HIP-HOPPING ALONG!

Moo Deng, the adorable pygmy hippo, is about to become an even bigger star thanks to a catchy new song released in her honour

- SIPHOKAZI ZAMA

SOMETIMES something comes along that’s cute enough to capture the hearts of millions and – thanks to the long tentacles of the internet – become a global superstar.

Such is the case with Moo Deng, the beloved Thai pygmy hippo who’s a firm favourite of fans from Bangkok to Brisbane.

She first became a sensation with her adorably happy hippo antics – now she’s taking over the airwaves and the worldwide web with a catchy song composed in her honour: Moodeng Moodeng.

The ditty is set to be as ubiquitous and earworm-worthy as Baby Shark was in its heyday – and like Baby Shark, the lyrics don’t take much to learn.

Produced and written by well-known Thai composer Mueanphet Ammara, it’s been released by one of Thailand’s largest music companies, GMM Music.

The track features a group of vocalists singing, “Moodeng, Moodeng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng, deng”, before the 50-second-long track progresses to “Moodeng, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing.

“Mommy, Mommy, play with me/ Please, Mommy, come play with me/ Bounce with me, Mom.”

And so it carries on. Hardly Grammy fare, you might think – but this is Moo Deng and Moo Deng is in a league of her own.

Four versions of the song have already been released, in English, Thai, Chinese and Japanese, and by early December the English version had racked up more than 90 000 views within days of its release.

The music video accompanying the track is a seemingly endless loop of Moo Deng bouncing around her enclosure – but when a star is this cute, what else do you need to see?

The five-month-old hippo, whose name means “bouncy pork”, a type of Thai meatball, became a hit earlier this year when Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo posted videos of her antics on Facebook.

There is now a livestream on the zoo’s website where fans can get their daily fix of her memeworthy playfulness.