So, I’m playing Beyond Zork, and I’m struck with the lame Hipo and Crocodile idol puzzle.
Probably the worst puzzle in the whole game, and even there’s no alternatives to solve it. You can’t use magic to solve, it, you can’t teleport the giant onion to the jungle and use it as a weight, you can’t just put trash into the crocodile to do weight. LAME!
That is, just venting a little. The game is funny and infuriating at the same time XD
These is what I remember vaguely form playing years ago:
It seems like with the hippo I remember needing to lure it to follow you.
Also if you haven’t discovered yet with the onion: It’s too heavy to lift, but you can ROLL it (or PUSH it?) to different locations.
The thing about Beyond Zork is items are slightly randomized, and there are often different ways to solve puzzles based on what wand and what scroll does what randomly-assigned spell. I don’t know if that means it’s always solvable with the distribution of items and I remember restarting a bunch when I figured out a solution so I could get a spell that would help me. I suspect major puzzles might have a method to solve with magic and (hopefully) a separate solution that’s doable without relying on the RNG.
FWIW, I don’t like BZ very much.
you can’t do it alone.
get the hungus involved
you have to make it angry enough to chase you
by threatening the baby hungus
when you’re in the room with the idol, climb it.
the hungus will charge it.
I think if you’ve already rescued the baby, the game is unwinnable because the hungus is gone
not 100% sure, see for yourself
FWIW, I like BZ very much. 
That said, I think this puzzle is the one weak spot in the game.
As for the solution, @kamineko is correct. But also note:
Be sure you aren’t wearing the cloak of Stealth, or the mother hungus will have difficulty following you.
And yes, @HanonO, there are enough alternate solutions so that each random layout is solvable. (Well, at least until you do something to mess things up, that is!).
yeah, I know all that guys, (anyway thanks). As I said, I was just venting a little.
I will just mindlessly solve that puzzle and continue with the joytration (joy+frustration)
But… the thing is… the maw of the crocodile can allocate things. Maybe id the puzzle is solved because of the weight of the Hipo weight…
I will try to teleport or push the onion there XDDD