Ever wonder why a hippo's skin turns pink in the sun?
These free hippo coloring pages run from a small hippo standing in shallow water to one zipped into a spacesuit, with 25 sheets to print at home. Some are chunky outlines a preschooler can finish in a few minutes, others pack in tall grass, coral and flower beds for kids who like taking their time.
Hippos make a good coloring subject because the real animal is stranger than most cartoons let on. Further down there are notes on what color a hippo actually is, plus five things to make with the finished sheets.
Pick the ones you want, print them, and hand over the gray crayons.
Hippo in Shallow Water
A round little hippo stands in shallow water with ripples spreading out around its feet. A few droplets hang in the air on either side, so try a pale blue for those and a stronger blue for the ripples underneath. The background is left wide open, which leaves room for kids to draw their own riverbank. Big shapes and thick lines make this a sensible first sheet for younger colorers.
A grown hippo stands beside a leafy tree while a much smaller one waits on a picnic mat with a basket of round fruit. Two greens, one for the canopy and one for the grass tufts, keep the top and bottom of the page from blending together. The fruit is the one place to reach for reds and oranges. Older kids can add short pencil strokes down the trunk for bark texture.
This hippo stands up on its back legs in a patch of jungle leaves, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Palm fronds and tall stems fill the corners, so there is plenty of green to get through before you even reach the hippo. Black or deep purple on the shades pops against a plain gray body. The leafy background has lots of narrow gaps, which suits colored pencils better than fat crayons, and our dance coloring pages are a good follow-up if your child wants more movement on the page.
Two little hippos share a single swing seat that hangs by ropes from a wooden beam. Brown suits the beam and the seat, and the ropes can be any color you like. Small grass tufts along the bottom leave space to draw in the rest of the playground. The two faces sit close together, so this one rewards a careful hand around the eyes.
A hippo faces straight out through a screen of tall grass, with only its head and front legs clear of the stems. The blades are long and thin, which is good practice for staying inside narrow lines. Layering a light green and a dark green makes the stems look like they sit at different depths. The freckled muzzle takes a lighter pink nicely.
A happy hippo sits low in the water while big round bubbles drift up around its head. There is no tub drawn in, just water and foam, so kids can decide whether this is bath time or a river. Leaving the bubbles white with a thin blue outline keeps them looking see-through. The ripple lines underneath make an easy warm-up before the detailed face.
A big hippo and a much smaller one stand in the grass with a soccer ball between them. The black and white panels on the ball are the quickest win on this page, and the grass tufts take almost no time. Try your best gray on the larger hippo and a lighter shade on the small one so the two read as separate characters. It prints well for a team party or the end of a season.
The easel here holds a completely blank canvas, which makes this sheet two activities in one. Color the hippo and the wooden stand first, then let your child draw a small picture inside the empty frame. A paintbrush reaches toward the canvas, so pick something bright for the bristles. Light pencil shading under the feet stops the floor looking bare.
An apron-wearing hippo stands in a kitchen with pans hanging from a rack overhead. The pots and cupboard doors break the scene into lots of separate shapes, so it suits kids who like filling in small areas one at a time. Copper or silver on the hanging pans looks good against a plain apron. No plates are drawn in, which leaves the counter free for your child to add a meal.
This hippo wears a spacesuit with a tank pack on its back, surrounded by outline stars and scattered dots. A dark blue or black background makes the suit stand out, though it takes a lot of crayon to fill. Yellow on the stars is the fast route to a finished page, and the small dots can stay white as distant specks. Pair it with a bedtime book about space.
A cape hangs behind this hippo and an eye mask sits across its face. Red and blue is the obvious pick for the cape, though green and gold looks just as good. The body is drawn with big clear shapes and almost no background, so it colors quickly. Cut it out afterward and tape it to a craft stick for a simple puppet.
A party hat sits between this hippo’s ears while balloons float behind and a cake with lit candles waits in the corner. Give each balloon its own color so the top of the page stays busy. The candle flames are small, so a fine-tip marker or a sharp pencil helps there. Print a stack of these for a birthday party table and let guests color their own.
