Moo Deng is cute enough to eat.
The latest development in the saga of the baby hippo from Thailand with a global army of fans? Bakers all over are turning the object of their animal affection into cake — and some supporters of the pygmy princess aren’t too sweet on the edible idea.
British cake artist Ben Cullen, known as The Bake King, sparked outrage from hippo lovers by uploading a video clip of a startlingly lifelike dessert version of Moo Deng on Instagram that .
“Straight to jail! I can’t watch this,” an animal lover raged. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“How did you even find that out? What if you were wrong?” questioned a watcher.
“Don’t think I can eat the great Moo Deng,” added another.
Moo Deng, which translates to “bouncy pork,” was born in July 2024 at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, and ever since she bounced into everyone’s life, she has become adored by millions.
The pygmy hippopotamus has inspired fans to create makeup looks, a wide range of merch and now, food.
In the controversial clip, Cullen cuts into the middle of the hippo and pulls out a slice of a four-layered vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.
“Too cool, but too painful to watch it get chopped,” admitted one person.
“My smile had disappeared so fast,” sighed an Instagrammer. “Ban the cake.”
While many were traumatized by the Moo Deng pastry, some fans couldn’t help but admit how sweet the cake looked.
“Ship these out. I would buy 20,” commented a dessert lover.
“Looks amazing!” praised a user.
“This looks more Moo Deng than Moo Deng herself,” a fan revealed.
Meanwhile, a bakery in Thailand is facing sellout situations for their gorgeous look-a-like cakes.
Pastry Chef Chalit Kulsaree, owner of Bangkok’s Vetmon Cafe, started making the now-viral cake after a customer requested it, not realizing the one time job would lead to over a hundred preorders.
“We have been sculpting cakes every day until morning. But it’s also made us hundreds of thousands of baht in just ten days,” she told Reuters.
The cafe handcrafts each cake, which is glazed in chocolate fondant with buttercream filling. Due to overwhelming demand, the cafe had to limit the number of orders.
Moo Deng’s antics have captured the hearts and appetites of millions, who’ve loved watching her splash in the water, enjoying belly rubs from her keeper, biting her trainer on the leg and performing a rendition of the late Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk.
Although the celebrity critter’s global fame comes with love from all over, it also comes with overbearing fans who don’t respect boundaries.
Tourists at the Chonburi have reportedly been harassing Moo Deng by throwing things like shellfish at her, while others have splashed the tot with water to wake her up.
“These behaviors are not only cruel but also dangerous,” zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said in a statement posted online. “We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment.”
