Hippo Model

The is a female hippo posing for a painting by Schule Donavitch in Link's Awakening. She can be found in Schule Donavitch's studio in Animal Village. If Link approaches her, she sits down and annoyedly asks him to leave.

In the Japanese version of the game (and earlier European versions), the hippo is actually posing as a nude model. She has a towel around the lower half of her body, and her upper body has what appeared to be breasts. When Link walks in, she quickly pulls her towel up and sits down. This explains her response of "Go away!" when Link speaks to her in the American version. Nintendo of America deemed this to be too inappropriate for American audiences, however. As a result, the towel was removed and she was given a more unisex appearance. This censorship can also be observed in the more recent European versions of the game. A patch was later developed to restore her towel and apparent breasts.