A hippo strums a guitar with a drum kit set up behind it, cymbals and all. Wood browns on the guitar body and metallic gray on the cymbals give the scene some contrast. The drum shells are wide open areas, so they are a good place to try stripes or a band name. Older kids can add a crowd along the bottom edge.
A hippo peers over the side of a wooden boat flying skull and crossbones pirate flags. The hull is built from long horizontal planks, an easy area to fill with browns. Leaving the sail cream or off-white keeps the flags the boldest thing on the page. The water lines below curve in every direction, so kids can go as light or as dark as they like with the blue.
This hippo wears a jacket covered in large flower shapes, head tilted up. Every petal is a separate little space, so it is a patient job that pays off with a bold result. Pick two or three colors and repeat them across the flowers to stop the pattern turning muddy. The plain body underneath gives the jacket room to stand out.
A stethoscope hangs around this hippo’s neck and a round head mirror sits above its eyes. Coats are hard to color convincingly, so try leaving it pale and putting the color into the stethoscope tubing instead. The pocket gives one small detail for anyone who likes precision. It is a friendly sheet to have out the week before a checkup.
A top hat and a star-tipped wand turn this hippo into a magician, with a few sparkles drawn near the wand. Black on the hat with a colored band around it is the classic look. The body is mostly open space, so it finishes fast between longer sheets. Ask your child what trick just happened and write the answer under the picture.
Big daisy-shaped flowers crowd in on both sides of this front-facing hippo. The petals radiate out from dark centers, which makes them good practice for coloring around a circle. Mixing yellows, pinks and purples across the blooms keeps the two sides from looking identical. The hippo itself is drawn plainly, so the flowers carry the page, and there are more like it in our garden coloring pages.
Water flies up around this hippo’s legs while round droplets hang in the air on both sides. It has a wide open-mouthed grin, so it is worth slowing down around the muzzle. Two strengths of blue, light for the droplets and stronger for the water below, sell the movement. Everything above the waterline is open space, which keeps it manageable for a five-year-old.
A long buttoned coat and a magnifying glass turn this hippo into a detective. The lens is left empty, so kids can draw a tiny clue inside it. Tan or brown suits the coat, and the pockets and buttons give somewhere to add a second shade. There is no background at all, which makes it a quick print for a mystery-themed party.
A hippo balances on a pair of skis with pine trees standing behind it on the slope. The trees are simple layered triangles, so the background fills in fast. Try leaving the snow white and putting all the color into the skis and the trees. The small sprigs of brush around the edges are the fiddliest part, so save those for last.
An open beach umbrella shades this hippo while curling waves roll in around it. The umbrella panels are the fun part, and alternating two colors is the easy way to handle them. A folding chair sits behind, and the wave curls give room to layer blues and greens. Print it at the start of a summer trip and it will keep a child busy in the car.
One hippo stands in a ruffled tutu with a small crown on its head. The skirt is drawn in layers, and giving each layer a slightly different shade of the same color makes it look fuller. Pink and lilac are the usual choice, though a deep blue tutu looks striking against gray, as our ballerina coloring pages also show. Keep the crown yellow so the eye travels to the top of the page.
A hippo stands in a karate uniform with a belt knotted at the waist and one arm drawn back. The uniform is mostly white, so the belt is where the color goes, and kids can pick whichever rank they are working toward. There is no background, which keeps everything on the stance. Print two and let a pair of siblings color matching belts.
A hippo walks along the bottom of the water with fish drifting past and coral clustered in the corner. The walking-on-the-bottom pose matches how real hippos move, even though the coral reef around it is invented. Coral and seaweed take warm colors well, so let oranges and pinks sit against the blue. Small bubbles are scattered through the scene, and leaving them uncolored keeps them looking like air.
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What Should Kids Know About Real Hippos?
Real hippos are much heavier than the round cartoon versions on these sheets: an adult male common hippo averages about 3,408 pounds and a female about 3,053 pounds, and both usually live 40 to 50 years (1). That weight is also why a hippo cannot float. It walks along the riverbed instead, holding its breath for around 5 minutes at a stretch with its ears and nostrils clamped shut.
The reddish fluid people call blood sweat is neither blood nor sweat. It is a mucus that dries into a crystal layer, holds moisture in and bounces sunlight back much like sunscreen. That is why a light pink wash over gray skin is a realistic coloring choice rather than an invented one.
