WATCH: Hairy Crab Rescues T-Shirt in “Mission Impossible”-Inspired Stunt

In our line of work, we occasionally come across something extraordinary that captivates our office and inspires a child-like sense of bewilderment in our team. This video of a man using a Chinese mitten crab (or hairy crab) to retrieve a fallen T-shirt fits comfortably in this category of content:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RADII (@radii.china)

The footage is reminiscent of a scene in 1996’s Mission Impossible, in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) hangs from a cable to break into the CIA’s most impregnable vault. (Who did it better?)

The video originally appeared on a WeChat Channels account titled ‘再造7977’ and appears to have been up since October. Unfortunately, it was published without a description.

Luckily, another WeChat user, Xie Lao (谢老), jumped in to provide much-needed context. On December 14, Xie Lao shared the video with a friend on WeChat, writing: “This family in Hangzhou was quarantining when a piece of their clothing hanging outside the window was blown down. Since they couldn’t leave their home, a man dangled a hairy crab from the window to grab the shirt. Respect!”

Xie Lao’s version of events has been making the rounds on WeChat, although we’ll admit we have no way of independently confirming the story.

Regardless, there is no denying that the crab understood the assignment perfectly, and we hope the crustacean escaped the dinner plate for its job well done!

Cover image via Sabina Islas