Catch the Hamster

Catch!

The center of the frame is taken up by a large, blurred light-colored animal with pinkish ears. It flies straight at the viewer, so only part of its body is visible. Further back, in focus, is a man with short hair in a dark jacket; in the photo this is Eminem. He looks at the camera with a serious face and has his arm extended forward, as if he has just thrown something. The background is white and nearly featureless.

This is a montage: the figure in the background and the animal in the frame were shot separately and combined so as to create the impression of a throw. The blur and the white background give the frame its dynamism.

How the meme took shape

The basis of the series is a drawing of an anime-style girl throwing an energy drink can, which the artist posted in July 2020. On October 22, 2020, a Twitter user posted a version where a rat appears in her hand instead of the can. This edit is considered the turning point for the popularity of the whole series.

Later the anime heroine was replaced with a photo of Eminem making a similar gesture. Where and when the original photo of the performer was taken, and who put together this montage, is not reliably established; there is also no confirmation that the photo is tied to any specific event. The word 'hamster' in the Russian caption is just a colloquial name for the animal: what is in the frame is more likely a rat.

Why it is funny

First, the absurdity: nobody expects a rodent to come flying into the frame. Second, the serious face of the performer with a throwing gesture only amplifies the absurdity. The more solemn the pose, the funnier the object.

The phrase 'catch the hamster' works as a command: the viewer is forced to 'catch' the joke. As in the original template, it is often replaced with variants like 'Catch!' or 'Think fast.'

Examples and explanations

The caption 'Catch the hamster' with no explanation. The simplest variant: the absurdity itself is the joke.

The caption 'When someone throws an urgent task at you at the end of the workday.' The hamster replaces the task, and the contrast between a trifle and a serious situation creates the laugh.

The caption 'Mom, did you ask me to buy bread? Catch!' A household scene turned into a throw.

The caption 'A new version of the app nobody asked for': here the animal stands for the unwanted thing.

What to consider

The image is handy because its dynamics are clear: any object can be substituted for the animal, leaving only a blurred silhouette. For a clean effect you need a fairly large object that covers part of the frame.

Don't invent context or attribute real words to the performer: this is a joke about movement and surprise, not about the biography of the person in the photo.

The meme easily survives a change of hero. The blurred animal flying at the viewer remains the main element, while the one throwing it may be a drawn character, a performer, or anyone at all. That is why the name 'Catch the hamster' works as a common label for a whole series of pictures.

As with other throwing memes, timing matters: first the viewer reads the caption, then notices the flying object, and only then understands what they are being asked to catch. If the caption is too long, the pause disappears, so short lines usually work better than long ones.