunks, squirrels, hippopotamuses, galaxies, and light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/i-have-never-been-able-to-entertain-a-god-idea-which-was-not/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [The hippopotamus looks monogamous- he looks as if he would have to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-hippopotamus-looks-monogamous-he-looks-as-if-he-would-have-to-be/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [A man looking at a hippopotamus may sometimes be tempted to regard a hippopotamus as an enormous mistake; but he is also bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-man-looking-at-a-hippopotamus-may-sometimes-be-tempted-to-regard-a/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 32 Hippopotamus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippopotamus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Hedberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just-a-really-cool-opotamus/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hippopotamus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just-a-really-cool-opotamus/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mitch-hedberg-695_hippopotamus_is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just_559517.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool Opotamus?” — Mitch Hedberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mitch Hedberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just-a-really-cool-opotamus/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/is-a-hippopotamus-a-hippopotamus-or-just-a-really-cool-opotamus/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```