Membership 
Buy Tickets Cincinnati Zoo and Party Animals Around the City Celebrate Fritz’ First Birthday
Fiona the hippo’s little brother gets the spotlight on his big day
CINCINNATI, OH (August 1, 2023) – The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is celebrating Fritz the hippo’s first birthday and inviting guests to join the fun! Fritz was born on August 3, 2022, which also happens to be World Watermelon Day! Since hippos love watermelon, the fruit will be one of the many treats that the Zoo’s “one-in-a-melon” baby will receive during the celebration.
“Fiona has been the center of attention since, in 2017, she became the first premature hippo to survive. She is still wildly popular, but people, including me, have also really fallen for Fritz,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard. “We think he deserves a special party and want to invite everyone to attend.”
The festivities start at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. on August 3, 2023. Highlights of the day include Busken birthday cake and Graeter’s ice cream for guests, special Card My Yard photo opportunities around the Zoo, watermelon carvings, watermelon Dole Whip, a Fritz Spritz, animal enrichment, and watermelon candy provided by Freezin’ with Aubrie. More information about activities and times can be found here.
Richard Cowdrey, illustrator of The New York Times best-selling Fiona the Hippo book series, will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to sign books. His latest book, “You’ve Got This, Fiona: A Book About Change”, will be released August 1 and is the first one to feature Fritz. It can be pre-ordered and picked up in the Zoo Shop on August 3 in time for Cowdrey to sign.
In addition to the fun celebrations at the Zoo, fans of Fritz can enter to win a chance to meet the bloat for Fritz’s Birthday Giveaway! The Zoo is offering a prize package that includes a behind-the-scenes tour of Hippo Cove to meet all 4 hippos, a $1,000 Visa gift card, a 2-night stay at Graduate Cincinnati, a $50 gift card to Fiona’s and more! A $5 birthday gift gets you a digital Fritz kiss and one entry to win the grand prize, and a $20 birthday gift gets you the digital Fritz kiss and 5 entries to win the Ultimate Hippo Getaway.