Hampton the Hampster

Hampton the Hampster is a novelty electronic music act, primarily known for the internet and musical phenomenon Hamster Dance. Its origin dates back to the summer of 1998, when Canadian Deirdre LaCarte created a website as part of a contest with her sister and best friend to see who would generate the most traffic.

Her site, named after her own pet hamster Hampton, featured animated hamsters dancing to a sped-up sample of Whistle Stop from the soundtrack of the 1973 Disney animated film *Robin Hood*. This internet phenomenon became a popular online success before being officially remixed and released as a single in 2000, and then remixed again in 2005.

The particular spelling “Hampster” with a “p” was originally a mistake that was kept. The project is associated with several aliases and name variations, including The Boomtang Boys, Cosmic Dance Corps, and 100th Monkey (2). Among the many name variations are also Hampston The Hampster, Hampton & The Hamsters, Hampton And The Hampsters, The Hampster, or The Hampsters.

The musical style falls into the novelty pop and electronic dance genre, often associated with humorous and “furry” themes. There are twenty-one official versions of the Hamster Dance, but hundreds of individual variations circulated.