Nursing Home Plays Human Hungry Hungry Hippos in Quarantine

We’ve seen people passing their pandemic-fighting quarantine time in countless ways at this point, but all of those soothingOpens in a new tab, sillyOpens in a new tab, and calorie-burningOpens in a new tab distractions pale in comparison to nursing home Hungry Hungry Hippos: a game senior citizens are playing in a nursing home in Wales, which calls for people as stand-ins for the usual tiny, plastic hippos.

The viral Facebook video. 

In a recent viral videoOpens in a new tab on Facebook, which comes via The New York PostOpens in a new tab, the team at the Bryn Celyn Care Home in Wales showed off how a game of anthropomorphized Hippos works. And while it’s certainly not the most organized recreational game we’ve ever seen, it’s impossible to deny the participants are having a ball. In fact, they’re all trying to have as many ballsOpens in a new tab as they can! (Puns are how we’re passing the quarantine.)

Michelle Williams, the general manager of Bryn Celyn Care, told CNNOpens in a new tab that “Everyone in the home team and residents are worried about the virus… [but] are staying positive and doing what we do every day, which is supporting our residents, and keeping it as normal as possible.”

Valerie LewisOpens in a new tab 

This particular version of the classic tabletop gameOpens in a new tab is played with four nursing home residents and four caretakers. Essentially, each resident has an ersatz “hippo mouth” made of a plastic basket and a broomstick handle, and is then pushed into a central pile of plastic playpen balls by their caretaker teammate. Whichever team can collect the most balls with their hippo mouth wins!

While games like this one are helping the residents of Bryn Cyln Care pass their Q-timeOpens in a new tab, the real good news is that nobody at the facility, which has been in lockdown since March 12, has been infected with COVID-19Opens in a new tab. Although they have, of course, infected us with their smiles. (Again, puns, even the cheesy ones, are how we’re passing the time.)

Another way of playing humanoid Hungry Hungry Hippos. 

What do you think about this humanoid version of Hungry Hungry Hippos? Do you want to play while you’re stuck at home all day, or do you have a better way of keeping yourself sane during these turbulent times? Let us know in the comments!

Feature image: Bryn Cyln Care Home via Caters ClipsOpens in a new tab