Gayla Peevey, at age 10, recorded the holiday hit "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" in 1953, leading to a successful ...

She was a children's Christmas song come to life. On Dec. 24, 1953, a 700-pound "baby" lumbered from her moving crate into the awaiting water at Oklahoma City's Lincoln Park Zoo. "I Want a ...

When Gayla Peevey's catchy Christmas wish for a hippopotamus came true in 1953, she didn't need to test the lyrical theory that a two-car garage would have plenty of room to house her "hippo hero." ...

It is literally Christmas in July as iconic hippopotamus song will now be a part of the Oklahoma City Zoo forever. The iconic Christmas song, “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas”, was recorded in ...

Gayla Peevey was just 10 years old when her unforgettable holiday anthem, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” became a national sensation in 1953. The song made Peevey a part of Oklahoma history.