Why are bouncy pork and pesto ruling the internet at the moment? Because they’re adorable!
Don’t worry, it’s not a riddle you need to figure out, like a culinary version of the raven and the writing desk, just baby animals of extreme viral cuteness.
Meet Moo Deng, aka Bouncy Pork, the most adorable baby pygmy hippo from Thailand:
She is stealing hearts, and inspiring everything from art, to make-up looks and coffee designs. The baby shares her name with a type of Thai char siu dish, which has sky-rocketed in popularity since she graced us with her presence in July. Many content creators are even starting their videos “Is there even a point putting anything out there at the moment, it’s Moo Deng’s internet now!“.
All this queen does is scream, bite and nap, which is such a mood. Only when I do it it’s “concerning”, not adorable. I see how it is. Moo Deng currently lives at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, and her handlers have launched a 24-hour livestream of the pygmy hippo enclosure, in case you want to get your fix of her.
On the other side of the temperament spectrum, is our chill king Pesto the Penguin. He lives in Australia, and is the biggest king penguin ever bred in captivity.
He’s affectionally called a chonk, absolute unit and Oh Lawd, He Coming because at 9 months old, he weighs 50 pounds (almost 23 kilos), which is more than both his parents combined. (Again, I see how the double standard goes! I weighed more than my mom at 16, and no one thought it was great.)
His carers at the Sea Life Melbourne aquarium organized him the cutest gender reveal party and, as you can see from the clip, keep him well supplied in fish (25 per day!). They also let us know that Pesto will likely lose a lot of the chick weight once he molts and grows his permanent feathers, but will continue to tower over all the other penguins in the enclosure, just like his father.
Finally, we got many messages to let us know that there are around 30 spares of the Blood Heir and Iron and Magic special box in the Arcane Society store. These are the signed exclusive hardcover editions, with interior art, foil detail, and dust jacked by our favorite Luisa Preissler. If you missed out, now’s your time!
Conlon needs a baby pigmy hippo!
He would probably want a huge prehistoric hippo 😂😂 Why settle for a small one, he *is* Curran’s son after all hahaha
I still love the idea of him coming around the corner on Mona! only where was Grendal.
This or a ghost bird/great potoo!
I recently learned about them and thought they look like they belong in an IA story.
I noticed that Moo Deng’s mommy hovers over her when the handlers want to get her mouth to open. Don’t mess with the baby when mom is right there. She is so popular that the zoo is only allowing a 5 minute limit before people have to move on to other attractions. She is adorable!
To all the U.S. Southeast Horde members, please, please be careful with Helene coming your way. At least it’s not hurricane Semiramis about to hit Florida and go over the Atlanta area. 😉
I just bought one of the extras of Blood Heir and Iron and Magic. I honestly thought it would be more than what I paid. 😊😎
Having worked with penguins, he should loose quite a bit when he molts plus gets weaned and has to feed himself. Those fluffy feathers are not waterproof but to keep him warm. He will molt those to normal feathers when he is old enough to go in the water. They have a gland at the base of their tail that they preen with that coats the feathers to make them waterproof.
I bought my Arcane Society edition back in the Spring as a birthday gift to myself.
But, I also grabbed one of the extra copies. It will be a great Christmas gift for my SIL.
24 hour webcam!?!?! My day will be split between bouncy pork and Alaskan bear cam. No work will be completed. Oh well.
For additional cuteness and comedy, you can see some of the contestants for the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Photograph Awards at
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/travel/comedy-wildlife-photography-2024-scli-intl/index.html
There’s a Peoples Choice Awards category that you can vote on, too.
Some visitors throw things at Moo Deng for making her move when she’s sleeping. Just to make her react. A sleeping baby hippo is not enough interesting for a video, you see… She doesn’t have a moment of peace…
This reminds of the Fiona the hippo excitement. I love them both.
Mod R, I am giggle snorting at your double-standards comments! So very true.
Moo Deng is adorable, but does anyone else find the food name slightly disturbing? I can’t help but think of the Beverly Hillbillies episode where Granny found a hippo and thought it was a giant hog…
(not sure if this will post, but here’s the image that haunts me: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzA4YzE0YmItYjZmYy00NmYxLWI5MzktZGQwZTFkYjAxMTlmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg)
I hear you, but it’s a cultural thing ;D
In Thailand, you don’t call/refer to another person with last name — we use first name for general/formal occasions though what we really prefer to use are nicknames as it gives the sense of being casual, friendliness, and even closeness (close friends and family pretty much exclusively call each other by nickname). And when it comes to Thai nicknames, you’ll find all kinds of food words — Moo Deng is definitely not the only one with disturbing (to some) food name. You’ll find Thai people with nickname like:
Moo Wan (sweet braised pork… also the name of another Thai pygmy hippo), Kao Pun (Onigiri — Japanese rice ball), Joke (either taken from Teochew word for congee or the English word ‘joke’ as Thai pronunciation of both words are the same)
Cake (yes, that dessert with or without frosting), Pie, Pancake
Kai (egg), Gai (chicken), Pla (fish), Moo (pig/pork)
…etc. you get the idea 😀 we are equally disturbingly nicknaming ourselves, too.
On a side note, the media reports on the Thai meaning of Moo Deng pretty much sum it up as bouncy/bouncing pig/pork/patty which isn’t exactly correct. Moo Deng is actually a seasoning marinade recipe for pork — could be ground pork or sliced pork, but usually people would think of the ground pork one first. It consists of seasonings (soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper), eggs, and either use baking soda or whipping with ice to get the bouncy texture when cooked. Do a search with “สูตร หมูเด้ง” or “วิธีทำ หมูเด้ง” if you’re interested 😉 This mixture is so popular you can find the pre-made version sold at most supermarkets. And though I’m sure the sale volume of moo deng mixture probably went up, too, it’s another dish that’s actually has most Thai thinking of ordering (delivery service reported 50% increase in search queries) since Moo Deng became famous: ข้าวขาหมู (kao kaa moo) — five-spice braised pork knuckles over rice. Look up the picture of ข้าวขาหมู and you’ll see why (here’s an example: https://www.pitchameat.com/thai-spicy-sauce-for-pork-leg-stew/). Sorry if I’m veering into the disturbing territory again.
At two in the morning, I read a trending topic listing :”baby penguin pesto” and had a visceral reaction.
Thank you for the cultural context, and the food recommendations! If you don’t mind, I’d love to know more (naming is actually a long-time hobby for me)–of course feel free to ignore these questions if you don’t want to go into more detail!
What I’m wondering: Are these nicknames used outside of family and close friends, too? Like, would you call someone at work by one of these? And also, are they specific to the person (like, your family and friends all call you Kao Pun, and call your sister Gai)? Or are they more general endearments, where you can apply them interchangeably to different people? And either way, are they picked to match something about the person or their given name, or the situation, or ?
I should clarify that I didn’t mean to suggest there was anything wrong with Moo Deng’s name, or with food names in general! This is really due to the specific TV episode I mentioned. I saw it when I was very young and still couldn’t completely separate TV from real life, and I honestly feared they were going to eat the hippo. (To be fair, it was a running gag on the show that the family killed and ate things, like squirrels, which aren’t generally considered food animals in suburban America, so it seemed plausible.) The internet tells me that the episode was called “Super Hawg”, and it’s really the combo of “hippo” and “pork” that called up that association!
We actually use food endearments where I’m from, too, though they’re generally only used by parents and romantic partners (or random men in hardware stores, if you’re a woman). Names like cupcake, and honey, and even lambchop. I use “honey” so often with my family that sometimes I have to add their name–“honey [spouse]” or “honey [kid 3]”–so they know who I’m talking to :).
And because apparently my childhood and youth was dominated by way too much TV, this reminds me of the time on Ally McBeal when Lucy Liu’s character didn’t like the endearments her boyfriend was calling her, but said that he could call her food. He spent the rest of the episode using different wacky food terms for her, like “bacon bits”.
nedibes, I’m glad you enjoy my reply and, of course, I’m happy to answer more 🙂 sorry for the late reply as for some reason the system didn’t send me notification that I got a response and I just came back to check just now.
Yes, nicknames are also used with acquaintances as well, but probably among familiar coworker of your age group — unlikely with your superior or people who are older than you.
Nicknames are so ingrain in our culture that, in fact, you often see news headlines reporting on politicians & celebrities by using their nicknames such as for the current prime minister — it’s common to see the public refer to her as Ung Ing.
Nicknames are specific to you; it’s like you have another name. As to how they’re picked, well, that depends on your parents. Most of the time when Thais pick a name, we’re going for uniqueness or something with auspicious meaning. Unique names are big among Thais so you’ll see all kind of weird words/sounds picked for this. Some parents go for words with no meaning. Some pick foreign words. We now have some people nickname their kids Or Nu… because they heard the word “all new” in car commercial and thought that was part of the car model 🙂
I never watch Ally McBeal, though I don’t think I’d care much for “bacon bits” either 😀
OMG! I didn’t have funds to spare when these were released and now I do and thought I wouldn’t have a chance. THANK YOU FOR POSTING!
Also, I needed cute pygmy hippo videos today. I also rail against the system that I can’t just bit things, scream and sleep w\o the drama that ensues LOL.
Chunky babies are the cutest!
Thank you for the alert. I managed to get one of the Box sets.
Awww! I am love updates on our 2 local baby animal celebrities, the giraffe Safiri and Otto, a white rhino.
Ohhh, I want the spares but…shoes or books? My budget only has room for one or the other. Argh, sadly, I think I have to stick with the e-versions because I really need to replace my heeled shoes with barefoot, flexible versions for my health. But have fun shopping to anyone who is snapping up the spares!!
Thank you Mod R for posting about the spare books ~ yay, just grabbed one. Postage was a bit lower than Sub Press, so phew. Thought there was no chance there were any left, so didn’t bother to check.
