I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

1953

Gayla Peevey

The next few songs are for fun! The Christmas Novelty songs...

And to lead 'em off is an adorable and talented ten year old who told the world what she wanted for Christmas musically...a young lady named Gayla Peevey who's only desire on that Christmas of 1953 was a hippopotamus. That's right...a hippo.

Everyone;s heard this one over Christmas and smiled at the concept, and the imagination of a child who'd want one of the rotund creatures under their tree on Christmas Morning.

It was actually written by John Rox, and performed by Ponca City, Oklahoma native Gayla Peevey, who was already a star in her own right. Columbia Records recorded the song and released it in the Fall of '53. and watched it shoot up the charts, peaking at #24 in December of '53. It was just a cute, and endearing little tune, made all the more so by Gayla's performance of it on The Ed Sullivan show

And here's the rub...guess who actually did get a hippopotamus for Christmas?? The director of the Oklahoma City Zoo watched Gayla's little tune climb the charts and decided it would be nice to actually give her said Hippo for Christmas...so he set out on a fund-raising campaign to do just that. The first dollar came from Gayla herself, donations came in from all over the country, and the 3000 dollars needed to purchase the baby hippo was raised quickly.

The 800 pound baby Hippo was flown from Africa to New York, then from there to Oklahoma City. She arrived at the Oklahoma City airport on Christmas Eve, to be met by Gayla herself. Gayla named it Matilda and donated it to the zoo. The zoo opened at 1PM on Christmas Day to let everyone welcome Matilda,and over 10,000 people showed up to do just that. Matilda lived for 47 years, passing away in 2000. 

Gayla greets Matilda on Christmas Eve '53

 

Gayla Peevey (Now Gayla Peevey Henderson) is still going strong. Her family moved to California when she was still a child, so she could have a more normal life. At sixteen she learned guitar and recorded some more music under a contract with Joy Records under the name Jamie Horton (Gayla was not in favor of the name change>(.  She finished school, taught for several years, then owned her own successful marketing firm. Along the way she got married, had a daughter, and now has a trio of grandkids. She's still healthy, active, and she regularly gives interviews about her little novelty hit, and Matilda, the hippo that a song bought.

So enjoy! I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas!