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{{Short description|One of the earliest examples of an Internet meme}}
The '''Hampster Dance ''' is one of the earliest examples of an ]. In its original incarnation, the meme first surfaced as a web page in 1998. Created by Canadian art student Deidre LaCarte as a ] page, the dance features rows of animated ]s of ]s and other rodents ] in various ways to a sped-up ] from the song "]" by ]. In 2005, ] named the Hampster Dance the number-one ] fad.<ref> - from CNET</ref>
{{For|the song named after the meme|The Hampsterdance Song}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
The '''Hampster Dance''' is one of the earliest ]s. Created in 1998 by Canadian art student Deidre LaCarte as a ] page, the dance features rows of animated ]s of ]s and other rodents ] in various ways to a sped-up ] from the song "]", written and performed by ] for the 1973 ] film '']''. In 2005, ] named the Hampster Dance the number-one ] fad.<ref> - from CNET</ref>


==Background== ==Background==
] ]
] art student Deidre LaCarte (of ]) was in a competition with her best friend and sister to generate the most Web traffic when she created the Hampster Dance page in August 1998. She named the site Hampton's Hamster House in ] to her pet hamster, "Hampton Hamster", who on the page declared his intent to become a "] star."<ref name="sun"> Sun Sentinel</ref><ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|isbn=0-89820-177-2|page=180}}</ref> ] martial arts instructor and ] student<ref name="cbc" /> Deidre LaCarte (of ]) was in a competition with her best friend and sister to generate the most Web traffic when she created the Hampster Dance page with the free ] web service in August 1998. She named the site "Hampton Hampster's Hamster House" in homage to her pet hamster, "Hampton Hampster", who on the page declared his intent to become a "] star."<ref name="sun"> Sun Sentinel</ref><ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2|page=180}}</ref> LaCarte noted that the misspelling of "hamster" as "hampster" in both her pet's name and the Hampster Dance page was intentional.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hampton Update |url=http://geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4157/update.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128125144/http://geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4157/update.html |archive-date=28 November 1999}}</ref>


The Hampster Dance site originally consisted of a single page with just four hamster (and other rodent) ] ]s, repeated in rows by the dozens, and with an infectious background tune that looped endlessly. At the time the page was created, embedding background music in ] pages was a fairly novel browser feature. The clip, a 9-second looped ] <nowiki/>file, was a sped-up sample of ]'s "Whistle Stop", a song written for the opening credits of the 1973 ] animated feature film '']''.<ref name="whitburn" /> The Hampster Dance site originally consisted of a single page with just four unique ] ]s of cartoon hamsters. These images were repeated in rows by the dozens and were paired with an infectious, continuously looping background tune. At the time the page was created, embedding background music in ] pages was a fairly novel browser feature. The clip, a nine-second looped ] file, was a sped-up ] of ]'s "Whistle Stop", a song written for the opening credits of the 1973 ] animated feature film '']''.<ref name="whitburn" />


From its creation in August 1998 to March 1999, the Hampster Dance site only recorded about 800 total visits (roughly four per day). In February 1999, Word of the website spread by e-mail and early ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slashdot.org/story/99/02/09/2234214/2-scoops-of-quickies|title=2 Scoops of Quickies|publisher=Slashdot.org|date=1999-02-09}} "The Cunctator sent us link that can only be described as the hamster dance."</ref> By March, the site gathered approximately 60,000 views in four days.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burkeman|first1=Oliver|title=Hamming it up|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/dec/09/christmas.oliverburkeman|accessdate=6 December 2017|work=The Guardian|date=9 December 1999}}</ref> Soon the site was even featured on bumper stickers and in a television commercial for ] ]. A common office prank at that time was to set a co-worker's browser homepage to the Hampster Dance Web site, which led to televised news reports that furthered its notoriety to an international level. The site later expanded, revealing the names of all four characters (Hampton, Dixie, Hado, and Fuzzy) and offering themed versions for ]s, graduation, holidays, etc. Fans of the site created variations on the original theme, using politicians such as ] and ], as well as household objects such as ]s. From its creation in August 1998 to March 1999, the Hampster Dance site only recorded about 800 total visits (roughly four per day). In February 1999, word of the website spread by e-mail and early ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slashdot.org/story/99/02/09/2234214/2-scoops-of-quickies|title=2 Scoops of Quickies|publisher=Slashdot.org|date=February 9, 1999|access-date=May 15, 2019|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219002117/https://slashdot.org/story/99/02/09/2234214/2-scoops-of-quickies|url-status=live}} "The Cunctator sent us link that can only be described as the hamster dance."</ref> By March, the site gathered approximately 60,000 views in four days.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last1=Burkeman|first1=Oliver|title=Hamming it up|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/dec/09/christmas.oliverburkeman|access-date=December 6, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=December 9, 1999}}</ref> By December, LaCarte had created an online store selling themed items. Fans of the site created variations on the original theme, using images of other animals and of politicians such as ].<ref name=":0" /> In January 2000, the site was featured in a television commercial for ] ].<ref name="cbc" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Angela |date=2000-01-10 |title=BBDO Takes EarthLink National |url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/bbdo-takes-earthlink-national-36852/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=www.adweek.com |language=en-US |url-access=subscription |archive-date=August 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820035323/https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/bbdo-takes-earthlink-national-36852/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


