Who ever would have guessed that combining pop culture things with different animals would be such a popular thing these days? A simple search on YouTube brings up hundreds (if not thousands) of results that we can all collectively fawn over. Staging animals in cute “they think they’re people” situations is certainly part of of the zeitgeist, and we couldn’t be happier that it has led to this Stranger Things recreation with done with Hamsters.

Thanks to this video by Mashable’s Watercooler YouTube channel, we get to re-live the horrible happenings of Hawkins, Indiana with a considerable amount of cuteness this time around. The hamster cast make their way through tiny recreated set pieces of iconic scenes from the show. We see the Byers home, Will’s fort, the Upside Down and even Barb’s last stand at the swimming pool.

It’s fun to see the little flourishes that make you realize it wasn’t just thrown together. Effort went into the design of things like the cleverly named “Hamster Power and Light” van flipping over, the shredded purple paper in place of the Upside Down’s gross cobwebby nastiness (what else are you going to call it?) and, of course, the itty bitty boxes of Eggo waffles.

Now, we’re sure there will be naysayers out there that will have something to say about this being a waste of time and energy, but we ask that they take a step back and realize people really haven’t changed all that much in a very long time. There’s something in us that is drawn to these sort of things. One needs only to think back to the Farmer McFay clips from Sesame Street or the Puppy Bowl as proof this isn’t anything new. In fact, we’re sure there are instances lost to history that we’ll never know the joy of. There had to have been kings putting costumes on dogs and sitting them on tiny thrones, or emperors pitting kittens against each other in adorable gladiatorial battles.

What are your thoughts on Hamster Stranger Things? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Mashable Watercooler