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By David Emery, About.com Guide to Urban Legends since 1997

Hippo Eats Dwarf

Thursday February 24, 2005
Update: Announcing 'Hippo Eats Dwarf' - The Book!

Via Museum of Hoaxes, news that a dwarf named Od was swallowed by a hippopotamus in a freak circus accident in northern Thailand. Ouch! Supposedly, an off-kilter bounce hurled the trampoline performer smack dab into the animal's open jaws. "Vets on the scene said Hilda the Hippo had a gag reflex that automatically caused her to swallow," explains a story taken from the Pattaya Mail.

We know it couldn't have happened very recently — if it happened at all — given that the tale is listed as a "1999 urban legend" by the Darwin Awards folks. In point of fact, the story is at least five years older than that, as evidenced by a December 15, 1994 Usenet posting purportedly quoting the Las Vegas Sun:
An Austrian circus dwarf died recently when he bounced sideways from a trampoline and was swallowed by a hippopotamus. Seven thousand people watched as little Franz Dasch popped into the mouth of Hilda the Hippo and the animal's gag reflex forced it to swallow. The crowd applauded wildly before other circus people realized what has happened.
Note that in the 1994 version the dwarf is Austrian and his name is Franz Dasch. There's no mention of the incident occurring in Thailand.

If this isn't an urban legend I'll swallow a dwarf myself.

Comments

June 20, 2006 at 10:03 pm
(1) Rick says:

So all we neeed is 2 suicidal dwarves, a hippo, a trampoline and maybe some ketchup for you….

June 28, 2006 at 11:28 pm
(2) Cindy says:

I beg to differ. Please see the following link I found.
http://www.pattayamail.com/

http://www.pattayamail.com/309/columns.htm#hd7

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: ptymail@loxinfo.co.th
Updated by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek.

August 16, 2006 at 2:18 pm
(3) Scott says:

Umm…what do those links have to do with anything?

August 26, 2006 at 5:54 pm
(4) Bo Wildhax says:

Funny, Lewis Black reads this and commented on it in his act Thursday evening August 24th, at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ.

Lewis? Urban Legend??? RESEARCH!

January 22, 2007 at 11:20 am
(5) Diego says:

This terrible news has made my day. how do you get eaten by a hippo. LOL. I don’t care who you are this is FUNNY. sorry

March 30, 2007 at 1:55 pm
(6) Harold says:

I don’t care if this is a silly hoax, it still is very funny, conjuring crazy images in my feeble mind.

April 10, 2007 at 10:02 pm
(7) Hilda the Hippo says:

He was delicious!!!

July 17, 2007 at 2:04 am
(8) wacko jacko says:

its a funny story

August 9, 2007 at 7:40 pm
(9) Furniture Store says:

I am glad this isn’t true! That would be the saddest thing I ever heard!

December 21, 2007 at 5:40 pm
(10) Ivan Goldman says:

The dwarf was my uncle, Eugene Horowitz, the kindest man I ever knew. For you to sully the memory of his passing with your reprehensible doubt is unspeakable. You owe him an apology.

January 18, 2008 at 12:37 pm
(11) waki93 says:

Aha jah biztos!!!!!!!!!!!Ha ti mondjátok!!!!!!!!!

February 1, 2008 at 2:42 pm
(12) Mark_0 says:

There’s no such thing as a gag reflex that makes you swallow you ass clowns. If any of you wankers had girlfriends, you would know that.

April 25, 2008 at 4:58 pm
(13) horace says:

Mark_O, your girlfriend is a hippo?

April 29, 2008 at 1:58 am
(14) Me says:

hey you guys - your commenets are as funny as the story!

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