"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is a Christmas

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

written by John Rox (1902–1957) and performed by

Gayla Peevey Gayla Rienette Peevey (born March 8, 1943) is a former singer and child star from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is best known for her recording of " I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" ( Columbia 4-40106, 1953). Peevey recorded the novelty song w ...

(10 years old at the time) in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on '' Billboard'' magazine's pop chart in December 1953.

History

Peevey was a child star who was born in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. Her family moved to

Ponca City, Oklahoma Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...

, when she was five. When released nationally by Columbia Records the song shot to the top of the charts, and the

Oklahoma City Zoo The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is a zoo and botanical garden located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District in northeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The zoo covers and is home to more than 1,900 animals. It is open every day except Tha ...

acquired a baby

hippo The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant ...

named Matilda. In October 1953, Peevey performed the song on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'' in an episode that would air on November 15, 1953. A video of this performance is available on her website. A popular legend holds that this 1953 hit had been recorded as a fundraiser to bring the city zoo a hippo, but in a 2007 radio interview with Detroit-based

WNIC WNIC (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Dearborn, Michigan and serving the Metro Detroit media market. Owned by iHeartMedia, WNIC broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format. Each year, usually on the first Friday of Novemb ...

radio station, Peevey clarified that the song was not originally recorded as a fundraiser."The Breakfast Club" morning show. WNIC, Detroit, MI. December 19, 2007. Instead, the Oklahoma City Zoo and a local newspaper, picking up on the popularity of the song and Peevey's local roots, launched the Gayla Peevey hippo fund so Peevey could be presented with an actual hippopotamus on Christmas. The campaign succeeded, and she was presented with an actual hippopotamus, which – as had been planned all along – she donated to the city zoo. The hippopotamus lived for nearly 50 years. In 2017, Peevey, then 73 years old, was again present when the Oklahoma City Zoo acquired a rare

pygmy hippopotamus The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis'') is a small hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. It has ...

from the

San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a p ...

. In a 2010 interview, Peevey said that she had never received any royalties from the song.

B-side

The B-side of the original 78 featured the song "Are my Ears on Straight?"

Other releases

It is a

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

Christmas staple, having been released on his album ''The Greatest Novelty Records of All Time Vol. 6: Christmas''. A version by Vicki Dale and the Peter Pan Orchestra was released in 1953.

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

also recorded a version in 1959.

Bob Keeshan Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program '' Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longes ...

, as

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

, recorded a version of the song in 1961 with his collaborator Lumpy Brannum as Mr. Green Jeans. Malcolm T Elliot recorded and released a version in 1975. The song peaked at number 83 in Australia.

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. The so ...

recorded a rendition in late 2009. It debuted at No. 54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts dated for January 2, 2010. It is included on her album '' Christmas in My Heart'', released in 2013. American recording artist LeAnn Rimes released her cover of the song as a digital single for her EP, ''One Christmas: Chapter 1'' (2014). American recording artist

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

recorded and released a version in 2016 for her Christmas album entitled ''

A Very Kacey Christmas ''A Very Kacey Christmas'' is a third studio album and first Christmas album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on October 28, 2016, through Mercury Nashville. Overall, it is Musgraves' sixth album, her third studio album, ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1953 songs 2009 singles Christmas novelty songs American Christmas songs Songs about mammals Columbia Records singles Songs about Santa Claus