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Fiona the hippo celebrates her 1st birthday with a big party

You better believe there was cake.
/ Source: TODAY

What do you get a hippo for her birthday?

Well, a head of lettuce is a good place to start.

A mom to snuggle (and to chew on, when the mood strikes) should definitely be in attendance.

Finish with a "hippo-friendly cake" made by a zoo nutritionist, and voila! You've got a hippopota-party to remember.

Fiona the hippo's first birthday, which was celebrated on Saturday in advance of her actual birthday on the 24th, is certainly a day to remember. Fiona, who resides at the Cincinnati Zoo, was born six weeks premature and 20 pounds underweight. She almost didn't make it.

One year later, she's defied the odds and dare we say ... she is thriving.

She's learned to swim, starred in her own reality show, photobombed a wedding proposal and even gotten her very own ice cream flavor.

Honestly, it's more than we did in 2017.

Happy birthday to Fiona — and congratulations to the Cincinnati Zoo staff on one hip celebration.