Purple crochet hippo hat with rounded ears, black eyes, and a pink snout beside text reading “Cute crochet hippo hat” and “Free pattern.”

Crochet hippo hat pattern

ByMelissa Hassler

This crochet hippo hat pattern turns a simple purple beanie into a playful hippo with a pink snout, round ears, big eyes, and a sweet stitched smile. With baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes, it’s a fun choice for gifts, dress-up, photos, or everyday wear.

Quick answer

This advanced beginner crochet hippo hat pattern uses worsted weight (#4) yarn and includes baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes. The hat is worked from the top down in joined rounds with an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook. The snout, nostrils, eyes, and ears are crocheted separately with an H-8 (5 mm) hook and sewn onto the finished hat.

Crochet hippo hat pattern details

Skill level

Advanced beginner — Uses joined rounds, simple increases, half double crochet decreases, oval shaping worked around both sides of a foundation chain, separately crocheted pieces, embroidery, and basic sewing.

Materials needed

  • I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook — for the hat
  • H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook — for the snout, nostrils, eyes, and ears
  • Worsted weight yarn (#4) — purple for the hat, nostrils, and ears; pink for the snout; black for the eyes and smile; and white for the eye highlights
  • Yarn needle
  • Scissors

Finished size

This hippo hat pattern includes four sizes.

  • Baby — 14–15 inches (36–38 cm) head circumference, 6 inches tall (15 cm)
  • Toddler — 18–19 inches (46–48 cm) head circumference, 7 inches (18 cm) tall
  • Child — 19–20 inches (48–51 cm) head circumference, 7.75 inches (20 cm) tall
  • Adult — 20–23 inches (51–58 cm) head circumference, 8 inches tall (20 cm)

Need help with sizing? Check out my crochet hat sizing guide to measure head circumference, use negative ease, and adjust crown diameter and hat height for the best fit.

Square graphic featuring a pastel purple crochet hippo hat with a smiling pink snout beside text reading “Free hippo hat crochet pattern.”

Gauge

15 dc stitches and 9 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm)

Learn how to check crochet gauge before you begin so you can adjust your hook size if needed.

Crochet abbreviations

  • dc = double crochet
  • hdc = half double crochet stitch
  • hdc2tog = half double crochet 2 together (decrease)
  • hdc3tog = half double crochet 3 together (decrease)
  • sc = single crochet stitches
  • ch/chs = chain/chains
  • st/sts = stitch/stitches
  • sl st = slip stitch

Pattern notes

  • The hat is worked from the top down in joined rounds.
  • The beginning ch 2 does not count as a stitch.
  • Join each round with a sl st to the first stitch made in that round.
  • Repeat from the asterisk (*) as indicated.
  • The snout is worked around both sides of the foundation chain to create an oval shape.
  • The Baby snout stops after Round 3. The Toddler, Child, and Adult snouts include Round 4.
  • The nostrils, eyes, and ears are the same for all four sizes.
  • The snout, nostrils, eyes, and ears are crocheted separately and sewn to the finished hat.
  • The pattern is written in US crochet terms.
Pinterest graphic featuring a pastel purple crochet hippo hat with ears, black eyes, and a pink snout beneath text reading “Hippo hat crochet pattern” and “Free tutorial.”

Crochet hippo hat pattern instructions

Use the I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook and purple yarn for the hat.

Rounds 1–5

These rounds are the same for all four sizes.

Round 1: Make a magic circle. Ch 2, work 11 dc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (11 sts)
Round 2: Ch 2, work 2 dc in each st around. Join. (22 sts)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next st; repeat from * around. Join. (33 sts)
Round 4: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (44 sts)
Round 5: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 10 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (48 sts)

Baby

Rounds 6–14: Ch 2, dc in each st around. Join. (48 sts)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Toddler

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 11 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (52 sts)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 12 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (56 sts)
Rounds 8–17: Ch 2, dc in each st around. Join. (56 sts)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Child

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 11 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (52 sts)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 12 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (56 sts)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 13 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (60 sts)
Rounds 9–18: Ch 2, dc in each st around. Join. (60 sts)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Adult

Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 11 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (52 sts)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 12 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (56 sts)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 13 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (60 sts)
Round 9: Ch 2, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 14 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (64 sts)
Rounds 10–19: Ch 2, dc in each st around. Join. (64 sts)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Hippo snout

Use the H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and pink yarn.

Round 1: Ch 8. Hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in next 4 chs. Work 4 hdc in last ch. Rotate to work along the opposite side of the foundation chain. Hdc in each of next 5 chs. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. (14 sts)
Round 2: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in each of first 2 sts, hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in each of next 4 sts, hdc in next 3 sts, and 2 hdc in each of last 2 sts. Join. (22 sts)
Round 3: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in each of first 3 sts, hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in each of next 6 sts, hdc in next 5 sts, and 2 hdc in each of last 3 sts. Join. (34 sts)

Baby: Stop after Round 3. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Toddler, Child, and Adult: Continue to Round 4.

Round 4: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in each of first 4 sts, hdc in next 9 sts, 2 hdc in each of next 8 sts, hdc in next 9 sts, and 2 hdc in each of last 4 sts. Join. (50 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Position the pink snout in the center of the lower front of the hat and sew it securely in place using the long pink yarn tail.

Hippo nostrils

Make 2 using the H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and purple yarn.

Round 1: Make a magic circle. Ch 2, work 9 dc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (9 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Position the nostrils evenly near the upper portion of the pink snout and sew them securely in place using the long purple yarn tails.

Hippo eyes

Make 2 using the H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and black yarn.

Round 1: Make a magic circle. Ch 2, work 9 hdc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. (9 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Using a small piece of white yarn and a yarn needle, stitch a small highlight onto each eye. Secure the white yarn on the back and weave in the ends.

Position the eyes above the snout and sew them securely to the hat using the long black yarn tails.

Hippo ears

Make 2 using the H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook and purple yarn.

Row 1: Ch 5, hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each remaining ch. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 2: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next st, and 2 hdc in last st. Turn. (5 sts)
Row 3: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next 3 sts, and 2 hdc in last st. Turn. (7 sts)
Row 4: Ch 2, work 2 hdc in first st, hdc in next 5 sts, and 2 hdc in last st. Turn. (9 sts)
Rows 5–6: Ch 2, hdc in each st across. Turn. (9 sts)
Row 7: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc in next 5 sts, hdc2tog. Turn. (7 sts)
Row 8: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc in next 3 sts, hdc2tog. Turn. (5 sts)
Row 9: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc in next st, hdc2tog. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 10: Ch 2, hdc3tog. (1 st)

Ch 1 and sc evenly around the entire ear. Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Position the ears near the top of the hat, angling them slightly outward. Sew the bottom edge of each ear securely to the hat using the long purple yarn tails.

Add the smile

Using black yarn and a yarn needle, stitch a curved smile onto the lower portion of the pink snout.

Fasten off securely on the inside of the hat and weave in the ends.

Finishing

Make sure the snout, nostrils, eyes, and ears are securely attached.

Weave in all remaining yarn ends and trim any excess yarn.

Purple handmade crochet hippo beanie with rounded ears, a pink muzzle, and a sweet smiling face.

Printable PDF version

If you prefer an easy, print-friendly version of this crochet hippo hat pattern, a printable PDF is available in my Etsy shop.

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Happy crocheting! 🧶
— Melissa

Pinterest graphic featuring a purple and pink crochet hippo hat beneath bold text reading “Cute hippo crochet hat” and “Easy free pattern.”