The original website was hosted on GeoCities, and LaCarte failed to register the ''hampsterdance.com'' domain. With the continued popularity of the original site, an unauthorized duplicate website was hosted on ''hampsterdance.com''.<ref name=cbc /> LaCarte thus used the domains ''hamsterdance.com'', ''hamsterdance2.com'', and ''hampsterdance2.com''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4157/update.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128125144/http://geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4157/update.html | archive-date=November 28, 1999 | title=Yahoo &#124; Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos }}</ref> In early 2000, the domain was transferred to humor business Nutty Sites for undisclosed reasons. In late 2001, LaCarte sold the "Hampster Dance" rights to Abatis International, who managed to acquire the original domain.<ref name=cbc /> The site later expanded, revealing the names of all four characters (Hampton, Dixie, Hado, and Fuzzy) and offering themed versions for ]s, graduation, holidays, etc. The original website is no longer functional, but other sites inspired by the original still exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hamsterdance.org/hamsterdance/|title=Hampster Dance|website=hamsterdance.org/hamsterdance|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=May 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515131617/http://www.hamsterdance.org/hamsterdance/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://webhamster.com/|title=Web Hampster Dance|website=webhamster.com|access-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref>
The popularity of the website led to the creation of an entire song called "The Hampsterdance Song" based around Roger Miller's "Whistle Stop" sample which was produced by ] and released in July 2000.<ref name=liner>''Hampsterdance'' liner notes - "Includes elements of 'Whistle Stop' by Roger Miller" Koch Records. (2000)</ref> A cartoon video was produced for the single which introduced a digital "band" of hamsters, which was first dubbed solely as "Hampton the Hampster" but later as "Hampton and the Hampsters". The song reached number-one on the ] while peaking at number 32 on the ] charts. In ], "The Hampster Dance Song" was released in 2001, and reached number 5 on the ] singles chart. The song proved to be very successful on ], where it became the station's all-time most played song, and was later included on the compilation album '']''. Prior to the release of "The Hampsterdance Song", a similar song featuring an unofficial sound-alike rendition of "Whistle Stop" was released as "]" and performed by ]. This version peaked at number 4 on the Christmas 1999 UK singles chart.<ref name="BBC">BBC: </ref>
==Music releases and Hampton and the Hampsters==
In April 1999, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the website, English electronic group the ] promotionally released "]". In its original release, the track featured the sped-up sample of "Whistle Stop".<ref name=cbc/> When the song was commercially released later that December, it was replaced with a soundalike sample.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gettingit.com: Hamster Dance Enhanced |url=http://gettingit.com/article/414 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=gettingit.com}}</ref> The song was marketed as "the Hamster Dance song", and LaCarte accused the group of stealing her idea.<ref name=cbc/> The single peaked at number 4 on the Christmas 1999 UK singles chart.<ref name="BBC">BBC: {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126063723/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/festive50s/1990s/1999/ |date=January 26, 2010 }}</ref>


In June 2000, LaCarte partnered with producers ] for the release of a site-sponsored song, "]".<ref name=cbc/><ref>{{Cite web |title=KOCH RECORDS TO RELEASE HAMPTON THE HAMPSTER: THE HAMPSTERDANCE SONG ON JUNE 13, 2000 |url=http://kochentertainment.com/sections/kochrecords/asp/artist.asp?artistName=HAMPTON+THE+HAMPSTER |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020315112741/http://kochentertainment.com/sections/kochrecords/asp/artist.asp?artistName=HAMPTON+THE+HAMPSTER |archive-date=March 15, 2002 |website=Koch Records}}</ref> Like the previous single by the Cuban Boys, the single contains a different sound-alike sample of "Whistle Stop".<ref name=cbc>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/the-oral-history-of-the-hampsterdance-the-twisted-true-story-of-one-of-the-world-s-first-memes-1.4958325|website=CBC|title=The oral history of the Hampsterdance: The twisted true story of one of the world's first memes|date=December 27, 2018|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> Disney did not allow the use of the actual "Whistle Stop" clip, and liner notes for the single state: "Includes elements of 'Whistle Stop' by Roger Miller."<ref name=cbc/><ref name=liner>''Hampsterdance'' liner notes - "Includes elements of 'Whistle Stop' by Roger Miller" Koch Records. (2000)</ref> A cartoon video was produced for the single that introduced a cartoon "band" of four hamsters which included Hampton alongside Fuzzy, Hado, and Dixie.<ref name="uscd">{{cite AV media notes|title=The Hampsterdance Song|year=2000|type=US CD single |publisher=Koch Entertainment|id=KOC-D5-8161}}</ref> Though the song was solely credited to "Hampton the Hampster", the band was later dubbed "Hampton and the Hampsters."<ref name=HTT>{{cite AV media notes |date=2002 |title=Hampton and the Hampsters – Happy Times Ten |medium=CD |publisher=Kunduru Music |id=LK 86943 }}</ref> The song reached number one on the ] while peaking at number 32 on the '']'' charts. In Australia, "The Hampsterdance Song" was released in 2001 and reached number five on the ]. The song proved to be very successful on ], where it became the station's all-time most played song and was later included on the compilation album '']''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-10 |title=How The Hampsterdance Took Over The Internet, And Then The World |url=https://www.throwbacks.com/story-behind-the-hampsterdance/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Throwbacks |language=en-us |archive-date=May 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517065101/https://www.throwbacks.com/story-behind-the-hampsterdance/ |url-status=live }}</ref> LaCarte's online store was expanded and began offering T-shirts and ] of the fictional group's music. A ]-animated series was planned by ], but never made it past the planning process.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-06-14-ebrief.htm|title=Hampster dancing into other venues|website=usatoday30.usatoday.com|access-date=September 6, 2018}}</ref>
Following the relative success of "The Hampsterdance Song" single, entire albums featuring the fictional band were released, including ''Hampsterdance: The Album'' (2000), ''Happy Times Ten'' (2002), ''The Hampster Dance Party'' (2002), ''Hampsterdance Hits'' (2004), and ''A Very Hampsterdance Christmas'' (2008).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Hampton-the-Hampster/e/B000APNP7K/works/ref=ntt_mus_teaser?|title=Hampton the Hampster on Amazon Music|website=www.amazon.com|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-very-hampsterdance-christmas/id294640756|title=A Very Hampsterdance Christmas by Hampton and the Hampsters|date=20 October 2008|publisher=|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref> Some follow-up singles were moderately successful in Australia, such as "]" (a cover of the ] song, reaching number 12) and "Hampster Party" (reaching number 44).<ref></ref> A flash animated series was planned by Canadian animation studio ], but never made it past the planning process.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-06-14-ebrief.htm|title=Hampster dancing into other venues|website=usatoday30.usatoday.com|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref>


