[2] The Oklahoma City Zoo capitalized upon the popularity of "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" with a fundraising campaign to "buy a hippo for Gayla".

The fund raised $3,000 (equivalent to US$34,164 in 2023), and a baby hippopotamus named Matilda (who weighed over 700 pounds[2]) was purchased and given to Peevey, which she then donated to the zoo in 1953.

[5] In 1960, under the name Jamie Horton, she had a minor hit with her single "My Little Marine" (Joy 45-234, 1959),[6] which reached #84 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early 1960.

[7] She also recorded "Robot Man", a cover of a Connie Francis UK hit, but it failed to reach the charts.

[8] Peevey graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Education degree.