Make art time extra fun with our Hippo coloring pages—15 free PDF printables featuring friendly hippos in kid-approved scenes.
Perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary artists, these coloring sheets highlight the lovable hippopotamus (the “river horse”) in playful poses, cozy habitats, and easy line art for small hands.
With their bulky bodies, short legs, and big jaws, hippos are one of the most exciting animals on the planet. Children love these massive mammals because of their distinctive features and funny appearance.
Download, print, and let little creators explore African wildlife, ponds, mud baths, and more with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Explore the full set of designs below and pick your favorites to print and color!
15 Cute & Simple Hippo Coloring Pages for Kids to Print
Inside this collection you’ll find simple outlines for beginners, cute baby hippos, cartoony characters in jackets and chef hats, and nature scenes with water, rocks, and grass—great prompts for learning about hippo habitats, diets, and behavior. Use these hippopotamus coloring pages for rainy-day crafts, classroom centers, safari-themed parties, or a calm screen-free break.
1. Simple Hippo Coloring Page for Preschoolers
Hippos or hippopotamuses are the third-largest land mammal. They live on the African continent in areas with lots of water because they need it to cool their massive bodies. The beautiful mammal featured on our first hippo printable is pictured from one side so that you can see it in all its glory. The hippo is on land here, but we’re sure he’s just getting ready to take another bath in the river. You can color it in classic grey hues or be bold and choose a different color combination for this lovely hippo.
2. Cartoony Hippo Facing Right Coloring Page
Hippos are social creatures, so they live in groups or herds of 10 to 30 members. A dominant male usually leads these groups. But hippo families can be much larger, reaching as many as 200 members. As you can see, this cute mammal on our second hippo coloring page is all alone. We can only assume his family is somewhere nearby. Maybe you can keep him company and color it until he reunites with his sisters and brothers.
3. Hippo on Skateboard Printable Coloring Page
Get ready to shred with this rad hippo on a skateboard. This hippo is not only big and strong, but also stylish and brave. He is wearing a plaid jacket and he is riding his skateboard with confidence and skill. You can make this hippo even more awesome by coloring him with your favorite colors. You can use realistic colors, like gray or brown, or you can use bright and funky colors, like purple or green. You can also color his jacket and cap with different patterns and designs to this hippo coloring page.
4. Baby Hippo Coloring Page PDF
Baby hippos are called calves, and they are adorable. Did you know that female hippo sometimes give birth to their calves underwater? After birth, the tiny hippos are pushed by their mothers to the surface to breathe. This cute baby hippo looks like he’s already strong enough to charge through the water on its own. But we’re sure his mother is still keeping a close eye on him. You can stick to the usual grey-pink combination, or you could use some softer shades to color this little hippo.
5. Scientist Hippo Coloring Page
This brainy hippo has a big dream of becoming a scientist. This hippo coloring page, features a smart hippo in a lab coat. His stethoscope is ready to listen to heartbeats and his beakers are set to mix up some bubbly experiments. What kinds of smart stuff will he discover? Color in doctor or scientific details on his lab coat. Add patterns to his microscope that fuel his fascination with tiny creatures.
6. Playful Hippo Printable Coloring Sheet
Just like children, young hippos also love to play. They very much enjoy playing games of tag, hide and seek or splashing around in the water. What better way to spend time in the tropical savanna? It looks like this hippo is in a very playful mood. You can see it has a big smile on its face, and it’s looking to one side as if it’s waiting for another hippo to join the game. We don’t know what game this hippo is playing, but we see this page would look a lot better with some color.
7. Hippo Coloring Pages Feature Image
The mammal featured on our next hippo coloring page is quite large. Judging by its size, it may be the leader of the group. Male leaders are in charge of protecting their territory by fighting off their rivals. We have a few suggestions if you don’t know how to color this hippo. In real life, hippos have greyish to muddy-brown skin on most parts of their bodies. But the skin around their eyes, ears, mouth, and belly has pink tones. You can use these shades to bring this friendly hippo to life.
8. Hippo with Heart Jacket Coloring Page
Look at chic hippo in a stylish outfit. This hippo is not only big and adorable, but also fashionable and trendy. She is wearing a striped shirt, a heart-patterned jacket, and a necklace with a pendant. Polish her shoes to a shine and accent her jewelry with glittery gems. Unleash your inner designer to color this hippo belle of the ball!
