Is Moo Deng cake? Viral baby pygmy hippo becomes new inspiration for bakers

Internet darling Moo Deng’s influence doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon as bakers all over the world have found that taking the sentiment “too cute to eat” literally can only end well.

Born in July in Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, the playful baby pygmy hippo’s antics have captivated the internet, with millions on social media avidly following her simply going about her day, splashing about in water or enjoying belly rubs from her keeper.

Moo Deng, which translates to “bouncy pork”, has inspired fanart, zoo merchandise, makeup looks from Sephora, and now cake.

Bangkok’s Vetmon Cafe started the trend with a Moo Deng cake that has not only become popular but has sent their customers into a quandary—they think the cake is too cute to eat.

Owner Chalit Kulsaree said she started making the now-viral cake after a customer asked for it and the picture of the cake ended up in over a hundred preorders. The cafe has had to limit the number of orders due to overwhelming demand.

Mr Kulsaree handcrafts each cake, which is coated in chocolate fondant with a butter cake base and buttercream filling. “We have been sculpting cakes every day until morning. But it’s also made us hundreds of thousands of baht in just 10 days,” she told Reuters.

British cake artist Ben Cullen, popularly known as The Bake King, has now gone viral for his extremely lifelike cake of Moo Deng.

Using the “Is it cake” trend, the baker posted a video of himself cutting into a cake that looks extremely similar to the actual baby hippo, leaving commenters confused.

“This is illogically upsetting to me,” said one Instagram user. Another said: “Scared me! A no for me, 0/10. Viva Moo Deng!”

If being immortalised in cake wasn’t enough, a fringe cryptocurrency named after Moo Deng rose in value so sharply that a crypto trader was reportedly able to turn an $800 investment into $7.5m.

Moo Deng’s popularity, though, has not come without problems. It was reported that some visitors to the zoo were throwing water and other objects at the baby hippo to get her to react.

The zoo’s director threatened legal action against misbehaving visitors and warned that they had installed surveillance cameras in the area.

The pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, is an endangered species, with only 2,000-2,500 adults left, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their numbers are decreasing due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo faced backlash in 2021 for its elephant swimming shows. It featured performances where elephants swam, danced, and performed tricks as visitors watched through a glass enclosure. The zoo defended these shows, despite social media outrage calling it an example of animal cruelty.