Hippo Pool

**The Hippo Pool** or **Known Habitat of the Hippopotamus** is a location from the *Jungle Cruise*.

## Description

The Hippo Pool is a waterbody on the Nile river in North Africa. The pool was located on the river near the African veldt and river connecting to Schweitzer Falls. True to its name, the pool was densely populated with hippopotamuses, a highly violent and territorial animal which made the pool dangerous to pass through. Due to being located along the main Nile river and also located in North Africa, the territory would have either been located in the nation of Egypt or Sudan.

## History

### Background

The Hippo Pool is a waterbody near the Nile River's African veldt which is densely populated by hippos. The pool was documented around 1891 by Dr. Albert Falls on the 9th/10th day of an expedition to map the *Rivers of Adventureland*. Falls noted the region as being dangerous and needing to be passed by quickly.

The *Jungle Cruise* tours of the Jungle Navigation Company would often pass through the waters. The evade hippo attacks, skippers often used guns to scare the hippos off though sometimes would simply resort to yelling. In 1938, skipper Felix Pechman XIII wrecked his boat the Kwango Kate in the pool before he and his passengers abandoned ship for the African veldt.

### Development history

The Jungle Cruise used to utilize real guns loaded with blanks as a means of scaring off the hippos. Following the attacks on the two towers on September 11, 2001, Disney removed these guns from the Magic Kingdom and replaced them with realistic props connected to a gunshot on the P.A. system. Disneyland continues using blank-firing guns as a means of signalling other cast-members in case of emergency.

In the 2021 refurbishments, a sunken boat was added to the scene as part of the new narrative. This sunken boat was inspired by the sinking of the boat the *Bomokandi Bertha* at Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise in 2020.

## Appearances

### Jungle Cruise

The Hippo Pool is passed through in this attraction. In the queue, Albert Awol has the line, "All skippers should take note of the following changes along *the Jungle Cruise* rivers:  first, it is no longer considered sporty to hold small children over the edge of the boat while traveling through the hippo pool .  Contrary to popular belief, this does not stop their ears from wiggling.  That's the hippos, of course, not the children".

### Skipper Canteen

There is an illustration of hippos within the pool in the menus.

### Trader Sam's

These bars serve a drink called Hippopotomai-Tai which when ordered leads to skippers shouting out, "Two shots" to represent the two shots of rum in the drink and reference the gunshots of the ride. In sync with this, an effect is triggered which is made to look like gunshots are being fired at the ceiling of the bar. The menu description for this drink mentions the hippo pool.

At Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, one of Sam's house rules is, "*NO HARASSING THE HIPPOS!*". At Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar there is a smashed open gun-case reading, "In case of hippo attack break glass!". In Florida, the glass is curiously modelled after Maui, the mascot of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort while in California is resembled the Gill-Man from *The Creature from the Black Lagoon* (1954).

## In other media

### Film

#### Jungle Cruise (film)

Frank Wolff has a mechanical hippo resembling those of the hippo pool which he uses for his Jungle Cruise.

### Paraphernalia

#### Jungle Cruise Adventure Game

The Hippo Pool is featured on the board and serves as an obstacle.

## Trivia

* The Hippo Pool is a typical example of submechanophobia, a phobia made popular by the internet which means to have a fear of mechanical objects (typically animatronics) submerged in water.

## References

1. ↑ https://wdwnt.com/2017/11/review-jungle-navigation-co-ltd-skipper-canteen-magic-kingdom-radically-alters-menu/
2. ↑ https://mission-food.com/hippopotomai-tai/
3. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2015/08/management-is-not-responsible.html