The price of the Hippo Calf minion on Final Fantasy 14's market board has skyrocketed due to the popularity of the viral baby pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng.
Moo Deng is a young pygmy hippopotamus living at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. The young hippo rose to online popularity after observers noted how energetic and playful she is. Moo Deng's popularity has been a great financial boon to the zoo, which has doubled its number of visitors since the hippo's rise to fame.
It would appear that Moo Deng's popularity has had some unexpected and far-reaching effects. The price of Hippo Calves on Final Fantasy 14's market board has increased tenfold, as seen in screenshots posted by Final Fantasy 14 player Cerulean. In those screenshots, you can see a price increase in listings, beginning at around 25,000 Gil and rising to around 300,000 Gil.
A quick look at Universalis, a Final Fantasy 14 market board tracking website, confirms the veracity of these screenshots. You can observe a clear spike in the price of Hippo Calves in the last couple of days, which is currently sitting at an average price of 250,000 Gil.
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