Following the relative success of "The Hampsterdance Song" single, an entire album titled '']'' was released in October 2000.<ref name=albums>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Hampton-the-Hampster/e/B000APNP7K/works/ref=ntt_mus_teaser?|title=Hampton the Hampster on Amazon Music|website=www.amazon.com|access-date=September 6, 2018}}</ref> Some follow-up singles from this album were moderately successful in Australia, such as "]" (a cover of the ] song, reaching number 12) and "Hampster Party" (reaching number 44).<ref name="aus"/> In August 2001, the group released the single "Sing a Simple Song" which was a number one hit on Radio Disney.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Music News |url=http://www.hampsterdance2.com/news.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011205093842/http://www.hampsterdance2.com/news.html |archive-date=December 5, 2001}}</ref><ref name=cbc/> The song was included on their follow-up album ''Happy Times Ten'' (2002).<ref name=cbc/> ''Hampsterdance: The Album'' was reissued twice with shorter track listings: first as ''The Hampster Dance Party'' (2002) followed by ''Hampsterdance Hits'' (2004).<ref name=albums /> In 2008, the group released their final album, ''A Very Hampsterdance Christmas''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-very-hampsterdance-christmas/id294640756|title=A Very Hampsterdance Christmas by Hampton and the Hampsters|website=]|date=October 20, 2008|access-date=September 6, 2018|archive-date=September 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906124757/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-very-hampsterdance-christmas/id294640756|url-status=live}}</ref>
Continued popularity led LaCarte to get a professional redesign of the site and add an online store offering T-shirts and ] of the fictional group's music. For some time the ''hamsterdance.com'' and ''hampsterdance.com'' domains were owned by humor business Nutty Sites, and LaCarte thus used the domains ''hamsterdance2.com'' and ''hampsterdance2.com''. LaCarte originally owned the ''hampsterdance.com'' domain, but in early 2000 it was transferred to Nutty Sites for undisclosed reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000914193533/http://www.hamsterdance2.com/hampstertears.html|title=Welcome to HampsterDance2|date=14 September 2000|publisher=|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref> In late 2001, she acquired both domains.


===Direct-to-video film===
==The Hampsterdance song==
In December 2004, Abatis International relaunched the Hampsterdance website and announced that a DVD would be released in Spring 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fresh Hampster Tracks |url=http://www.hampsterdance.com/freshhome.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041225012850/http://www.hampsterdance.com/freshhome.html |archive-date=December 25, 2004 |website=Hampton and the Hampsters}}</ref> The date passed with no release, and the release date was later removed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fresh Hampster Tracks |url=http://www.hampsterdance.com/freshhome.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322214412/http://hampsterdance.com:80/freshhome.html |archive-date=March 22, 2007 |website=Hampton and the Hampsters}}</ref> On April 2, 2009, the website began selling a DVD of the direct-to-video animated film ''How the Hampsters Saved Winter''. The film was produced by Abatis International LLC and animated by Unreal Productions, located in New Jersey. The DVD was purchasable until 2012 and sold 2000 copies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Leah |date=December 27, 2018 |title=CBC Arts' history of the Hampster Dance |url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/the-oral-history-of-the-hampsterdance-the-twisted-true-story-of-one-of-the-world-s-first-memes-1.4958325 |access-date=March 25, 2022 |website=CBC}}</ref> In 2022, the film was archived on the ] and uploaded onto YouTube.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How The Hampsters Saved Winter (found direct-to-video Hampster Dance film; 2009) - The Lost Media Wiki |url=https://lostmediawiki.com/How_The_Hampsters_Saved_Winter_(found_direct-to-video_Hampster_Dance_film;_2009) |access-date=March 25, 2022 |website=lostmediawiki.com |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325044808/https://lostmediawiki.com/How_The_Hampsters_Saved_Winter_(found_direct-to-video_Hampster_Dance_film;_2009) |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=How The Hampsters Saved Winter (Lost Hampster Dance Movie) IN FULL-2009 (MOST VIEWED VIDEO) | date=January 19, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=644g5mxvGVk |language=en |access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref>
{{Infobox song
| name = The Hampsterdance Song
| cover = Hampster_Dance_single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Hampton the Hampster
| album = Hampsterdance: The Album
| released = July 3, 2000
| format = ]
| recorded = 1999
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = ], ]
| length = 3:34
| label = ]<br>]
| writer = ]<br />R. DeBoer<br />A. Grace<br />P. Grace
| producer = ]
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Thank God I'm a Country Boy
| next_year = 2000
}}
"'''The Hampsterdance Song'''" is a song by Hampton the Hampster. It was released in July 2000 as a single. It was produced by ], who used a sped-up hook from the ] song "Whistle Stop",<ref name="liner"/> notably featured in Disney's 1973 film '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogermiller.com/bio4.html|title=Roger Miller - Biography|website=www.rogermiller.com|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref>


===Hampton and the Hampsters Discography===
==Charts==
====Albums====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
!Chart (2000–2001)
|+ List of albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
!Peak<br />position
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart<br />positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Certification
|- |-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | ]<br /><ref name=aus>{{cite web|url=https://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Hampton+The+Hampster|title=Discography Hampton the Hampster|website=australian-charts.com|access-date=August 17, 2022|archive-date=August 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816162101/https://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Hampton%20The%20Hampster|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Single chart|Australia|5|artist=Hampton the Hampster|song=The Hampsterdance Song}}
|- |-
! scope="row" | ]{{efn|The same album was released under both names in different territories.}}
|Canada (])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/search/artists/hampton+the+hampster|title=Artist Search for "hampton the hampster"|website=AllMusic|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref>
|
|align="center"|1
* Released: 2000
* Label: ]
* Format: CD
| 7
|
* ]: Gold<ref name=ARIA>{{cite Ryan|page=123}}</ref>
|- |-
! scope="row" | ''Happy Times Ten''
|Canada Top Singles ('']'')<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105211941/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7188&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=j86d3uqb5jajlou8j8ag1r4lv4 |date=2015-11-05 }}</ref>
|
|align="center"|32
* Released: 2002
* Label: Kunduru
* Format: CD
| —
|
|- |-
! scope="row" | ''A Very Hampsterdance Christmas''
{{Single chart|Germany2|60|songid=7583|artist=Hampton the Hampster|song=The Hampsterdance Song}}
|
* Released: 2008
* Label: That's It! Records
* Format: CD, digital download
| —
|
|}

====Reissues====
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of reissues with selected details
! scope="col" style="width:12em;" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:16em;" | Album details
|- |-
! scope="row" | ''The Hampster Dance Party''
|US ''Billboard'' ]<ref name="whitburn" />
|
|align="center"|70
* Released: 2002
* Label: ]
* Format: CD, cassette
|- |-
! scope="row" | ''Hampsterdance Hits''
|US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Maxi Singles Sales<ref name="Billboard">Billboard (Retrieved April 29, 2009)</ref>
|
|align="center"|4
* Released: 2004
* Label: Koch Entertainment
* Format: CD
|} |}


==Certifications== ====Singles====
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
{{Certification Table Top}}
|+List of singles, with selected chart positions
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=HAMPTON THE HAMPSTER|title=The Hampsterdance Song|award=Gold|certyear=2001|accessdate=27 August 2017|autocat=yes|}}
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes|nounspecified=yes}}
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certification
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| ]<br /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/search/artists/hampton+the+hampster|title=Artist Search for "hampton the hampster"|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=September 6, 2018|archive-date=September 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906125054/https://www.allmusic.com/search/artists/hampton%20the%20hampster|url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| ]<br /><ref name=aus/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| ]
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| ]<br /><ref name="Billboard">Billboard (Retrieved April 29, 2009)</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| "]"
| 2000
| 1 || 5 || 60 || 4
|
* ARIA: Gold<ref name=ARIA/>
| rowspan="4" | ''Hampsterdance: The Album''
|-
! scope="row"| "]"
| rowspan="4" | 2001
| — || 12 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Hampster Party"
| — || 44 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"|"Hampsterdance Christmas"{{efn|Double A-side of "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls".}}
| — || — || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"|"Sing a Simple Song"
| — || — || — || —
|
| ''Happy Times Ten''
|-
! scope="row"|"Time to Party"
| 2006
| — || — || — || —
|
| {{Non-album single}}
|-
| colspan="8" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| "—" denotes releases that failed to chart or not released in that country.
|}

====Promotional singles====
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of singles
! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Album
|-
! scope="row"| "Even Hampsters Fall in Love"
| 2000
| ''Hampsterdance: The Album''
|-
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
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Latest revision as of 23:22, 9 December 2024

One of the earliest examples of an Internet meme For the song named after the meme, see The Hampsterdance Song.

The Hampster Dance is one of the earliest Internet memes. Created in 1998 by Canadian art student Deidre LaCarte as a GeoCities page, the dance features rows of animated GIFs of hamsters and other rodents dancing in various ways to a sped-up sample from the song "Whistle-Stop", written and performed by Roger Miller for the 1973 Walt Disney Productions film Robin Hood. In 2005, CNET named the Hampster Dance the number-one Web fad.

