Welcome to the Summer of Jimothy! Here’s Why We’re All Talking About One Very Unusual Raccoon in Seattle
Sometimes I feel like raccoons are following me. And I’m not just talking about my near-weekly sightings of the well-fed fellows who toddle around my neighborhood, peek over my fence and occasionally cool off in my pool. No, these are “professional” raccoons, aka ones that I get to write about. Just a few weeks ago, I learned that raccoons could be domesticating themselves, and this weekend, another fell into my lap: Jimothy, The Little Raccoon That Could.
Jimothy, a delightful, if strangely shaped, raccoon from Seattle, has moved into our hearts and social media feeds—and, like my resident raccoon friends, shows no signs of vacating anytime soon. He’s a little different from other raccoons, and people can’t seem to get enough of Jimothy’s odd little body and plucky attitude.
So why has this latest animal obsession taken over our lives? I mean, besides the obvious answer, which is that he is absolutely adorable. Read on to see what Jimothy’s been up to and why we are completely riveted by his antics.
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How did Jimothy come into our lives?
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Last week, Seattle’s Kiana Hall posted a video on Instagram of an odd-looking yet fleet-footed raccoon bounding across a park and up a flight of steps. It was her anniversary, and she and her partner were out for a walk when they spied the strangely shaped creature, which they first mistook for a cat. (“What am I looking at?” Hall can be heard saying in the background.)
As we do these days, Hall whipped out her phone, captured the cutest wildlife shot since Punch the Monkey and named him Jimothy. “He just looked like a Jimothy to me,” she said later. Sure, we can accept that. (Hey, when you come up with a raccoon name heard ’round the world, you can pick a different one.)
Why does he look like that—and is he OK?
Jimothy’s deformity appears to be the result of a congenital condition such as short spine syndrome, according to Dr. Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital—though she says it’s impossible to know for sure without an examination.
Short spine syndrome occurs in utero when certain vertebrae fuse, leaving affected animals with a very short neck and back. But our new friend seems to be doing well, all things considered. “The question is, is the animal able to find food, and are they able to move?” Dr. Logsdon told the New York Post. “Jimothy seems to do both of those things reasonably well.” Phew!
“I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient,” she told the Seattle Times. In fact, Seattle resident Ben Trammell posted a video of what appears to be Baby Jimothy, taken prior to his viral fame, and it’s clear just how much he’s grown. Trammell also described how much his mom and siblings helped him keep up when he was little. Awww.
Why is the internet obsessed?
It’s 2026 and we all need some lightness in our lives, that’s why!
“Times are hard for everyone,” Hall says of the video she shot on a lark. “Everyone could use something silly and fun like this.” And even if we didn’t have wars raging, gas prices soaring and polarizing midterm elections right around the corner, a feel-good story involving a scrappy little underdog is always welcome. Especially on the weird and wonderful internet.
“I never thought that my video of a raccoon would take off,” Hall says. “I’m really happy that he could bring some kind of joy to people.”
How has it become the summer of Jimothy?
How has it not, is the better question. Jimothy’s hometown of Seattle, which has a long history of embracing the odd and outcast with a certain coolness, has gone all-in on the OMG squeeing. Locals are posting pictures and videos of sightings, creating murals, sharing fan art and even getting tattoos of the summer’s breakout star.
On Sunday, July 26, the city will commemorate Jimothy Summer by issuing an official proclamation at a park near where he was originally sighted. (Bring your creative endeavors for a “friendly art competition”!) The University of Washington gave “Dr. Jimothy” an honorary doctorate, and the Seattle Mariners also got into the act, posting a picture on social media of Baby Jimothy “wearing” a Mariners ball cap.
Locals and the internet are calling Jimothy “the most Seattle animal possible,” but I think we can all use a little Hot Jimothy Summer right now (with a nod to Megan Thee Stallion). As a Redditor on the r/JimothyTheRaccoon subreddit said, “We needed something to unite us. Jimothy answered the call 🩷🦝.”
Sources:
- Today: “Seattle Darling Jimothy the Raccoon Has Scampered into Hearts Across the Globe”
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “‘Jimothy,’ a raccoon with short spine syndrome who roams Seattle, gains cult following online”
- People: “Oddly-Shaped Raccoon Believed to Have a Spine Deformity Becomes Seattle’s Newest Viral Star”
- UPI: “Seattle’s round raccoon Jimothy becomes viral star”
- New York Post: “The ‘sad’ truth about Jimothy, Seattle’s uber-viral mutant raccoon with a short spine”
- Reddit: “r/JimothyTheRaccoon”
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