Hippo Playground

Hippo Playground takes its name from a whimsical herd of life-size concrete hippos that have become the defining feature of this Riverside Park space. These sculptures were commissioned in the early nineteen nineties when a local neighborhood group, The Playground Project, successfully raised over one hundred thousand dollars to revitalize the site. They turned to the sculptor Bob Cassilly, who drew inspiration from similar animal statues at the Saint Louis Zoo to create the climbing herd that remains a favorite for children today.