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Jimothy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jimothy
Jimothy in 2026
SpeciesRaccoon
SexUnknown
Bornest. 2026
Known forAbnormal body shape, internet memes

Jimothy (born est. 2026)[1] is a wild raccoon living in Seattle, Washington, United States. His[a] unusual short, rounded shape, likely the result of a spinal deformity, led to him becoming a viral internet sensation in July 2026.

History

[edit]

In July 2026, Seattle resident Kiana Hall encountered the raccoon and posted a video on Instagram that went viral, leading to his widespread fame.[3] In the video, she can be heard saying, "What am I looking at?"[4] In its caption, she referred to him as "Jimothy", later saying, "He just looked like a Jimothy to me."[2] Residents of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood said that Jimothy had lived in the area for months or years.[5][6]

Animal experts believe Jimothy was born with a spinal deformity reported to be or resemble short spine syndrome, a disorder seen in dogs and, more rarely, other mammals.[7][8] Jimothy is likely healthy for his species and appears to have no issues with mobility or pain.[1][9] His survival with the condition is said to reflect a raccoon mother's care for her kit.[10] Jimothy's sex has not been determined.[2]

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has urged individuals not to approach the raccoon, which appears healthy without human intervention,[11] and the Seattle and King County health departments have cautioned that wild raccoons can carry bacteria and parasites that can be transmitted to humans.[12]

As Jimothy's fame grew, residents and wildlife experts questioned whether more than one short-spined raccoon had lived in Ballard over the years, since wild raccoons typically live only three to five years.[13][14] One such raccoon, who was nicknamed "Danny DeVito" after the actor, was an older individual filmed rolling across a lawn in August 2025, in footage sometimes mistaken for Jimothy.[15][16] Some residents suspected this individual might be Jimothy's parent.[15][16]

Viral attention

[edit]
External videos
video icon Instagram reel from c1vrgr1 (Kiana Hall) that originally led to Jimothy's viral attention
An illustration of Jimothy published by the United States Geological Survey

With Hall's footage posted via Instagram in July 2026,[17] it gained 10 million views within one week.[4] Jimothy became what The Seattle Times called a "scrappy hometown hero" and also rose to the status of an internet meme.[18] Hall was called by media outlets worldwide including from Germany, the Philippines and New Zealand.[4] His appearance has been compared to that of a cryptid, contributing to interest in the raccoon.[19]

Tributes to Jimothy include tattoos, a mural, an honorary degree from the University of Washington,[5] and recognition by the Seattle City Council,[8][11] which declared that summer "Jimothy Summer".[4] By July 22, Jimothy was made the subject of an easter egg on Google Search; upon searching his name, users are greeted with an animation of him running across the screen.[20][21] Jimothy is included on Roku screensavers.[22] The Seattle Mariners announced a "Jimothy Night" for their home game against the Detroit Tigers on August 5, featuring giveaways of an exclusive "Jimothy Rookie Card" and a T-shirt, with a portion of sales used to support the Ballard food bank;[23] one gold-bordered edition of the card was sold on eBay by a 13 year old for over $20,000.[4] A bobblehead manufacturer made available a Jimothy statuette, with proceeds donated to an animal rescue charity.[24] A cryptocurrency was created using Jimothy as its concept.[4]

ArenaNet added Jimothy as a non-player character and pet in Guild Wars 2, in part through Hall's spouse, who is a developer on the game.[25][26] Blizzard Entertainment posted a tribute to Jimothy on social media, rendering him in the style of World of Warcraft and later added him as an in-game pet; Jagex made a similar tribute post in the style of Old School RuneScape.[27] D&D Beyond released a Dungeons & Dragons stat block of Jimothy for use in the tabletop role-playing game.[28] Modders have created add-ons involving Jimothy for various video games.[29]

