Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon.com. Check out I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas by Kacey Musgraves on Amazon Music. It was 1953, and one of … Kacey Musgraves' I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas lyrics were written by John Rox. Gayla Peevey was born in 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA as Gayla Rienette Peevey. SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox and performed by Gayla Peevey (10 … She has been married to Clifford Henderson since August 25, 1963. Her family moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1948. They have one child. She is best known for her recording, under her maiden name Gayla Peevey, of "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (Columbia 4-40106, 1953). Gayla Peevey, Soundtrack: Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever. In 1953, the then 10-year-old Peevey sang the novelty hit, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas… “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” blew up as soon as it … READ MORE: Some experts say Christmas music can be bad for your mental health. Gayla Rienette Peevey (born March 8, 1943) is a former singer and child star from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Gayla Peevey (born 1943) is perhaps best known for her song, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" This. I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas Lyrics. 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 … OKLAHOMA CITY – She was only 10-years-old at the time, but Gayla Peevey had a big song on her hands. In 1953, the then 10-year-old Peevey sang the novelty hit, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, which debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Chicago Tribune reports. Listen to Kacey Musgraves' song below. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas Lyrics: I want a hippopotamus for Christmas / Only a hippopotamus will do / Don't want a doll / No dinky Tinkertoy / I want a hippopotamus … The official music video for I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas premiered on YouTube on Friday the 28th of October 2016. This is the song that inspired me to make this list after I heard it three days in a row immediately after turning on the radio. Gayla Peevey, singer of that enduring Christmas classic, "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas," sings in her home in La Mesa, California.