Hippos are also quicker than they look. Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College filmed 32 hippos and found that the animals trot, and that at speed all four feet leave the ground for roughly a third of a second (2). “We were pleasantly surprised to see how hippos get airborne when they move quickly. It’s really impressive!” said Professor John Hutchinson, who led the study.
What Can You Do With Hippo Coloring Pages?
A finished hippo sheet turns into five things kids can build: a 3D stand-up figure, a feed-the-hippo toss game, a shoebox riverbank diorama, texture art in felt or sand, and hippo fact cards. Each one starts with a printed page.
Create a 3D Stand-Up Hippo
Print onto heavy cardstock, then cut the hippo out once the coloring is done. Tape a folded cardboard triangle or an empty paper towel tube to the back so it stands on its own. The costume sheets work best here because the outlines are simple and there is little background to trim away. A row of them along a shelf makes a homemade zoo.
Feed the Hungry Hippo Game
Color one of the front-facing sheets, cut out the head, and glue it to the side of a tissue box. Cut a hole where the mouth is, then have kids crumple paper scraps into balls and toss them in. Score a point for every landed shot and move the box back a step each round. It gets loud, so it works better outside.
Hippo Habitat Diorama
Use a shoe box to build a riverbank. Paint the inside blue at the bottom and green up the sides, then stand the cut-out hippos inside on cardboard tabs. Real twigs, small stones and dried leaves make the bank look right. Since hippos rest in the water by day and graze at night, ask your child which half of the day the scene shows.
Texture Exploration Art
Hippo skin is thick and rough, so let kids fill the body with something other than crayon. Gray felt, sandpaper, torn tissue paper and even sand glued in patches all work. The tall grass and flower sheets give a second surface to try a different material on. Tearing and placing the pieces builds the same fine motor control as cutting.
Hippo Fact Sheet Cards
Turn the finished pages into flashcards by writing one fact on the back of each. The section above gives five to start with: the weight, the lifespan, the 5 minute breath hold, the blood sweat, and the airborne trot. Punch a hole in the corner and put them on a ring so the set grows over time.
FAQs
What Colors Should I Use for a Hippo?
Slate gray with a brownish tint is the most realistic color for a hippo, with pink showing around the eyes, ears and muzzle. Real hippos also give off a reddish mucus that tints their skin, so a light pink wash over the back is accurate rather than fanciful. Match the color choice to the sheet: the tall grass and seabed pages suit true grays, while the costume sheets can go anywhere, including purple, blue or bright green.
Where Do Hippos Live in the Wild?
Common hippos live in sub-Saharan Africa, in rivers, lakes and swamps with grassland close by. They spend the day submerged to keep their skin cool and damp, then come out after dark to graze. That daily routine is why so many of these sheets put the hippo in or beside water. If your child colors the tall grass page, the setting is close to the real thing.
Are These Coloring Pages Free to Print?
Yes, every sheet on this page is free to print for home and classroom use, with nothing to sign up for. Download the ones you want and print as many copies as you need. For a group, print a mix of the simple outlines and the detailed scenes so every child gets one that fits. Reselling the sheets is the only use that is off the table.
What Is the Best Paper for These Printables?
Standard printer paper handles crayons and colored pencils fine. Switch to cardstock if you plan to use markers, watercolor or glue, since thin paper buckles and lets marker bleed through to the next page. Cardstock also holds its shape if you want to cut a sheet out for the crafts above. Set the printer to its best quality so the thin grass and coral lines stay crisp.
Can Hippos Really Swim?
No, hippos do not swim the way we do, because they are too dense to float. They walk and push along the bottom of the riverbed instead, holding their breath for about 5 minutes at a time, with their ears and nostrils shutting tight as they go under. The seabed sheet in this set shows that walk more accurately than most cartoon hippos do.
What Are Baby Hippos Called?
A baby hippo is called a calf. Calves are usually born in the water and have to reach the surface for their first breath, and they stay close to their mother afterward. Two sheets here put a much smaller hippo next to a large one, so they are the ones to reach for if you want to talk about hippo families. Ask your child which of the two they think is older.