Background

Screen capture of the original Hampster Dance

Canadian martial arts instructor and Malaspina University-College student Deidre LaCarte (of Nanaimo, British Columbia) was in a competition with her best friend and sister to generate the most Web traffic when she created the Hampster Dance page with the free Geocities web service in August 1998. She named the site "Hampton Hampster's Hamster House" in homage to her pet hamster, "Hampton Hampster", who on the page declared his intent to become a "Web star." LaCarte noted that the misspelling of "hamster" as "hampster" in both her pet's name and the Hampster Dance page was intentional.

The Hampster Dance site originally consisted of a single page with just four unique animated GIFs of cartoon hamsters. These images were repeated in rows by the dozens and were paired with an infectious, continuously looping background tune. At the time the page was created, embedding background music in HTML pages was a fairly novel browser feature. The clip, a nine-second looped WAV file, was a sped-up sample of Roger Miller's "Whistle Stop", a song written for the opening credits of the 1973 Disney animated feature film Robin Hood.

From its creation in August 1998 to March 1999, the Hampster Dance site only recorded about 800 total visits (roughly four per day). In February 1999, word of the website spread by e-mail and early blogs. By March, the site gathered approximately 60,000 views in four days. By December, LaCarte had created an online store selling themed items. Fans of the site created variations on the original theme, using images of other animals and of politicians such as Dan Quayle. In January 2000, the site was featured in a television commercial for Internet service provider EarthLink.

The original website was hosted on GeoCities, and LaCarte failed to register the hampsterdance.com domain. With the continued popularity of the original site, an unauthorized duplicate website was hosted on hampsterdance.com. LaCarte thus used the domains hamsterdance.com, hamsterdance2.com, and hampsterdance2.com. In early 2000, the domain was transferred to humor business Nutty Sites for undisclosed reasons. In late 2001, LaCarte sold the "Hampster Dance" rights to Abatis International, who managed to acquire the original domain. The site later expanded, revealing the names of all four characters (Hampton, Dixie, Hado, and Fuzzy) and offering themed versions for birthdays, graduation, holidays, etc. The original website is no longer functional, but other sites inspired by the original still exist.

Music releases and Hampton and the Hampsters

In April 1999, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the website, English electronic group the Cuban Boys promotionally released "Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia". In its original release, the track featured the sped-up sample of "Whistle Stop". When the song was commercially released later that December, it was replaced with a soundalike sample. The song was marketed as "the Hamster Dance song", and LaCarte accused the group of stealing her idea. The single peaked at number 4 on the Christmas 1999 UK singles chart.

In June 2000, LaCarte partnered with producers The Boomtang Boys for the release of a site-sponsored song, "The Hampsterdance Song". Like the previous single by the Cuban Boys, the single contains a different sound-alike sample of "Whistle Stop". Disney did not allow the use of the actual "Whistle Stop" clip, and liner notes for the single state: "Includes elements of 'Whistle Stop' by Roger Miller." A cartoon video was produced for the single that introduced a cartoon "band" of four hamsters which included Hampton alongside Fuzzy, Hado, and Dixie. Though the song was solely credited to "Hampton the Hampster", the band was later dubbed "Hampton and the Hampsters." The song reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart while peaking at number 32 on the RPM charts. In Australia, "The Hampsterdance Song" was released in 2001 and reached number five on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song proved to be very successful on Radio Disney, where it became the station's all-time most played song and was later included on the compilation album Radio Disney Ultimate Jams. LaCarte's online store was expanded and began offering T-shirts and CDs of the fictional group's music. A Flash-animated series was planned by Nelvana, but never made it past the planning process.

Following the relative success of "The Hampsterdance Song" single, an entire album titled Hampsterdance: The Album was released in October 2000. Some follow-up singles from this album were moderately successful in Australia, such as "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" (a cover of the John Denver song, reaching number 12) and "Hampster Party" (reaching number 44). In August 2001, the group released the single "Sing a Simple Song" which was a number one hit on Radio Disney. The song was included on their follow-up album Happy Times Ten (2002). Hampsterdance: The Album was reissued twice with shorter track listings: first as The Hampster Dance Party (2002) followed by Hampsterdance Hits (2004). In 2008, the group released their final album, A Very Hampsterdance Christmas.