Didn’t know about Moo Deng, but did catch Pesto on the news the other night, so cute & fluffy.
Squee! Just snagged the Blood Heir/Iron Covenant set! Was a little sad when I couldn’t get those titles at Dragon Con, but beyond excited to get these versions and now I don’t have to worry about keeping them safe in my luggage back to Australia 😄
The books are sold out now.
The Horde stampede strikes again. 😁😂
I just checked Arcane’s site. The sets are still available for order. 😊
It’s almost crueler to realize you almost had a chance to get a copy of the books and not be able to. I’m crushed 😭
(Sorry, meant to reply to you but ended up posting a new comment)
They’re not sold out – still available on the website as of a few mins ago!
OMG OMG OMG!
Just saw your reply and I was able to buy a set! Thank you so much!! Made my day!
Yay! I’m so glad. I also took my time deliberating when it was initially announced (kept going back and forth thinking about the cost) and when I finally came to the conclusion that I simply MUST have it, it was too late! Imagine my delight reading this post today lol
Whoo hoo on the book set. I don’t buy books anymore as I just download them on my Kindle.
However, as my son is also a big fan, it will be a great X-mas present. TY
Thank you for the heads up! Just purchased the Arcane Society combo.
Thanks for letting us know about the spare sets. 😁
Just saw this article titled on CNN: “Moo Deng now has her own crypto, because of course she does”
You know you’ve made it when you get your own crypto. 😉
My workplace are following the live stream peregrine falcon in Melbourne, Australia. We have learned to tell mum and dad apart and we think the eggs will hatch this week 😀
Just purchased my extra copy from AS. Happy birthday to me.
Hello house Andrews. Hope your weekend is going well. I am loving the graphic audio version of the Kate Daniel series. The Magic Rises was amazing. I had forgotten how much I hated Hugh d’Ambray. And he is even worse in the next book. I can’t wait to for it. I really like Renee Raudman, but I am loving Nora Sofyan as Kate Daniels.
I am currently going through the whole series again and I have a few more questions. Was Daniel Voron’s last name? Is that how Kate got her name? How old is Roman? Is he older than Kate? If so, when did the thing between Voron and Evdokia happen? Did Voron move them to Gorgia because Kalina sort of implanted in him the idea to take Kate to her ‘in-laws’?
In Magic Claims, the book ends with them being bucks up. Does this mean Kate can get an elevator? Like the one in Saiman’s building in Champion Heights, that would work during tech and magic. Has the matter of aging ever been answered? Will Curren live as long as Kate?
What ever happened to Anna? I thought she had some king of a bond to Kate.
Is the next Innkeeper book the end of the series? If yes, would you possibly ever consider doing a spin off? Sometime in the future when you have all the time in the world, would you consider writing about Adira the Drifan? I love the idea of a teenage girl being taken to another world and having to survive and end up ruling this world. If you guys have a suggestion box, this is the request I would put into.
I love everything you guys write. I even forgave Hugh because of you.
Hi Sunshine,
Voron chose the name Daniels at random, a common name to hide Kate under. It was not his name, they were on the run from Roland, he would not have used that 🙂. In real life, the name was suggested to the authors by their editor.
Roman is a couple of years older than Kate, Evdokia and Voron flirted in one of the many tumultuous episodes of separation and getting back together between the witch and Grigorii the Volhv.
Kate and Voron travelled all over the Americas in her childhood, as is described in the books, so it is unlikely he had some subconscious command by Kalina. Voron himself was Russian and would have sought the expertise of his own community for various things, like hiding Kate’s magic for example.
Curran will live as long as Kate, yes. It’s one of the main points of the books, that Kate’s magic grants immortality to anyone she loves. Now Conlan extends the same protection, so Curran has nothing to worry about. They will stay young and alive for as long as they wish.
Anna moved away from Atlanta and became less relevant to the story.
The next Innkeeper story (or perhaps pair of stories, more details in the Sanctuary release transcript https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/sanctuary-release-party-and-transcript/) will be the last in the lost parents arc. That does not mean the last in the series, happily for us! The Universe awaits 🙂
OMG! This is amazing news!! I thought I heard next Innkeeper was the end, I am so very happy to be wrong!! 🎉🎊🥰
I don’t know if Gordon still has family in North Carolina? ( I believe that’s where he is from). I hope they are ok after the flooding Please let us know if there is anything needed besides the normal donations to Red Cross.
Just letting you know that I’ve already received my Arcane Society spare books box, all the way in Australia. Dispatched 27 Sept and arrived 1 Oct.
Outstanding work Arcane Society & DHL.
Loving the covers & all the artwork in the books. Reminds me of the books I used to see when I was a child.
Thanks for the heads up about the books. I, of courses, have mine, but they’ll make a lovely Xmas gift for a good friend.
Thrilled that spare copies are still available because I just snagged one. 🎉
Make hardcover specials editions of the entire Kate daniels series and my wallet is yours 🥺
Agreed! It would be a dream to see special editions of the Kate Daniels series by the Arcane Society! I would love that!🥰🥰🥰