Musical Advent Calendar Day 21: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

This my favorite bizarre Christmas novelty song. Gayla Peevey recorded it in 1953 when she was only 10 years too. Like Broadway kids, she has that weird mix of grown-up maturity and childish cutesiness that has always made me nervous. The doll-like stares of the young background actresses and the sudden edits because of damaged film do nothing to relieve the surrealism.