# I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
**"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"** is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox and recorded in 1953 by the ten-year-old [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city) child singer Gayla Peevey for Columbia Records. The record sold more than 300,000 copies, peaked at number 24 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) chart, and set off a local fundraising campaign that bought a real hippopotamus for the Oklahoma City Zoo.[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writer | John Rox, who wrote the words and music in 1950[2](https://books.google.com/books?id=QW9d4XSuwNgC) |
| Original recording | Gayla Peevey, Columbia Records, 1953; produced by Mitch Miller[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1747483873) |
| Chart and sales | Peaked at number 24 on the Billboard chart; more than 300,000 copies sold[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026) |
| Real hippo | The Oklahoma City Zoo and local newspapers ran the "Gayla Peevey hippo fund," which raised $3,000; a baby hippo named Matilda was presented to Peevey and donated to the zoo[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAWkdgbt8g) |
| Matilda's lifespan | The hippopotamus lived for nearly 50 years at the zoo[5](https://webresources.oxfordcounty.ca/umbraco/documents/archives/Song%20lyrics%20-%20Hippo%20for%20Christmas.pdf) |
| Later exposure | Theme song of the United States Postal Service holiday campaign in 2016; covered by LeAnn Rimes in 2014[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026) • [6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-want-a-hippopotamus-for-christmas-single/920880677) |
## The song
The lyrics are a child's Christmas wish list with one item on it: "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas / Only a hippopotamus will do." The singer rejects dolls and Tinkertoys, argues that a hippo is a vegetarian against her mother's objection, plans to house the animal in the family's two-car garage, and suggests that Santa bring it through the front door rather than the chimney flue.[7](https://www.dmdb.org/lyrics/hippo.html) The recorded title carries the subtitle "Hippo the Hero," drawn from the line about seeing a "hippo hero" standing there on Christmas morning.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1747483873)
The original Columbia single carried the flip side "Are My Ears on Straight?"; Peevey recorded further novelty songs, including "Angel in the Christmas Play" (1954) and "77 Santas" (1955), but the hippo song remained her only hit.[8](https://www.hipchristmas.com/songs/i.php)
## Recording
Gayla Rienette Peevey (born 1943 in Oklahoma City) began performing at age eight on local Oklahoma radio and television, and became a regular singing partner of [Hoagy Carmichael](https://www.edgepedia.org/hoagy-carmichael) on NBC's *Saturday Night Review*. Her popularity brought a [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records) contract, and in 1953 the label flew the ten-year-old and her mother to New York City, where the songs were recorded live with the orchestra.[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026) • [9](https://soloshideaway.com/_christmas/wantahippopotamus/)
[Mitch Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitch-miller) produced the record.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1747483873) The conductor is a point of disagreement between sources: Peevey's own account says Percy Faith conducted, while Apple Music credits Norman Leyden and His Orchestra.[9](https://soloshideaway.com/_christmas/wantahippopotamus/) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1747483873) Peevey promoted the release with a guest appearance on the [Ed Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sullivan)-hosted CBS show *Toast of the Town*, and appeared in *LOOK* magazine on December 29, 1953.[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026)
## The Matilda campaign
A popular legend holds that the song was written as a fundraiser for the Oklahoma City Zoo, which then had no hippopotamus. Peevey has said the song was not originally recorded for that purpose; instead, the zoo and the local press picked up on its popularity and her local roots. Oklahoma City's WKY-TV and the *Oklahoma City Times* and *Daily Oklahoman* newspapers sponsored a fund presented in the newspapers as buying a hippo for Gayla, with readers taping dimes and quarters into daily newspaper circles. The campaign raised $3,000, and a baby Nile hippopotamus named Matilda was flown to Oklahoma City and presented to Peevey at Christmas 1953; as planned, she donated the animal to the zoo.[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAWkdgbt8g) • [10](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-12-13/for-the-oklahoma-city-zoo-hippos-are-a-christmas-tradition)
Matilda lived at the zoo for nearly 50 years, and Peevey's account says that with her mate Norm she produced about nine offspring.[5](https://webresources.oxfordcounty.ca/umbraco/documents/archives/Song%20lyrics%20-%20Hippo%20for%20Christmas.pdf) • [9](https://soloshideaway.com/_christmas/wantahippopotamus/) Peevey later said the song gave her a platform to speak for hippopotamus conservation and her connection with zoos; she was present again in 2017 when the Oklahoma City Zoo acquired a rare pygmy hippopotamus.[10](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-12-13/for-the-oklahoma-city-zoo-hippos-are-a-christmas-tradition)
