Hilda Hippo

An anthropomorphic purple Jewish hippopotamus named Hilda? Oh, if it was only so simple...

Hilda Hippo is a character on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". She is Mickey's neighbor, and was front and center of a Chanukah episode! (So far so good, right? Who doesn't love anthropomorphic purple Jewish hippos?) Well, one problem. You see that necklace she is wearing? There is a menorah on it and everything. One thing you can't see: the necklace also pictured a fish. A Jesus fish!?

For whatever reason, Disney made a Jewish hippo wear a fish necklace. It went through review and everything — even by rabbis — and no one spotted it! No one, until the episode aired, and people started to complain, of course. How dare you have a Jewish hippo wear a sign of Jesus? What planet are you even on?

Well, we see two options here: either Hilda is a Jew for Jesus, which, OK, not exactly our cup of tea, but they do exist... or it wasn't a Jesus fish at all? Hilda just wore a fish necklace because she likes fish? (Not to eat; hippos are strictly herbivores.)

Whatever the case was, the necklace was erased, replaced with a Star of David, and no one was the wiser. It's just rather daunting how easily modern media can be altered to remove undesirable elements....

But, yes, this profile is simply about an anthropomorphic purple Jewish hippo.