The problem is not the hippo, the problem is that you have not grasped the concept that the medium is the message, man! Ya dig? See, when reduced to a tiny avatar, your beloved hippo looks like a disgusting garden slug. Forgive my intervention here, but IMHO, what you really need to express yourself as a hippo aficionado is an avatar that is a close-up of a hippo face, much like @Morgyn has so excellently portrayed his Cat. A Cat, I might add, whose vicious scowl would be seen as threatening by Man or Beast of any size, and would be rightfully devoured by any upstanding Dog. But yet, it is, beyond all possible doubt, a Cat. That is all. Make of it what you will. Guide your future hippo characterizations accordingly.
You are making the hippo very angry.
I do like @Beckdawrek’s bottle top from Beck’s beer. Simple, and clear to identify.
Quick hint to @BippityBoppityBoo: Reverse yours, so the profile looks to the right. Didn’t we speak about this? 
@Northern_Piper’s bagpipes/mosquito/hummingbird is classic. Piper, you’re stuck with it.
Despite what I thought when were on the old vBulletin board, I’m finding the avatars handy indicators of who posted what. And I like the creativity, as to who identifies as what.
Are you saying he committed a hippo violation?
The hippo just looked at you and narrowed his eyes…
I, for one, love the hippo, even though we can’t see its narrowed eyes.
Thank-you @Spoons, I like your Bogart as well. It’s exactly how I picture you.
I really liked my Warhol inspired profile I used to have, it was hard giving it up.
I was happy when @nelliebly actually put the real Nelliebly as her avatar.
@Sunny_Daze avatar always makes me smile.
@Gatopescado had a dumpster fire one I liked. He’s a white square now.
@wolfpup’s hippo violation is nothing compared to the violation said hippo is about to visit upon a paint-by-numbers spaniel that thinks it’s a wolf. 
Having said that I have to agree with the substance of @wolfpup’s comment.
As a counterexample, his icon is high contrast, simply rendered, and iconically shaped. So it’s well-suited to the small 40-pixel square format shown on a PC. And is even readily recognizable on a tiny phone screen.
@burpo_the_wonder_mutt has a great example of a username and a good example of a animal picture that works as an icon. @iiandyiiii should be able to find a similarly bold hippo pic. Setting aside all questions of copyright, there’s no shortage of images out there https://www.google.com/search?q=hippo&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp
Agree.
[quote=“Beckdawrek, post:27, topic:942351”]
@Gatopescado had a dumpster fire one I liked.
I liked it, too.
Hey, be nice! He’s hip sometimes, man.
It’s from a poster for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. I love it because I think it defines the past future.
@burpo_the_wonder_mutt there’s a favorite, as is @Mijin. There’s a budgie avatar that is great, just can’t remember it off hand.
I will consider modifications (perhaps a high contrast version, if that were to be possible) of the existing hippo. But this hippo is the correct hippo. There will be no alternate hippo. The choosing of the hippo is already complete and cannot be altered.
“It’s what people in 1965 imagined what life would be like in 1987." - Lisa Simpson
Regarding Nellie Bly, something someone commented about the historical figure made me do some research. Turns out she was born in 1864 in the tiny town of Cochran’s Mills (town named after Michael Cochran, Nellie’s father).
So, I’m at work right now and am within a 30 minute walk (five minute drive) of Cochran’s Mills.
Ha! Until now, even though I know who Nellie Bly is, I always read that name as “nellibly” to rhyme with “indelibly.” 
Is cropping it to just the hippo’s face an option? Because I agree that its expression is everything both a hippo and an avatar should be. It’s the rest of it that causes issues in the 40x40 format.
A cropping of the hippo could be considered.
Until now I always read her handle as “Nellie Bly”. But had no idea it was anything more than a made up name like “Thudlow Boink” or “Maus Magill”.
Thanks for clueing me in; that’s a fascinating real person to choose as a namesake.
Vive la difference!