I heard my #1,
ALL TIME FAVORITE
Christmas Song
on the way home
this evening.
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox (1902–1957)[1][2 and performed by Gayla Peevey (10 years old at the time) in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on Billboard magazine's pop chart in December 1953.[8]
Peevey was a regional child star of the Oklahoma City area. When released nationally by Columbia Records, the song shot to the top of the charts and the city zoo acquired a baby hippo named Matilda.
A popular legend holds that this 1953 hit had been recorded as a fund-raiser to bring the city zoo a hippo; but in a 2007 radio interview with Detroit-based WNIC radio station, Peevey clarified that the song was not originally recorded as a fundraiser. Instead, a local promoter picked up on the popularity of the song and Peevey's local roots, and launched a campaign to present her with an actual hippopotamus on Christmas.
On the B-side of the record was my 2nd ALL TIME FAVORITE Christmas Song. I don't think I have heard it since I was a child.
So in honor of my childhood,
and many nights sitting in front of the TV
watching Lawrence Welk,
here's Janet Lennon singing
"Are My Ears On Straight."
Signed,
Sing Along With Paula
