How a 1997 GeoCities page became the internet's first massive web fad
In short: Before social media algorithms, there was a simple loop of dancing rodents. Created by a Canadian student to win a traffic competition, the Hampster Dance transformed from a niche hobby into a global phenomenon that topped charts and even inspired television commercials.
In August 1997, Deidre LaCarte, a student and martial arts instructor from Nanaimo, British Columbia, launched 'Hampton Hampster's Hamster House' on the free GeoCities service. The site featured rows of animated GIFs of rodents dancing to a sped-up, nine-second loop of 'Whistle-Stop,' a song by Roger Miller from the 1973 Disney film Robin Hood. The misspelling of 'hamster' as 'hampster' was a deliberate choice inspired by LaCarte's pet, Hampton Hampster.
The site's growth was explosive and sudden. From 1997 to early 1999, the page saw only about 800 total visits, averaging roughly four per day. However, by February 1999, email and early blogs drove a massive surge, resulting in approximately 60,000 views in just four days by March. This momentum led CNET to name the Hampster Dance the number-one Web fad in 2005.
The phenomenon eventually moved beyond the browser into the music industry. While the Cuban Boys released a track featuring the original sample that hit number 4 on the 1999 UK singles chart, LaCarte later partnered with The Boomtang Boys to release 'The Hampsterdance Song'. Although Disney prohibited the use of the actual 'Whistle Stop' clip, the new version reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart and number five in Australia. The brand expanded into merchandise, albums, and even an animated film, though the original website is no longer functional.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Hampster Dance
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