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Secret of Mippoland

Watercolor illustration of a girl taken by the hand by a Mippo hippo

Within the borders of the very small country called the Netherlands, there is another tiny country: Mippoland!

No one knows exactly where it is located, but legend has it that it lies close to the spring sails of the Dutch windmills. However, despite enthusiastic and eager searches near the windmills, Mippoland is yet to be discovered…

Watercolor illustration coat of arms for the imaginary world of Mippoland
Coat of arms

However, Mom and I know a little secret about Mippoland… But I’ll have to introduce you to Nelleke the Mippo first!

Matriarch of the Mippoos family

Nelleke the Mippo matriarch of the Mippoos family
Meet Nelleke the Mippo: matriarch of the Mippoos family! There’s a bit more about Nelleke in our About us section, too.

Nelleke the Mippo is the matriarch of the Mippoos family! She was born in 1989, when I was about 18 months old. Mom made her for me and Nelleke has always been there for me! Wherever I went, Nelleke went. When I had ballet practice, Nelleke put on her ballet tutu. When I wanted to swirl in a dress, Nelleke swirled around in her yellow polka dot dress. And when it was my time for bed, we both put on our pjs and listened tot mom’s bedtime stories. And it was Nelleke who let me in on a little secret about Mippoland…

Secret of Mippoland

Because she showed me that the only way to get there is by being taken by the hand by a Mippo! One day at sunrise, many many years ago, Nelleke took me by the hand and lead me towards the windmills across the land, towards Mippoland…. being slightly blinded due to the sunrise, I still don’t know exactly where to look but I can always ask Nelleke to take me there! Who wants to learn more about Mippoland? What questions do you have about the Mippoos? Would anyone like to know how they spend their day? What they eat? Do they go to school? What time is their bedtime? Tell mom and me all your questions and we’ll explore Mippoland together with you!

Watercolor illustration of a girl taken by the hand by a Mippo hippo
There’s a secret to getting to Mippoland!
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Mippoland’s prehistory: Manny the caveman Mippo

Did you know it was Manny the Mippo who discovered fire? Read on about how his rock collection and his clumsiness lead to the discovery of fire in prehistoric times! A cute short story about a hippo caveman.

The discovery of fire

Manny the Mippo lived in a time long before Mippoland was founded.
In these prehistoric times, there were no cozy homes near the Dutch windmills. The Mippoos lived in cold dark caves! Until that one fortunate day…. (well, fortunate for the Mippoos, not so fortunate for Manny) Continue reading Mippoland’s prehistory: Manny the caveman Mippo

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Macy the Mippo

handmade hippo dress up doll

Meet Macy the Mippo: she’s completely obsessed with fashion and spends her days designing outfits, sewing and dreaming of one day becoming a big fashion designer in Paris. “Wouldn’t it be awesome to see a catwalk full of my designs?”

Her fashion idol is Jackie Kennedy, and you can often hear Macy say: “Simply love Jackie’s style!”. Macy’s pink blouse and pink floral skirt are her favorite outfit, because, in her own words, it’s simple but sophisticated. Plus, she loves this skirt because it has pockets, which makes it super practical (Macy is always ‘misplacing’ her smartphone, and who can live without those nowadays??).

So Macy has got this beautiful green fabric and is wondering what to make…

Continue reading Macy the Mippo