The Complete History of Jimothy

Jimothy is a wild raccoon who lives in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. His famously short, round, hunched shape comes from a spinal deformity reported to be — or closely resemble — short spine syndrome, a condition seen mostly in dogs and only rarely in other mammals. Despite the dramatic silhouette, animal experts assess him as likely healthy for his species, with no obvious signs of pain or trouble getting around.

He entered the public record on July 14, 2026. Seattle resident Kiana Hall and her partner were out on a walk for their 13th anniversary when they spotted a strangely shaped creature they first mistook for a cat. Hall filmed it, posted the clip to Instagram, and — because a name is a name — dubbed him Jimothy. As she later put it: "He just looked like a Jimothy to me." The video climbed to roughly 8 million views, and a legend was, improbably, born.

Within days Jimothy went from anonymous alley resident to certified Seattle celebrity: fan art, a mural, tattoos, a dedicated subreddit, a browser video game, and even an MLB mascot race in his honor. The Seattle Times called him a "scrappy hometown hero." He remains, through it all, a completely wild animal who has no idea any of this is happening.

Sources: Wikipedia, The Washington Post, Know Your Meme. Original video by Kiana Hall.