When Jess Porter-Langson’s beloved hamster passed away, a simple memorial box wasn’t going to cut it. Instead, she gave him a send-off nobody saw coming — least of all the millions who’d later watch it unfold on TikTok.
A Hamster Worth Remembering Properly
Porter-Langson, a 27-year-old music merchandiser living in Brighton, got her Roborovski dwarf hamster, Hammington — known to everyone as Hammy — during lockdown. “I bought a hamster and that became my little project over the lockdown. I built him an enclosure out of recycled material and stuff. It was my hobby,” she said. She’d only expected to have him for a year or two, the typical lifespan for the breed. Instead, Hammy lived nearly three years, passing away peacefully in his sleep on August 27, 2023. “He passed away in his sleep just of old age. A good way to go,” she said. “Not like flying into a blender or something like some people’s hamsters.”
By her account, Hammy had become more than a pet during a formative stretch of her life in London. “He really was an emotional support hamster, which is crazy to say,” she said. “This hamster was so iconic and all of my friends knew Hammy and wanted to see him. He needed something special.”
An Unconventional Tribute
That “something special” turned out to be taxidermy — with a twist. “I don’t even know where the stripping hamster thing came from, but I thought, what is more iconic than a hamster on a stripper pole hustling for money?” she said.
She tracked down Brighton-based taxidermist Bea Ostrowska (known on Instagram as @beaoddcreations) and paid £175 to bring the idea to life. Ostrowska posed Hammy on a small platform beside a pole, dressed him in a tiny pink thong stuffed with miniature dollar bills, and gave him what Porter-Langson describes as a permanently mischievous expression.
“I was preparing that something wouldn’t be right, and I thought I was going to have to tell her to redo it,” Porter-Langson said. “But when I saw it, I was just gobsmacked — wow, this is beyond perfect. She did such a good job.”
Ostrowska said the project stood out from her usual work: “His little pink thong was a bit of a different project than my usual horror creations, but this, along with the fact that he was a beloved pet, made it even more special.”
Where Hammy Lives Now
The finished piece sits beside Porter-Langson’s bed. “He looks over her,” as she puts it — with a caveat: “It would be shocking if I ever brought anyone home. I wouldn’t know what to tell them.”
The Internet Reacts
After Porter-Langson shared the taxidermy process on TikTok, the video spread fast, racking up reactions ranging from disbelief to delight. “I was NOT prepared for the stripping taxidermy hamster,” one commenter wrote. Another simply posted: “WHAT IN THE WORLD.” Several viewers zeroed in on the details — one asked whether Ostrowska had lengthened Hammy’s nails for effect or whether they were original — while others called the video the best thing they’d seen online and suggested Porter-Langson deserved her own reality show.
Source: Metro News, via Kennedy News, cited above. Photos credited to Kennedy News/beaoddcreations.
Leave a Reply