The Hampster Dance
Four animated hamsters repeated ad nauseam, set to a sped-up Disney sample — one of the internet's first viral sensations. Created in 1997 by a Canadian art student as a GeoCities tribute to her pet hamster, The Hampster Dance puttered along unseen until a 1999 email chain sent it stratospheric, spawning hit songs, merch, and a permanent place in internet history.