Hammy's Story Continues

The story so far:

5. February, 2000.
Hammy makes the cover of the National Post:

Hammy hits the big time:

[Nat'l Post Vol.2 No.88 p.A1] (text)

The article on page A5 (pilferred from www.nationalpost.com; annotated by yours truly):

Black Bear hamsters too hot to find
Stores here can't get them

Mark Stevenson
National Post

['The rare Black Bear hamster.'] Pet Smart
The rare Black Bear hamster.

The latest designer pet, the Black Bear hamster, is a special breed of rodent so popular in the U.S. that stores in Canada can't get their hands on them, forcing sales of the nearest substitute, the Teddy Bear hamster, to soar.

The Black Bear hamster, an increasingly rare cuddly creature with a white belly and black body, has been bred to be more docile than the Teddy Bear, which have been known to nip their owners.

"They're extremely, extremely docile and they like to be handled," said Lynne Adams, a spokeswoman for Pet Smart, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based chain with 490 stores in North America, which stocks both.

"We sell as many of them as we get. But they're not in supply like other hamsters."

Canadian consumers have largely been unable to get the furballs.

None of the stores contacted by the National Post yesterday carried the hamsters, which sell for up to $25 (US), almost twice that of their more irritable cousins.

"We do not carry Black Bear hamsters in the Canada right now because there is only one dealer who is currently offering them and it is in the U.S.," said Ms. Adams.

"But we are aggressively trying to bring them north of the border."

Still, pet retailers in this country say hamsters are now the hottest pet and current rage with young customers.

"It's mainly kids. They come in with their parents and they all want one," says Patsy Kelly, 56, who works at a Pet City in St. John's, Nfld.

"Other small-caged pets like gerbils and guinea pigs sell well too, but hamsters are the most popular. They're also the cheapest."

Short-haired hamsters typically sell for around $10, says Ms. Kelly, with Teddy Bear hamsters, a longer-haired tan and white variety, demanding a premium of several dollars for their amiable looks.

Pet store owners say the animals are an ideal first pet for children because they are low maintenance -- with the exception of the occasional case of wet-tail, a disagreeable affliction involving an upset rodent stomach -- and they don't live long.

Paul Sutherland, the creator of Once Upon a Hamster and the voice behind Hammy Hamster, the main protagonist of a Canadian TV program with a cult following in 22 countries, says retailers and wholesalers tell him much of the rodent's current popularity can be traced to Hammy.

"People like watching Hammy and suddenly things blossomed," said Mr. Sutherland. "I should have cornered the hamster market before I let things loose."

A scan of the whole article.

Hamsters (though hopefully not Hammy) also made it into the funnies this weekend.
Here's "Reality Check" from Saturday's Edmonton Journal:

['tasteless' cartoon]

(As Maria pointed out, the forked-tongued restauranteur was clearly trying to pass off some long-tailed rat as gourmet hamster.)

(Taken) 5-6. February, 2000.
S'more pictures.

[Hammy behind bars]
Hammy Houdini assesses the strength of his cage.

[running]  [catching his breath] 
By popular demand:
more of Hammy on the run.

[five disjoint frames]
Even animated! Ooh, aah.
(Reload or click on it to see it again.)

[packaging]
Hammy num-nums.
(Hammy is a bilingual hamster.)

8. February, 2000.
Hamsters in the news AGAIN!

Maria sent me another article, from the National Post of Tuesday, February 8, 2000, page A7:

[Nat'l Post 8.II.2000 p.A8]

Wait! That's not it. Here it is. (Once again, annotated by me.):

Little rodents have a taste for booze and sex,
according to scientists' observations
DIGRESSIONS: HAMSTERS
Canada is facing a shortage of Black Bear hamsters - a new breed of hamster that connoisseurs claim is much better behaved than some others of its kind. North America's only Black Bear hamster dealer is in the U.S. The Black Bear hamster has a slightly curious name since its body is black but its stomach is white. The continuing popularity of hamsters is linked to a popular Canadian television program called Once Upon A Hamster.
  • Some Syrian hamsters have a strange habit - if they have a choice between drinking alcohol and drinking water, they will pick the alcohol. Scientists used this tendency to study the effect on alcohol consumption of a [sic] old Chinese folk medicine based on the kudzu plant. They found that the medication caused test hamsters to drink less alcohol, meaning the kudzu could be used to treat alcoholism among humans.
  • One of the most memorable (albeit fictionalized) stories to appear in a British tabloid in living memory involved a rock musician and a hamster. Its headline read: "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster!" [Well, the link is sort of close.]
  • First-time hamster owners are sometimes surprised by how much food the critters can cram into their cheeks. A hamster's cheeks run all the way from its mouth to its shoulders.
  • Like other rodents, hamsters are popular subjects for scientific study. For several years now, researchers at the Rockefeller University have examined the sex lives of hamsters to understand chemical substances called pheromones, which are chemical signals used by animals to communicate information such as when they are ready for reproduction. Another research effort found that hamsters that regularly engaged in copulation were healthier than celibate ones - indicating that sex may stimulate their bodily defences [sic].
  • The common hamster (found in Europe and Asia) is known to build several underground chambers for its dwelling. It will sleep in one and use the others to store food.
  • Miami residents in 1989 were amazed by the story of a lucky hamster who managed to live after falling 16 stories from an apartment balcony. The hamster's name, perhaps appropriately, was Rambo.
    Neil Maghami, National Post

    • A scan of the whole article.

    15. February, 2000.
    Hammy escapes near-death experience: 

    From: Maria
Subject: Re: Hello!!!
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 10:51:27 MST

Hi everybody, greetings from Edmonton.

...

Guess what else happened??? My oven caught on fire last night, when I was 
trying to bake instant pizza!!!! It was terrifying. The whole thing had 
flames coming out of it, it turns out I had oven mitts in the drawer 
beneath the oven, and they ignited !!!! It scared the SHIT out of me, there 
was smoke all over the place, good thing my apartment is across from the 
extinguisher in the hallway, I put out the fire, plus I pulled the fire 
alarm so the fire department came too. They said "good job using the 
extinguisher", ha ha, and called the inspectors to come too. They concluded 
that there was nothing wrong with my oven, YEAH RIGHT- stuff should not 
catch on fire by itself!!! Even I know that. Now I am scared to use the 
oven: looks like I am not going to be making those grand marnier souffles 
after all, Dom: I will bring the booze down the next time I am in calgary.

Not to mention, I had to clean up my kitchen, which was black and scorched 
all over the floor. The whole apartment stinks like smoke. I had smoke 
inhalation!!! At least my hamster is still alive.

...

I don't know why these things happen to me, I am supposed to have good 
karma this year!!!

Alright, will tell you more later.

MARIA:)

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