ABOUT HIPPO

Why Hippo – a brand built on smart functional design, practical solutions and customer-focused innovation.
The evolution from Hippo Outdoor to multiple Hippo brands, showing product growth across fishing, golf, eyewear and marine.
Hippo brand philosophy focused on smart, practical and problem-solving product design for everyday use.
The founder’s story of Per Johansson and the journey behind building Hippo into a multi-category functional product brand.

Why Hippo

Hippo is a brand built on simplicity: smart products that solve real problems. We create functional solutions for people who move between nature, leisure and everyday life—whether it’s fishing, golf, eyewear or marine use.

The name Hippo was chosen because it represents strength, stability and trust. A Hippo product should always feel robust, practical and easy to use. We focus on details that truly matter: quick-release systems for fly anglers, smarter storage solutions, ultra-thin reading glasses and durable marine accessories.

Hippo is about function first—and removing unnecessary complexity from everyday products.

 

From Hippo Outdoor to… Hippo Everything!

The journey began with Hippo Outdoor, a small product segment focused on practical solutions for boating, camping and outdoor life. It quickly became clear that the same way of thinking could be applied across multiple areas.

Today, the Hippo family consists of four specialized brands:

  • Hippo Fishing – smart equipment for fly anglers

  • Hippo Golf – functional tools for golfers

  • Hippo Eyewear – ultra-thin reading glasses for everyday use

  • Hippo Marine – durable products for tarps, boats and onboard safety

Each segment has grown organically. Every product is developed from a real need—often something that felt unnecessarily complicated, poorly designed or simply missing from the market. Hippo has become a brand umbrella where smart, practical solutions continue to grow.

What We Think – Smart and Practical

We believe in products that are easy to understand and even easier to use.
Our philosophy is built on four core principles:

  • Smart design – every function must have a clear purpose

  • Practical use – products must work in real-life conditions

  • High quality – materials and construction must last

  • Minimalism – remove everything that isn’t necessary

We develop products that feel intuitive and natural—solutions that make people think:
“Why hasn’t this been done before?” Whether it’s a fly fishing magnifier, a tee height gauge, ultra-thin reading glasses or a tarp attachment system, everything follows the same idea: Let function come before complexity.

The Founder’s Story

Hippo was founded by Per Johansson, an entrepreneur with a strong passion for smart design and functional products. The idea grew from a simple ambition: to create gear that actually works in real life.

Spending a lot of time outdoors—by the water, on the golf course and around boats—Per noticed that many products were either overly complicated, poorly built or lacked features users genuinely needed.

What started as a single product soon turned into a stream of ideas across different activities and environments. Through testing, refining and improving, Hippo gradually took shape as a brand focused on usability, durability and thoughtful design.

Today, Hippo products are sold across multiple categories and continue to expand. The driving force remains the same as from day one:
to create smart, reliable and practical solutions that improve everyday life.