“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is what happens when a record label decides that Christmas needs a dose of absurdity — and a 10-year-old with perfect comic timing.

Released in 1953, sung by Gayla Peevey, it became a surprise hit in the U.S. thanks to her wide-eyed sincerity and ridiculous request.
It’s silly, theatrical, and utterly charming — like a child pleading with Santa armed with a jazz band.

On ukulele, it’s irresistible: bouncy chords, playful rhythm, and just enough tongue-in-cheek sweetness to get away with it.

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🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips

We’ll use C major, nice and bright for the uke.
You’ll need C, G7, F, A7, D7 — standard happy-holiday toolkit.

Verse progression: [C] – [A7] – [D7] – [G7]
Chorus: [C] – [F] – [G7] – [C]

Tempo: 115 bpm — upbeat, vaudeville swing.

Strumming: down–chuck–up–up–chuck or down–down–up–up–down–up with a cheeky bounce.
Mute beats 2 and 4 for that music-hall feel.

For a silly flourish, slide into your C chord from a fret below on the intro — instant grin factor.

Vocal tip:
Go full character.
Think of it as musical theatre for one — over-enunciate, throw in a wink, and don’t be afraid to lean into the comedy.

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💡 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
• Gayla Peevey was 10 years old when she recorded it — she later became a teacher and advertising jingle writer.
• The Oklahoma City Zoo used the song’s popularity to raise funds for an actual hippopotamus — and bought one named Matilda for Gayla as a publicity stunt.
• The song was written by John Rox, who never expected it to become a perennial hit.
• It re-charted several times over the decades thanks to TikTok, TV shows, and nostalgia-bait playlists.
• It remains one of the purest examples of novelty done right: catchy, weird, and harmlessly joyful.

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🌈 Final Word

“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is chaos wrapped in tinsel.
On ukulele, it’s Christmas cabaret at its finest — small instrument, big personality.
Lean into it: grin, exaggerate, and maybe even throw in a fake trumpet solo between verses.

If you can play it without laughing, you’re doing it wrong.