Happy Thursday! Christmas is just around the corner! 😀
Over the past few weeks, I have written about some of my favorite Christmas songs (See: White Christmas, A Holly Jolly Christmas, and You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch).
This week I wanted to write about a song that I was curious about. 😉 Have you ever heard that song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”? The first time I heard it was on the radio probably about ten years ago.
When I heard the song, I thought it was a unique new song and was curious as to why the woman singing it had altered her voice for the song.
Recently, I looked up the song, and I learned that it wasn’t a new song, and it wasn’t sung by a woman. It was actually a song from 1953 and sung by the 10-year-old Gayla Peevey.
I found a music video of the original song. At the end of the original music video, there is a clip of the 73-year-old Gayla Peevey singing the song in 2016. Check it out:
Lyrics:
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don’t want a doll, no dinkey tinker toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoyI want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to use a dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door
That’s the easy thing to doI can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy, what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing thereI want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinosauruses
I only likes hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me, tooMom says a 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 massageI can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy, what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing thereI want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, or rhinosauruseses
I only likes hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me, too
“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is definitely a unique Christmas song. Can you think of any unique Christmas songs?
Allison Merten 