Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14
Christmas Song Lyrics Compiled by Charles P. Scott
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Lyrics
I
want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
I Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door,
That's the easy thing to do
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise,
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there
I
want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
I Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy
Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian
There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I
want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
I Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy
About This Song
"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox (1902–1957).
Gayla Peevey was 10-years-old when she recorded the song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” in 1953. The child star, often confused with Shirley Temple, acquired adoring fans quickly, especially in her hometown of Oklahoma City.
Gayla had a clear gift for singing, so her parents allowed her to perform on a local television variety program. The first selection, a cutesy song about a hippo, delighted Gayla as much as it did audiences. During rehearsal, Gayla made some improvements to the lyrics, which originally read “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. A hippopotamus is all I want.” She also ad-libbed an extra “es” onto “hippopotamuses-es.”
That Christmas, the song sold a record half million copies; Gayla even performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Oklahoma City Zoo decided to capitalize upon the success of their local celebrity by starting a campaign to buy a hippo for Gayla for Christmas. The catch? She had to donate it to the zoo!
