Skip to song content
Ukulelearn homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Gayla Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, D7, G, D, G7, C, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

AD7
IGwantahippopotamusforChristmas
OnlyahippopotamuswillDdo
D7Don’twantadoll,nodinkyTinkerToy
IAwantahippopotamustoplaywithand D7enjoy
IGwantahippopotamusforChristmas
Idon’tthinkSantaClauswillmind,doDyou?
HeD7won’thavetouseourdirtychimneyflue
JustAbringhimthroughthefrontdoor,
that’stheeasythingtoD7do
IcanG7seemenowonCChristmasmorning,
G7CreepingdowntheCstairs
OhwhatD7joyandwhatsurprise
whenIGopenupmyeyes
toseeaA7hippoheroDstandingD7there
IGwantahippopotamusforChristmas
OnlyahippopotamuswillDdoD7
D7Nocrocodiles,norhinoceroses
AIonlylike Dhippopotamuses
AndAhippopotamuseslikemeGtoo
Mumsaysahippo,willeatmeupbutthen
ATeachersaysahippoisaD7vegetGarian
There’sD7lotsofroomforhiminourtwocargarage
AI’dfeedhimthereandwashhimthereandD7givehimhisGmassage
IcanG7seemenowonCChristmasmorning,G7creepingdowntheCstairs
OhwhatD7joyandwhatsurprisewhenIGopenupmyeyes
toseeaA7hippoheroDstandingD7there
IGwantahippopotamusforChristmas,onlyahippopotamuswillDdo
D7Nocrocodilesorrhinoceroseses,AIonlylike D7hippopotamuses
AndAhippopotamuseslikemeGtoo!
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistGayla Peevey
AlbumI Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas / Are My Ears on Straight
GenresChildren, Christmas
Year1953
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Gayla Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas on ukulele requires 7 chords and 12 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas uses these transitions most often: D7 → G (10), A → D7 (8), and D → D7 (6). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with A - D7 chord transition.

1. A → D7 chord transition

Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram
Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from A to D7:

  1. While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

A to D7

2. D7 → G chord transition

Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

Here's how to move from D7 to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 10 times.

D7 to G

3. G → D chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

G to D

4. D → D7 chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from D to D7:

  1. While playing D, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

D to D7

5. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 to G7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

6. G7 → C chord transition

Switching from G7 to C:

  1. While playing G7, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

7. C → D7 chord transition

Switching from C to D7:

  1. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

8. G → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to A7:

  1. While playing G, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

9. A7 → D chord transition

Here's how to move from A7 to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. A → D chord transition

Here's how to move from A to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

11. G → A chord transition

Here's how to move from G to A:

  1. While playing G, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

12. G → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to G7:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas.

  • I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas includes 52 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (51%), G7 (18%), and C (6%).
    • D7 → G: 51%
    • D7 → G7: 18%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.