What is the story of the Yahoo!Answers hamster mascot?

I want to direct you to 2 questions:

♦ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkpdR...

♦ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj22f...

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Basically, the mascot for Yahoo Answers used to be a plush toy of a hamster, until a user notified Yahoo Answers that it was copyrighted. So they had to settle with an animated hamster.

the idea originated when during the beta testing stages in 2005, the director of product manegment used a gemmy kung fu hamster toy to summon people to meetings.

Yahoo! Answers is owned by Richard Gere,

No clue ..... but I once heard about some gay boys experimenting by using a paper towel tube, shoving it up their butt and letting the rodent enter their cavity. What happened after that remains blocked forever in my ever slipping memory loss ...... hmmm what do you call that? '-})

Searching finds no results other than it is Yahoo Answers staff & it is a Yamster*