Hungry Hungry Hippos
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Hungry Hungry Hippos is a board game made for young children by Hasbro of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, under the brand of its subsidiary, Milton Bradley.
The game is playable by two to four players and is recommended by the manufacturer for children ages 3–6. It is not uncommon to see it played by nostalgic adults or by parents with their children. It has become a part of American pop culture.
The object of the game is to use the lever on the back of a player's hippopotamus to consume as many of the twenty white marbles on the playing field as possible. Play ends when all marbles have been "eaten" by the hippos. The player who has captured the most marbles wins.
The shaking of the lightweight playing field during play, particularly when children are pounding on the levers with their hands to make their hippos capture marbles, introduces a strong random element in the game. Winning is often a matter of pure luck and not of skill.
The hippos are named Henry, Harry, Homer, and Happy. The names of the hippos can be found on the stickers next to each hippo on the playing field.
Similar children's games popular in the U.S. include Don't Break the Ice, Don't Spill the Beans, and Ants in the Pants.