Most years, Groundhog Day passes without much of a fuss. This year, however, was different. Upon Googling “How many Punxsutawney Phils are there?” I was surprised to find that the answer is “One Phil”. This led me down the rabbit hole, or groundhog burrow, of Groundhog Day’s strange history.

You may have assumed that the “Punxsutawney Phil” groundhog is replaced every few years after the old one dies. As it turns out, this notion is a complete and utter myth. Punxsutawney Phil has achieved immortality by drinking the legendary “groundhog punch”. The same Phil has been making his predictions at Gobbler’s Knob ever since 1887. In fact, there is an entire organization called the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” that has been following Phil’s presence for years. Supposedly, the club’s most prestigious members (known as Phil’s “Inner Circle”) have learned the Groundhogese language and can communicate with Phil. Every Groundhog Day, the President of the club/head of the Inner Circle meets with Phil. At this meeting, Phil tells the ambassador whether or not he has seen his shadow, and then the ambassador relays the information to the public. If you click this link, https://www.groundhog.org/prognostication, you can marvel in the glory of Phil’s grand prognostication for 2022.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s work doesn’t stop after Groundhog Day. They seem to be a very active group and are much larger than you’d expect. There are chapters of the club in almost every US state as well as in Germany, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Senegal, and Indonesia. Some of the club’s activities include annual banquets, balls, and “lunches with Phil”. On the club’s website, it states that a program called “Sundays with Phil” will resume this spring, meaning fans will have the chance to meet with Phil and the Inner Circle every week. The club also recently held a “Gobbler’s Knob Got Talent” competition where the winner could receive a pass into the club’s Inner Circle. In addition, the Club has a program where if you share a birthday with Punxsutawney Phil, then you can join “Phil’s Birthday Club” and receive annual birthday cards from Phil himself. If you want to buy some Groundhog Day merch, the club also runs an online store that has an oddly extensive variety of Groundhog Day-related items.

What does Punxsutawney Phil do on days that aren’t February 2nd? Well, other than his occasional meet and greets with the public, Phil enjoys spending time with his wife Phyllis and getting involved with current events. According to the club, “During Prohibition Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn’t allowed a drink.” In 1981, “Phil wore a yellow ribbon in honor of the American hostages in Iran.” Phil had a meeting with President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and appeared on the Oprah show in 1995 after the release of his hit 1993 film Groundhog Day. He even helped to promote the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 1996, which led Sega to donate 10k to the Groundhog Club. Phil is truly a renaissance groundhog. 

Now that you’ve been enlightened about Punxsutawney Phil’s incredible accomplishments and contributions to society, hopefully, you’ll appreciate his holiday a little bit more!