"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" had reached ... More: From 'Rudolph' to 'Frosty,' these 5 classic Christmas songs have surprising Oklahoma ties So, Oklahoma's children had a pretty good ...

When Gayla Peevey's catchy Christmas wish for a hippopotamus came true in 1953, she didn't need to test the lyrical theory that a two-car garage would have plenty of room to house her "hippo hero.

from Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" to "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas," recorded by a 10-year-old Gayla Peevey in 1953.

She was a children's Christmas song come to life. On Dec. 24, 1953, a 700-pound "baby" lumbered from her moving crate into the awaiting water at Oklahoma City's Lincoln Park Zoo. "I Want a ...