Oh, ‘to see a hippo hero standing there’

Christmas 2018 is a milestone event for Gayla Peevey Henderson. This year is the 65-year anniversary of her hit song that was released in 1953, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

Gayla recorded John Rox’s novelty song as a 10-year-old girl. Her producer at Columbia Records was the legendary Mitch Miller, who conducted the orchestra and played oboe. “In those days, you sang live with the orchestra in the recording studio,” she said. “I didn’t have to sing it that many times. I would say the third time was the take.”

She recently told a news reporter that now in her 70s, she expected her life was going to be “all about playing with grandchildren.”

Gayla Peevey Henderson may have wanted to retire…but her song hasn’t. The Hippo song has gone retro, thanks in part to Hallmark’s introduction in 2008 of a hippo-shaped ornament that plays the Hippo tune.

An article in The New York Times written by Joanne Kaufman in 2016 applauded the creativity of the holiday advertising campaign that year by the U.S. Postal Service for “adopting the Hippo song.”

“The ditty was, perhaps, unfamiliar to many listeners, but it penetrated the mind space of the unwary at warp speed – and stayed there. Resistance was futile,” Kaufman wrote.

An early black-and-white video of Gayla pausing while playing a game of jacks with her friends to perform the Hippo song has become a viral sensation.

On Gayla’s website, she tells readers: “Surprisingly, the Hippo song has gained in popularity and airplay over the last few years and…a lot of merchandise has hit the shelves, too, with my voice streaming out of everything from bouncing balls to Hallmark cards and keepsake Christmas ornaments. It’s fun for me and nice to have a legacy that puts a smile on people’s faces and a little warm Christmas cheer in their hearts.”

Gayla Peevey grew up in Oklahoma, and she started singing “practically out of the womb. I can’t remember when I didn’t sing, I really can’t.” As a pre-schooler, she was singing with the Baptist Church choir. One writer said: “Her robust voice with its country sheen was a force of nature.”

An uncle who played fiddle on a radio show broadcast from Oklahoma City arranged a guest spot for Gayla when she was 8; it led first to a twice-a-week gig on the local NBC affiliate.

Talent scouts were watching and listening in, for Gayla was invited to become a regular on “Saturday Night Revue,” an NBC variety show hosted by Hoagy Carmichael. On cue, the Peeveys moved to Hollywood, Calif.

For her debut, she was paired to sing with Dean Martin. “Plucked out of local television, it was a big jump,” she said, “but they were so nice to me.”

On Oct. 18, 1953, Gayla Peevey sang her new Hippo song on the “Toast of the Town” TV show hosted by Ed Sullivan.

Seize the day. The success of the new song prompted the Oklahoma City Zoo to launch a publicity campaign to buy Gayla Peevey a real hippopotamus in 1953, encouraging children to contribute coins.

Gayla said: “Every day in the newspaper, there was a little circle where you could tape your dime or your quarter and mail it in.” Time was short, if the hippo was to arrive on Christmas Eve. The zoo collected some $4,000 – more than enough to seal the deal.

Upon meeting Mathilda, the full-grown Nile hippopotamus that was shipped into Oklahoma City from Central Park Zoo in New York City, Gayla was instructed to say: “Oh my, there’s no room for her in our garage. I guess maybe I’ll donate her to the zoo.”

Janelle Stecklein, a reporter for the Enid (Okla.) News & Eagle, reported that Mathilda and her male hubby hippo, Norman, produced nine hippo calves during their time together.

Gayla’s life in the limelight was short-circuited when her parents chose to have her exit show business. The Peeveys moved to the San Diego area so their daughter “could live a normal life.”

That mission is still being accomplished. Gayla and her husband, Cliff Henderson, have a daughter and three grandchildren. The couple is also involved with assorted church and community activities in La Mesa, Calif.

Leaving the music business was not that difficult for Gayla. “You do have this sort of feeling that you’re a has-been at 12,” she laughed. “That was the thing I had to deal with – that I had already peaked.”

As a teenager, she learned to play the guitar and started writing her own songs. In 1959, at age 16, she recorded a love song titled “My Little Marine.” One would suspect there are local collectors who have the original 45, especially Marine Corps Veterans. Making the connection was a bit of a challenge. For some reason, record company had changed Gayla’s name to “Jamie Horton.”

To hear the softer side of Gayla Peevey, flip over “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” and listen to the B-side. It’s a tune by Mel Leven, who had much success as a songwriter with Walt Disney: “Are My Ears on Straight?”