The Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamster. It’s one of the hottest and most sought-after Christmas gifts this year. It’s also now on the Transportation Security Administration’s no-fly list. Due to its small size and maneuverability, the furry, mechanized toy has been deemed by the TSA to be “an extreme danger” to air transportation. Effective December 1, the toys are no longer allowed as a carry on or in checked baggage on flights within, or originating from, the United States.

So what’s the big deal? TSA officials gave a press conference yesterday outlining the agency’s fears that a terrorist could load explosives into one or more of the toy rodents and remotely guide them within the cabin of a plane, through ducting in an airport terminal or into crowds of people. The robotic hamsters are small and easily concealable, making them difficult to detect by current security technologies.

“There are many places one can hide a hamster,” said Ira Clemens, TSA spokesperson. “People are clever…and twisted too. It’s not unusual for some individuals to hide hamsters in places on their person…uh…well out of the sight of our security personnel, if you know what I mean. We simply cannot perform body-cavity searches of every passenger boarding a plane - even though some of us would kinda like to, he he. So we’ve tuned up the sensitivity of our airport metal detectors to try to catch these devices.”

The sudden ban has caused outrage among shoppers, who are now forced to mail the gift toys in advance of their holiday travel.

“These airport security people are scared of a little pipsqueak toy animal for christssake!,” complained an angry passenger who just had three of the Zhu Zhu Pets confiscated while checking in for her flight to Orlando. “I never saw those goons get bent out of shape over Tickle Me Elmo. Or how about GI Joe with the Kung-Fu Grip? You could do a lot of damage with that, but nooooo, they didn’t flake out over those either!”

The TSA is standing behind its decision, insisting that the ban will greatly reduce the possibility of domestic terrorism.

“People will thank us when we stop some crazed suicide bomber with an explosive Mr. Squiggles lodged up his butt,” added Clemens. “We’re just doing our job.”