Napkin Holder

Richard Steffen had a wild imagination and a big love for animals—especially hippos. One afternoon, while sketching in his workshop, he chuckled to himself and thought, What if a hippo held napkins in its mouth? The idea made him laugh so much, he had to build it.

He grabbed a block of smooth, sturdy wood and started carving. Bit by bit, a cheerful hippo came to life, with big round cheeks, little ears, and wide-open jaws. Richard carefully carved space between the top and bottom of the hippo’s mouth—just wide enough to hold a neat stack of napkins.

When he was done, the hippo looked like it was mid-snack, happily munching on napkins. He painted it a soft gray, added bright eyes, and even gave it tiny carved toes. It was both adorable and practical.

He gave the hippo napkin holder to his neighbor, Ella, who ran a daycare and always had a busy snack table. When the kids saw it, they squealed with delight.

“Is he eating the napkins?” one asked.

Ella laughed. “Only if you don’t clean your hands!”

The hippo quickly became the daycare’s favorite table guest. The kids named him “Nibbles,” and every lunch and snack time started with someone carefully feeding Nibbles a fresh stack of napkins.

Richard’s little hippo turned an everyday item into a tiny burst of joy—and Nibbles made sure no snack time was ever boring again.

(Made by Richard Steffen for In The Kitchen Contest)