I Want a Hippopotamus from the OKC Zoo! - Oklahoma City

Do you know the Oklahoma ties to the Hippopotamus song? 

Gayla Peevey was born on March 8, 1943. This former singer and child star was from Oklahoma City, OK. She is best known for the song, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," which she recorded at the age of 10. The Oklahoma City Zoo gained some notoriety due to the song. After Gayla received a Hippo as a gift, she donated Matilda the Hippo to the Zoo. Matilda lived out her days there until at the age of 47 she was being transferred to Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom in Orlando FL.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is a zoo and botanical garden located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District in northeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The zoo covers 119 acres and is home to more than 1,900 animals.

https://www.okczoo.org/