House Hippo Commercial

Bruce · 2.1M views · 2007-02-14 · 1:03

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Overview

A one-minute Canadian public-service spot about a house hippo, a hoax that makes the point that you should not believe everything you see on television.

On Hacker News

Used as a joking reference when threads discuss fake news, hoaxes and gullibility.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2018–2023

Topics

Media, journalism & propaganda Satire & parody

What people said

isk517 · 2023-06 · Joke / meme
I'm going to assume these mini hippos are a cross between the standard African hippo and the North American House Hippo. [VIDEO]
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Kibae · 2022-09 · Reference
I remember growing up in Canada, there were commercials about "house hippos" [1] and the first time I saw the commercial, I actually believed what was being presented. Thinking back, I think the campaign actually worked on me because it made me realize how obviously fake things can be made to seem real if it's presented by a seemingly authoritative figure. [1] [VIDEO]
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Null-Set · 2018-02 · Joke / meme
The article reccomends a PSA teaching the metacognitive skill of asking yourself why you believe something and if you know any reason it isn't true. It reminds me of the legendary Canadian House Hippo PSA. [VIDEO]
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Sources

Video by Bruce, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

Data and selection notes

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HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

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