Moo Deng Says No More ‘H for Hippo’ and Recommends ‘H for Handwashing’

Lifebuoy, Unilever’s largest hygiene soap power brand, has collaborated with Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippopotamus that became a viral sensation, for its iconic ‘H for Handwashing’ global movement that has transformed the letter ‘H’ into a universal symbol for handwashing. The campaign was developed together with creative agencies MullenLowe Singapore and MullenLowe Lintas India.

In Moo Deng’s first ever branded content video, titled ‘Confessions of Moo Deng’, the popular hippo hilariously confesses that she would hate to follow in her mother’s footsteps — in fact, footsteps of her entire family by being a part of the alphabet book as ‘H for hippo’ to teach the letter H to humans. In the video, Moo Deng opines that she is super talented and can do more with her life than becoming another hippo that represents the letter H. When observing the habits of hundreds of humans she sees every day, Moo Deng realises that the letter H should stand for something more useful to humans: handwashing.

To further her mission, Moo Deng requests for humans to scan a QR code where they will be introduced to an AI-augmented hippo teacher which comes alive to teach #HforHandwashing to kids in interactive and engaging ways, including hyper customised games, activities and songs enabled by AI.

Along with Moo Deng, Lifebuoy’s one-of-its-kind AI-powered handwashing teacher AI-Teacher Hippo is a significant leap forward in Lifebuoy's commitment to make handwashing with soap a habit for life for children all over the world. Since 2020, Lifebuoy has led the charge in revolutionising hand hygiene education through the brand’s award winning ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign.

Khim Yin Poh, global brand vice president, Lifebuoy said, “We are thrilled to work with the world’s most popular and adorable hippo Moo Deng, and the most tech-savvy and loving AI-Teacher Hippo, for our ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign. As the world’s number one selling germ protection soap, Lifebuoy’s global movement aims to forever change how the alphabet is taught, with the simple recommendation that the letter H should not stand for hippo, horse or house, but should instead become a ubiquitous symbol for handwashing. We believe having the endorsement of Moo Deng in her first ever branded content video will reinforce our important message for children and adults alike, as a step towards improving handwashing behaviour around the world.”

Lifebuoy has sparked a global movement that has successfully woven essential hygiene practices into school curriculums, by partnering with parents, educational institutions, governments, NGOs, leading institutes such as Sesame Workshop, and hundreds of influential people — and now animals — around the world. The ‘H for Handwashing’ movement has reached more than 14 million children across 35 countries.

At a crucial time when 646 million children still lack basic hygiene services at their school as reported by the World Health Organization/UNICEF, highlighting the importance of prioritising hygiene in schools, AI-Teacher Hippo steps in as a game-changer, teaching kids essential concepts such as germ transmission, the hidden risks of seemingly clean hands, key occasions for handwashing with soap, and the proper steps of handwashing with soap.

Vinay Vinayak, global business director, MullenLowe Singapore said, “Every year Lifebuoy celebrates Global Handwashing Day as a marquee event, and this year, we want to reach out to more children and adults alike with our two new lovable champions: Moo Deng and AI-Teacher Hippo. While Moo Deng can win over audiences and convey the important message of handwashing through her adorable personality, AI-Teacher Hippo will be able to capture different children’s preferences by offering unique personalised experiences that make hygiene education both fun and unforgettable.”

Sarvesh Raikar, president – creative, MullenLowe Lintas India said, “As the world is looking at innovative ways to use celebrities and influencers, we are proud of how we could use a unique global personality like Moo Deng to refresh our multi-country behaviour-change campaign #HforHandwashing. Moo Deng (Hippos) was integral to the campaign idea and the video ‘Confessions of Moo Deng’ helps us deliver the core idea in an unsuspecting, memorable way.”

This Global Handwashing Day, Lifebuoy is working in partnership with MullenLowe Singapore and MullenLowe Lintas India, Aircards, Microsoft, Columbia Business School and esteemed experts in the fields of gaming, behaviour change, hygiene and education.

Access AI-Teacher Hippo on your smartphone or tablet here.