ince the year 2000, the HFP committee has produced videos promoting its candidates. The first such film came in 2000, introducing audiences to Diddley Squat IV (24 March 2000-19 June, 2002), who ran a very high profile campaign in the year 2000. Two years later, though an off-year for presidential politics, saw the first professionally-filmed and edited campaign video. That one promoted the candidacy of Potus, the ultra-photogenic hamster born to be president (17 May 2002-5 October 2004).
2002 was also the year of the birth of the great Yoda (9 April-5 December 2004). Until his time, production and editing of the HFP documentaries was done by a consortium of members of the HFP team, with everyone involved contributing to the whole.
But Yoda decided early in life that his calling was to produce film. He made several acclaimed videos unrelated to the HFP campaign in the winter of 2002-2003. Soon everyone joined in naming the new production company, under Yoda's direction, YodaVision.
Yoda's greatest accomplishment was a stylish, full-length campaign production featuring candidates Diddley Squat and Bupkes. The final edits were completed more than a year after Yoda's demise.
YodaVision lived on under temporary leaders, all fully competent, until it was decided that there should be a hamster assigned full time to the position of entertainment and information. And the first hamster to study the art and take on the post full time was none other than Yoda's great-great-great-great-grandson, Bonno, who was born the 28th of November 2008. After his August 2011 death, Bonno's granddaughter Sage ascended to the head of YodaVision.
Among other things, Yoda was the treasurer of the HFP campaign. He is shown above counting the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in the campaign treasure chest.
The hamster production studio made scores of videos, only a few of which are on YouTube. They dealt not only with issues related to rodents but also with music and what rodents love to call "human nonsense." The two videos below are rodent-related. At right is the Squirrel Cafe video from late 2007. Beside it is one made with footage recorded by our "Great Furless One" (or GFO) on a July 2008 trip to the ghost town of St. Elmo, where little chipmunks are most if not all of the year-round residents.
Both videos below are music related. Many people don't realize that hamsters appreciate music. Appropriate music playing softly in your hamster's room, especially during waking hours (nights) is very soothing to us. The tastes of the current residents of the HFP community range from folk rock to blues, heavy metal and punk to exotic eastern music (from Africa to the Middle East and even China).
For what it's worth, here is a genealogy of Yoda's descendants up to the modern day when the company is in the capable paws of Sage: Yoda begat Cecil (born 28 July 2003). Cecil begat Bupkes (25 September 2004). Bupkes begat Cesar (13 august 2005). Cesar begat Louie (12 August 2007). Louie begat Langolier (21 January 2008). Langolier begat Bonno (28 November 2008); Bonno begat Fuzzy-Sozo (1 March 2010). And Fuzzy-Sozo begat Sage (13 May 2011).
If humans can occasionally laugh at what hamsters do, it's only fair that we have a good chuckle at bizarre human behavior, as well. And trust me, we do.
That's what the remainder of the films depict.
The video at left features a real-life (on radio) anti-ferret tirade by former NYC mayor Rody Giuliani. Ferrets aren't rodents, but the YodaVision personnel felt obliged to defend them and to expose Rudy's rant. And then there are the notirious "zombie signs."
And yes, there's more where that came from. How about the world's worst campaign ad and the
undisputed worst trial witness in any court proceeding, ever.
These are but a few of the videos produced by YodaVision Entertainment, AKA Mad Rodent Films. There are many others and still more to go.
So watch this space!
The two feature-length HFP videos - Potus in 2002 and Diddley Squat in 2006 - are too long for YouTube and contain a good deal of copyright background music. We'll find a way later to bring those to you.