This is a humorous absurdist book for teenagers and non-children alike, depicting an ordinary day in the life of the Hippo—waking up in bed, having breakfast, taking out the trash, riding the trolleybus, going to the store, sitting in the office, and possibly even sitting in the bathroom. Each illustration is accompanied by a short sentence describing the situation, which always ends with the bolded phrase, “wants to poop.”
The urge to poop reflects the character’s existential state—he feels weighed down by the monotony of daily life, fears, and depression, so even the slightest activity brings on the need to relieve himself. The choice of a hippo as the main character was deliberate, given the common tale in society of a hippo who was afraid of vaccinations.
There’s also a humorous biological aspect to the hippo itself—hippos mark their territory in a wide radius by flinging feces with their tails. This gives the urge to poop a meaning beyond just a reaction to fear; it becomes a symbol of liberation, self-expression, and unrestrained nature. Still, it’s doubtful the character will achieve this, and by the end of the story, he’ll remain exactly the same as he was at the beginning—simply wanting to poop. The book begins and ends in an absurd, unchanging cycle.
