OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Zoo has unveiled a new bronze sculpture honoring Oklahoma native Gayla Peevey and the famous fundraising campaign that brought the Zoo its first hippopotamus more than 70 years ago.
On Thursday, July 10, the life-size statue, titled “Gayla’s Hippo Hero,” was revealed inside the Love’s Pachyderm building to a packed and enthusiastic audience, all eager to see the tribute to the Oklahoma icon. Created by Oklahoma City-based sculptor LaQuincey Reed, the piece depicts a young Peevey alongside baby hippopotamus Mathilda, symbolizing her role in one of the Zoo’s most well-known moments.
In 1953, 10-year-old Peevey recorded the holiday song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” which quickly gained national attention. The song’s popularity helped spark a community-wide fundraising campaign led by local children, who sent in nickels and dimes to help the Zoo purchase a hippo.
That campaign ultimately led to the arrival of Mathilda, a Nile hippopotamus, later that year. Mathilda became a staple at the Zoo, living there for the next five decades. During her time at the Zoo, she had a mate, Norm, and together they produced nine calves.
Free Press spoke with Peevey after the unveiling to ask how she felt about the statue and what it meant to her.
“This is just the most exciting thing,” Peevey told us. “It’s really like a highlight of my life. And what a legacy. I never dreamed to have this kind of support and fellow Oklahomans celebrating something like this with me. It just really brings tears to my eyes.”
Peevey, who later moved to California, remained connected to the Oklahoma City Zoo over the years, making return visits and appearing at events such as the annual Safari Lights exhibit.
At the unveiling, guests of all ages and backgrounds gathered to hear from Peevey, Oklahoma City Zoo CEO Dwight Lawson, and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.
“This is a really cool story, and a story that will now be told here at the zoo forever,” Mayor Holt said at the event.
The locally-based artist behind the sculpture LaQuincey Reed said he was glad to have an opportunity to celebrate Peevey’s legacy with her iconic song.
“This song resonates with people every single year, and I’m just glad I got a chance to celebrate something that really she’s just done so absolutely well,” Reed told Free Press in an interview.
Reed said he began work on the sculpture last summer with help from his two sons, who joined him in the studio during their summer break. The attention to detail, including contributions from his kids, is a standout feature. Their names, along with Reed’s and his assistant’s, are credited on the piece.
“My youngest son helped pack the clay to get the actual shape of the hippo in place for me, and my oldest son did the same for the dress and then all the little eyelets for the lace,” Reed said.
Just as Peevey’s song has resonated through generations, Reed hopes the sculpture will too, especially with the personal touch from his own family.
“I hope it’s something that when the kids get older, they bring their kids or family or friends or whoever and get to share that they had a part in this,” Reed told us.
A ten-year-old fan
Following the unveiling, guests were invited to meet Peevey. Among them was 10-year-old Harper Snow, a Gayla Peevey fan who brought her own Christmas hippo to share with the singer. Harper was also excited to see the statue of Peevey as a 10-year-old girl, just like her.
“I’m just a huge fan,” Snow told Free Press. “I just love her songs, and I feel like she’s so sweet.”
The statue now stands as part of the Zoo’s public art collection, commemorating a unique moment in local history and the community effort that made it possible.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
