Of all the unlikely characters to be caught up in an international controversy, the Mr Squiggles Go Go Hamster surely wins the prize. But the robotic hamster, until now on the verge of becoming the toy every self-respecting child wants to break by Boxing Day, has provoked a global fallout.
American scientists claim to have discovered a chemical on Mr Squiggles's nose and hair that "may be linked to cancer, lung and heart problems". The toy's makers, their Christmas bonanza collapsing into a heap of unwanted fake hamsters before their very eyes, have hit back: "Mr Squiggles is absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry for consumer health and safety."
Despite the company's defence, Mr Squiggles has suffered the most undignified of declines. According to the Guardian, his price on eBay has plummeted to as little as £5 as some of the thousands of hamster buyers try to offload their potentially toxic new pet. It's simply "not fair to the UK toy trade", huffed Richard King, executive chairman of Mr Squiggles's UK distributor.
But maybe Mr Squiggles will rise again. He is, after all, the "modern-day Go Go Hamster Houdini", according to the toy's website. Not only that, the furry robots are better than the real thing: "Go Go Hamsters don't smell, make a mess everywhere, die prematurely or get trapped under the floorboards!"
