Hip! Hip! Hippo!?

This stack of books came home with me from the library over the weekend. It actually pushed me over my borrowing limit. (we love the library around here...) But hidden inside one of these books was a pattern for her:

I definitely couldn't make hippos for a living...I'm very slow. But you can see she's well-loved. She was snatched from my lap several times before I even had the chance to get those eyes tacked on, hence the wobbly-eye look.
So go to your local library and search those dusty shelves.  Somewhere between 'making dolls' and 'fancy embroidery' you'll find a wealth of old patterns waiting to be discovered.