Some entrepreneurs have attempted to apply for intellectual property ownership around Jimothy, though from a U.S. legal standpoint, Jimothy has no legal owner and thus no one can claim rights to him.[30]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Jimothy's sex has not been determined.[2] This article uses he/him for consistency with references.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Gaitán, Catalina (July 16, 2026). "Meet the raccoon who became an overnight sensation in Seattle". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Kircher, Madison Malone (July 21, 2026). "Meet Jimothy, the 'Silly and round' creature taking over Instagram feeds". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ "What Seattleites and others had to say about 'Jimothy' the raccoon". The Seattle Times. July 17, 2026. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Streeter, Kurt; Hindsley, Grant (September 12, 2026). "What a Hunchbacked Raccoon Teaches Us About Kindness in a Fractured World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Jadran, Farah; Arnis, Grace (July 18, 2026). "Seattle's Jimothy the raccoon becomes overnight internet icon". KING-TV. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ Hunt, Elle (July 22, 2026). "Who is Jimothy? Seven things you need to know about the internet's favourite raccoon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 7, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Moná (July 17, 2026). "Oddly-Shaped Raccoon Believed to Have a Spine Deformity Becomes Seattle's Newest Viral Star". People. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Thorpe, Andrew (July 18, 2026). "Meet 'Jimothy', the viral, short-spined raccoon who roams Seattle". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bilyeu, Jack (July 16, 2026). "Eccentric-looking Seattle raccoon named 'Jimothy' goes viral". KIRO 7. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Lambert, Kelly (July 23, 2026). "Jimothy the raccoon survived against the odds, a testament to sophisticated brains and devoted mothers". The Conversation. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  11. 1 2 McCloon, Alex (July 18, 2026). "Viral raccoon 'Jimothy' inspires mural, tattoos and Seattle proclamation". KING-TV. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ Garrett, Shawn (July 22, 2026). "'Cue Debbie Downer horn': Public Health urges Jimothy fans of raccoon health risks". KING-TV. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ Donovan, Lauren (July 22, 2026). "The internet loves Jimothy. But is there more than one?". FOX 13 Seattle. Archived from the original on August 9, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Animal Expert Weighs in on Jimothy, the Short-Spined Raccoon Taking Over the Internet". Newsweek. July 23, 2026. Archived from the original on August 9, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Jimothy's Suspected Dad, Danny DeVito, Performs Body Roll in Seattle Yard". Storyful (Video). Archived from the original on August 9, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026 – via Yahoo News.
  16. 1 2 "Jimothy the raccoon's alleged father somersaults in Seattle yard". Central Oregon Daily News (Video). July 31, 2026. Archived from the original on August 9, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  17. ↑ Patrick, Holly (July 18, 2026). "Seattle's beloved Jimothy the raccoon takes the internet by storm". The Independent (Video). Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Jimothy the Seattle raccoon becomes viral sensation". Reuters (Video). July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  19. ↑ Dreier, Natalie (July 17, 2026). "Meet 'Jimothy,' viral cryptid-looking raccoon". KIRO-TV. Archived from the original on July 23, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ Haysom, Sam (July 22, 2026). "Googling 'Jimothy' brings up an unexpected surprise". Mashable. Archived from the original on July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  21. ↑ Cross, Greta (July 22, 2026). "How to see Jimothy the raccoon scamper across your screen". USA Today. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ Day, Will (July 22, 2026). "Internet star Jimothy the raccoon added to Roku screensaver". KSN.
  23. ↑ Sutich, Jason (August 5, 2026). "Mariners celebrate 'Hot Jimothy Summer' with special night honoring viral raccoon". KIRO-TV. Archived from the original on August 6, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  24. ↑ Briscoe, Kienan (July 24, 2026). "Viral raccoon "Jimothy" bobblehead sales to benefit Lynnwood-based PAWS". Lynnwood Times. Archived from the original on August 31, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  25. ↑ Bardhan, Ashley (July 28, 2026). "An ArenaNet developer's spouse first discovered Jimothy the raccoon, so it's only right that Guild Wars 2 adds him as a new pet for all classes". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 29, 2026. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ Guild Wars 2 [@guildwars2]; (July 24, 2026). "Seattleites, please admire #Jimothy from a distance. Tyrians, you can approach him in-game, where it's safe.⁣ Starting Aug. 11, track him down in Lion's Arch to unlock a Jimothy mini of your own. 🦝⁣ Fun fact: an ArenaNet dev's spouse filmed the original viral video and named him!". Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Instagram.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ Cripe, Michael (July 19, 2026). "World of Warcraft and RuneScape Fans Want Official Jimothy Support After Game Devs Show Love for Viral Raccoon". IGN. Archived from the original on July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  28. ↑ Connolly, Denny (July 22, 2026). "Jimothy The Raccoon Has An Official Dungeons and Dragons Stat Block". VICE. Archived from the original on July 23, 2026. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  29. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (July 21, 2026). "Viral Seattle mascot Jimothy the Raccoon is already showing up in video games". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  30. ↑ Sharma, Riya (July 30, 2026). "Jimothy the Raccoon's Popularity Undermines the Right to Own Him". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on July 30, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
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