9. Preschool Hippo Outline Coloring Page
In their natural habitat, hippos are usually surrounded by other creatures. It’s not unusual to see birds standing on a hippo’s back. That’s because birds help hippos get rid of parasites, so they’ve developed a close relationship. We don’t see any birds or animals anywhere near this hippo, but by the way, it's looking; it noticed something interesting. Maybe he saw a crocodile approaching, or he’s just inspecting the territory. You could draw a few birds around the hippo to complete the scene.
10. Stylish Hippo with Tiny Bag Coloring Sheet
This coloring page features a friendly hippo ready for his next big adventure! He's sporting a stylish jacket and carrying a tiny bag as he embarks on a fun expedition. Hippos are actually one of the largest animals on land, but they can still move surprisingly fast when needed! This hippo has a tuft of hair on his head and a smile on his face. He is the most wanderlust hippo in the world. I would use Earthy tones like olive green, sky blue, sandy brown for hippo to blend into nature.
11. Giant Sitting Hippo Printable Coloring Page
Life in the African savanna is not always easy. Even if hippos spend most of their day submerged in the water, they are a lot more active during the night when they come out to look for food. This hippo coloring sheet features a giant hippo standing on the ground. Since it’s not in the water, we assume it spent the whole night grazing, and now it’s time for a well-deserved break. It would be nice to draw some grass around this hippo to make it look like it just finished its nocturnal meal.
12. Happy Hippo Bathing in Pond Coloring Page
Hippos are semi-aquatic animals. They spend most of their time in rivers and lakes to stay cool in the blistering African heat. Did you know that hippos can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes? That’s quite a fantastic skill. In this hippo coloring sheet, you can see clearly how much hippos enjoy living in the water. Here we have a happy hippo bathing in a small pond, surrounded by rocks and grass. You can join in on the fun by coloring our swampy friend and its surroundings.
13. Chef Hippo Coloring Page for Kids
Our next coloring page features a hippo with a talent for cooking up tasty treats! This hippo chef is wearing a puffy white chef's hat and coat. A scarf is wrapped neatly around his neck. Hippos are vegetarians, so this chef whips up healthy, delicious salads, soups, and fruit desserts in his kitchen. Around him, you can add some details like a counter stacked with fresh fruits and vegetables. Draw some pans sizzling on the burners with yummy dishes cooking away.
14. Cute Baby Hippo Coloring Page Printable
Here’s a fun fact about baby hippos: they can suckle underwater. They’ve developed this ability so they can join their mothers in the water. However, they can’t swim. They just move around by pushing off from the bottom of the water. This cute hippo right here looks relatively young, but we’re sure he already knows how to do a few tricks in the water. You can use any shades you like to color this little guy. And maybe you can add a splash of water to the picture.
15. Hippo by the Water Free Coloring Page
On our last hippo coloring printable, you can see one of these beautiful mammals in its natural habitat. He’s standing near a body of water, with some lush shrubs and bushes behind. Looking at this scenery, we can assume the rainy season has started in the African savanna. Hippos love the rainy season when the food is abundant, and there’s lots of water to bathe in. Grab your colored pencils and use your creativity to color this mighty hippo and the beautiful landscape around it.Related Collections of Coloring Pages
After You Color Your Hippo Coloring Pages
- Add a habitat backdrop: Draw reeds, lily pads, fish, and a muddy riverbank. Hippos love shallow water and grassy edges—great for greens, browns, and cool blues.
- Try texture tricks: Stipple dots for wet skin, short strokes for fur on friends, and light watercolor washes for ponds. Layer colored pencils to suggest sunlight on water.
- Make it a mini-lesson: Label parts (ears, nostrils, teeth, tail), map where hippopotamuses live in Africa, and discuss why hippos spend time in water.
- Craft it: Turn finished coloring sheets into bookmarks, party flags, or a DIY “safari” banner. Add googly eyes or a cotton ball “steam” for the chef hippo.
- Color challenges: Create a “sunset palette” (or “night lagoon” palette) and reprint a favorite page to try new color stories.
- Story time: Name your hippo, write a two-sentence adventure on the back, and staple a few pages into a short picture book.