December 13, am Updated December 13, pm. The singer was on hand as the year-old pygmy hippopotamus Francesca made her first Oklahoma public appearance since moving from the San Diego Zoo. Read Next. How to hide your holiday hangover from your boss. This story has been shared 68, times. This story has been shared 53, times. This story has been shared 34, times.

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Gayla remembers the awkwardness when schoolmates stared at her during class or when children climbed into trees to stare at her through the bedroom window. Gayla had a clear gift for singing, so her parents allowed her to perform on a local television variety program. Gayla Peevey. Source: iwantahippopotamusforchristmas. A hippopotamus is all I want. 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! Mathilda, a two-year-old hippopotamus, arrived by airplane on Christmas Eve. Gayla was at the airport to greet her and turn her gift over to the zoo.
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Christmas is coming, and one little girl wants nothing more than a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy. But will Santa Claus and her parents make her Christmas wish come true? The song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas was written in by John Rox and became a nationwide hit in when ten-year-old Oklahoma native Gayla Peevey sang the song as a way to raise money for the Oklahoma City Zoo's first hippopotamus. In December of that year the city received Matilda the hippo for Christmas. Pigeon Has to Go to School! See our price match guarantee.