Earlier this month, some people in the Seattle, Washington area began spotting a strange little creature scuttling about. Was it a new cryptid? A new mysterious creature like Bigfoot or Nessie? Nope. Instead, what people were spotting was a raccoon with a deformed spine that locals have started referring to as Jimothy. And unlike those other cryptids, he’s real and cool.
On July 14, as documented by MyBallard, Kiana Hall spotted Jimothy near a local Goodwill. She pulled out her phone and captured a video of the rotund raccoon and posted it to Instagram, where it quickly went viral. As of July 17, it has over 6 million views. As for the critter’s name, MyBallard reports that Hall simply thought he looked like a Jimothy. I agree.
View this post on Instagram
“I hope he stays safe wherever he is,” Hall told the site.
This video of Jimothy spread across the Seattle subreddit, where people began sharing stories and more videos of the short little raccoon online. Someone else posted a video of Jimothy sneaking on their porch. And another resident shared a clip of Jimothy on their back patio “living the good life.” People also began sharing fan art of the raccoon, who has quickly become quite popular and built up a sizable fanbase.
And Jimothy’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Multiple game studios and companies have posted their own recreations of the round critter online. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners have really leaned into all the Jimothy hype. During a recent game against San Francisco, the team had a man dressed as Jimothy run around the field. Later, the team featured Jimothy on the scoreboard.
The M’s really cashing in on the moment. pic.twitter.com/HswefbZab7
— Matt Loveless (@MattLoveless) July 19, 2026
And as you’d expect with anything that becomes popular enough to break through our algo-controlled feeds and actually connect with people, grifters have swooped in and are using AI and stolen artwork to sell Jimothy shirts and other merch across the web. Please don’t buy this crap. Keep Jimothy pure. And if you must buy a shirt or hat, buy it from a real flesh-and-blood artist and not some random asshole cashing in on a trend using AI.
Interestingly, before he went viral earlier this week, Jimothy had seemingly been spotted around that area before. Someone on Reddit shared a sketch from 2023 showing what looks like a crude drawing of Jimothy. Another person on Reddit shared a video that showed a similar-looking raccoon in that same area in 2023, possibly a younger Jimothy hanging out with some other raccoons.
“Nice to think there’s some evidence he’s doing OK and other raccoons treat him normally,” posted one user on Reddit.
MyBallard received an image from one of its readers, Amanda, claiming that she and her family had seen Jimothy back in 2023 as a little baby, and they called him Nubby. She shared a supposed photo of the baby Jimothy. “He’s very sweet and harmless,” Amanda told the site.
Like the rest of the internet, I also love Jimothy. And not just because he’s adorable and cool. What I love about him is that he is proof that many cryptids people supposedly spot out in the woods or desert aren’t mythical monsters or weird aliens or demons. Instead, nature can produce some really wild-looking creatures all on its own, and I think that’s rad.
Some are worried that all this attention on Jimothy might lead to someone trying to capture him. So let’s make it clear: You can take photos of this cute raccoon with a short spine all day. But don’t feed it. Don’t try to capture it. And please, don’t kill it. Otherwise, a large chunk of Seattle might track you down and throw you into a dumpster.