Direct-to-video film

In December 2004, Abatis International relaunched the Hampsterdance website and announced that a DVD would be released in Spring 2005. The date passed with no release, and the release date was later removed. On April 2, 2009, the website began selling a DVD of the direct-to-video animated film How the Hampsters Saved Winter. The film was produced by Abatis International LLC and animated by Unreal Productions, located in New Jersey. The DVD was purchasable until 2012 and sold 2000 copies. In 2022, the film was archived on the Lost Media Wiki and uploaded onto YouTube.

Hampton and the Hampsters Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart
positions 		Certification
AUS
Hampsterdance: The Album/The Hampsterdance Album 7
Happy Times Ten
  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Kunduru
  • Format: CD
 —
A Very Hampsterdance Christmas
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: That's It! Records
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —

Reissues

List of reissues with selected details
Title Album details
The Hampster Dance Party
Hampsterdance Hits
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Koch Entertainment
  • Format: CD

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Certification Album
CAN
 AUS
 GER US Dance
"The Hampsterdance Song" 2000 1 5 60 4
  • ARIA: Gold
 Hampsterdance: The Album
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" 2001 — 12 — —
"Hampster Party" — 44 — —
"Hampsterdance Christmas" — — — —
"Sing a Simple Song" — — — — Happy Times Ten
"Time to Party" 2006 — — — — Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart or not released in that country.

Promotional singles

List of singles
Title Year Album
"Even Hampsters Fall in Love" 2000 Hampsterdance: The Album

Notes

  1. The same album was released under both names in different territories.
  2. Double A-side of "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls".

References

  1. Top 10 Web fads - from CNET
  2. ^ "The oral history of the Hampsterdance: The twisted true story of one of the world's first memes". CBC. December 27, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. Hamsters, You've Got Mail! Sun Sentinel
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  5. "Hampton Update". Archived from the original on November 28, 1999.
  6. "2 Scoops of Quickies". Slashdot.org. February 9, 1999. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019. "The Cunctator sent us link that can only be described as the hamster dance."
  7. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (December 9, 1999). "Hamming it up". The Guardian. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  8. Dawson, Angela (January 10, 2000). "BBDO Takes EarthLink National". www.adweek.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos". Archived from the original on November 28, 1999.
  10. "Hampster Dance". hamsterdance.org/hamsterdance. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  11. "Web Hampster Dance". webhamster.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  12. "Gettingit.com: Hamster Dance Enhanced". gettingit.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  13. BBC: Festive Fifty 1999 Archived January 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "KOCH RECORDS TO RELEASE HAMPTON THE HAMPSTER: THE HAMPSTERDANCE SONG ON JUNE 13, 2000". Koch Records. Archived from the original on March 15, 2002.
  15. Hampsterdance liner notes - "Includes elements of 'Whistle Stop' by Roger Miller" Koch Records. (2000)
  16. The Hampsterdance Song (US CD single). Koch Entertainment. 2000. KOC-D5-8161.
  17. Hampton and the Hampsters – Happy Times Ten (CD). Kunduru Music. 2002. LK 86943.
  18. "How The Hampsterdance Took Over The Internet, And Then The World". Throwbacks. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. "Hampster dancing into other venues". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  20. ^ "Hampton the Hampster on Amazon Music". www.amazon.com. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  21. ^ "Discography Hampton the Hampster". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  22. "Music News". Archived from the original on December 5, 2001.
  23. "A Very Hampsterdance Christmas by Hampton and the Hampsters". iTunes. October 20, 2008. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  24. "Fresh Hampster Tracks". Hampton and the Hampsters. Archived from the original on December 25, 2004.
  25. "Fresh Hampster Tracks". Hampton and the Hampsters. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007.
  26. Collins, Leah (December 27, 2018). "CBC Arts' history of the Hampster Dance". CBC. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  27. "How The Hampsters Saved Winter (found direct-to-video Hampster Dance film; 2009) - The Lost Media Wiki". lostmediawiki.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  28. How The Hampsters Saved Winter (Lost Hampster Dance Movie) IN FULL-2009 (MOST VIEWED VIDEO), January 19, 2022, retrieved March 25, 2022
  29. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 123.
  30. "Artist Search for "hampton the hampster"". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  31. Billboard AllMusic (Retrieved April 29, 2009)

External links

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