## Later life of the song
The recording has stayed in circulation through reissues, including the 1989 Rhino compilation *Dr. Demento Presents: The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time*, and through streaming, where the original track had been played more than 153 million times on Spotify as of a 2021 compilation listing.[7](https://www.dmdb.org/lyrics/hippo.html) • [11](https://open.spotify.com/track/41FW1FBA4UcphZayf6gz67) Its popularity rose again after the [United States Postal Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-postal-service) used it as the theme of its 2016 holiday advertising campaign, and Hallmark sells ornaments and cards that play it.[1](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026)
Cover versions include [LeAnn Rimes](https://www.edgepedia.org/leann-rimes)'s four-minute recording released September 30, 2014, and a version by [Kacey Musgraves](https://www.edgepedia.org/kacey-musgraves).[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-want-a-hippopotamus-for-christmas-single/920880677) • [12](https://www.charliegreenwoodsings.com/_files/ugd/7160f7_573ba11e21d74f4e9a1dcb9f96dceefa.pdf) The song has also inspired a children's book edition of the lyrics with sheet music, published by [HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins) in 2005, and a Barter Theatre stage musical of the same title for young audiences.[2](https://books.google.com/books?id=QW9d4XSuwNgC) • [13](https://bartertheatre.com/app/uploads/2023/10/Study-Guide-I-Want-A-Hippo-For-Christmas.pdf)
## Attribution notes
Most sources credit the words and music to John Rox, who is said to have written the song in 1950.[2](https://books.google.com/books?id=QW9d4XSuwNgC) • [7](https://www.dmdb.org/lyrics/hippo.html) A 2003 Guardian feature attributes it to "one John Fox," and a [Montana State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/montana-state-university) student paper names "John Coctosten"; these appear alongside the Rox attribution in the same body of sources and are not corroborated by the music-industry records, which list Rox.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/nov/28/3) • [15](https://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-exponent/objects/exp-102-14-001-028.pdf) Peevey's later career included recording under the pseudonym Jamie Horton, whose "My Little Marine" peaked at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960.[16](https://themusic.com.au/features/in-search-for-a-christmas-one-hit-wonder/sWoPpaSnpqk/22-12-23)
## References
1. [Tally D. Fugate, "Peevey, Gayla Rienette," The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture](https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=PE026)
2. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, John Rox, HarperCollins (Google Books)](https://books.google.com/books?id=QW9d4XSuwNgC)
3. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Hippo the Hero), Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1747483873)
4. [Gayla Peevey, I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas (YouTube description)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAWkdgbt8g)
5. ["I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," Oxford County archives song sheet](https://webresources.oxfordcounty.ca/umbraco/documents/archives/Song%20lyrics%20-%20Hippo%20for%20Christmas.pdf)
6. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - Single, LeAnn Rimes, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-want-a-hippopotamus-for-christmas-single/920880677)
7. [I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas lyrics, dmdb.org](https://www.dmdb.org/lyrics/hippo.html)
8. [Songs & Singles - I, Hip Christmas Music](https://www.hipchristmas.com/songs/i.php)
9. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Gayla Peevey first-person account, SolosHideaway](https://soloshideaway.com/_christmas/wantahippopotamus/)
10. [For The Oklahoma City Zoo, Hippos Are A Christmas Tradition, WPRL/NPR](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2017-12-13/for-the-oklahoma-city-zoo-hippos-are-a-christmas-tradition)
11. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Hippo the Hero), Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/41FW1FBA4UcphZayf6gz67)
12. [Charlie Greenwood set lists including the Kacey Musgraves version](https://www.charliegreenwoodsings.com/_files/ugd/7160f7_573ba11e21d74f4e9a1dcb9f96dceefa.pdf)
13. [I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas study guide, Barter Theatre](https://bartertheatre.com/app/uploads/2023/10/Study-Guide-I-Want-A-Hippo-For-Christmas.pdf)
14. ["'Tis the season to be silly," The Guardian (2003)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/nov/28/3)
15. ["In the Spotlight," Montana State University Exponent](https://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-exponent/objects/exp-102-14-001-028.pdf)
16. [In Search For A Christmas One Hit Wonder, The Music (2023)](https://themusic.com.au/features/in-search-for-a-christmas-one-hit-wonder/sWoPpaSnpqk/22-12-23)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Children's, novelty, parody, and traditional children's songs › Parody and comedy songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license