Gayla Peevey Finally Gets A Hippopotamus For Christmas!
60-years later, she gets one!
When Gayla Peevey sang about wanting a “Hippopotamus for Christmas “ she wasn’t kidding.
More than 60 years later, Gayla welcomed another hippo to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Her famous Christmas song actually helped the zoo buy their first hippo.
In 1953, the then-10-year-old Peevey sang the novelty hit, “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas.” It led to a statewide fund drive in which children donated dimes to purchase and bring a pachyderm to the zoo.
Pygmy hippos are listed as endangered, with fewer than 3,000 remaining in the wild.
