{"success":true,"data":{"id":"d842d4e9-1c89-4f2f-8cfc-0ac038d61e8e","title":"How Jimothy the raccoon became the internet's latest animal obsession","summary":"How Jimothy the raccoon became the internet's latest animal obsession Image source, Instagram/Kiana Hall By Liv McMahon and Laura Cress,Technology reporters Published 24 July 2026, 13:40 BST Charli XCX might be hoping the release of her new album sets off another Brat summer, but many believe the se...","content":"# How Jimothy the raccoon became the internet's latest animal obsession\n\n![Image 1: A three-panel composite image of screenshots from Kiana Hall's video of \"Jimothy\" the raccoon. The first image shows the animal trotting through the grass, with the second and third screenshots showing his small, short body running away.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/e2f4/live/05f5eed0-876b-11f1-ad88-45636c6b0d72.jpg)Image source, Instagram/Kiana Hall\n\nBy Liv McMahon and Laura Cress,Technology reporters\n\n*   Published 24 July 2026, 13:40 BST \n\n**Charli XCX might be hoping**[**the release of her new album**](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c151zp1p4qyo)**sets off another Brat summer, but many believe the season has already been claimed by a furrier force - Jimothy.**\n\nFirst spotted bounding across streets in Washington, the Seattle raccoon with an unusual, spindly shape and the scamper of a Tasmanian Devil has been seized on by the internet as a new hit meme.\n\nLike [Moo Deng](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy848292dr4o) and [Neil the Seal](https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/67801899) before him, he is the latest cute, distinctive and seemingly chaotic creature to be immortalised in amateur footage, sometimes cringeworthy brand posts, and even murals.\n\nBut what is it about Jimothy, as he's been nicknamed, that has gripped the internet?\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. 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To view this content choose **‘accept and continue’**.\n\nAccept and continue\n\nEnd of instagram post\n\nIt all began with an innocuous video shared by Seattle resident Kiana Hall on Instagram.\n\n\"What am I looking at?\" Hall could be heard exclaiming, as the unusual-looking raccoon hurtles across a pavement and up some nearby steps.\n\nA caption alongside it referred to the creature as \"Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome\".\n\nWhile it is not known for sure if the condition has caused his appearance, many have assumed as such, and the description has stuck.\n\nAs Hall's Instagram reel spread, it attracted more and more likes, comments and reposts, with more than eight million views as of Friday morning.\n\n\"My brother was talking about Jimothy the other day, and I asked him who he is,\" reads one comment on Hall's video. \"He told me Jimothy would find me, and now he has.\"\n\nSome users have also praised the raccoon's online fame for drawing attention to spine conditions.\n\n\"I hope that someone can care for Jimothy as a wild animal... he will get older and need more care,\" wrote one user, who said she had been born with a congenital spine syndrome.\n\nJimothy would not be the first to attract online fame for such a condition, Australian YouTuber Lessons in Meme Culture [points out, external](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa-L5dwDGJ4).\n\nA dog called Pig became a brief internet sensation in 2014 owing in part to having short spine syndrome.\n\n## Why is he everywhere?\n\nIn a strange pop cultural tradition that covers the likes of [Doge](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czkkr8l7jjxo) and [Grumpy Cat](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48308638), Jimothy has found himself in the crosshairs of media attention for being two things - an unusual animal and very shareable.\n\n\"As cities expand and food waste increases, humans and raccoons cross paths more often,\" said Dr Idil Galip, digital culture researcher at the University of Amsterdam.\n\n\"More encounters mean more footage of raccoons being funny and in today's fast-moving, saturated feeds, that footage can become a meme almost instantly.\"\n\nHe hasn't just been celebrated in posts from fans across social media.\n\nThe online outpouring of love for Jimothy has also since translated into the real world - with one local artist celebrating him with a mural in the neighbourhood of Ballard, where he was first spotted.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.[View original content on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/Da6smE0NSLo/)\n\nAccept and continue\n\nEnd of instagram post 2\n\nPresident Donald Trump's White House social media accounts, no stranger to tapping into online culture to promote his agenda, have also shared a Jimothy meme.\n\nIn [a post on X, external](https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2080320347329413445), it portrayed the raccoon donning a red hat emblazoned with \"Trump was right about everything\".\n\nBlissfully unaware of his 15 seconds of viral fame, the raccoon has become fodder for brands racing to capitalise on consumer interest in the latest online trend.\n\nAmong the things Jimothy has amassed so far are:\n\n*   A Google animation which runs across the screen when you search \"Jimothy\"\n\n*   Meme coins named in his honour - part of a grand tradition where crypto fans jump on viral moments to make digital coins with questionable value\n\n*   An [upcoming appearance, external](https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1v4xo92/you_asked_jimothy_answered_coming_soon_to_azeroth/) in World of Warcraft' fictional Azeroth\n\n\"Meme marketing is now standard practice for many brands,\" said Dr Galip.\n\n\"They will hop on to whatever's trending, hoping the visibility rubs off on them.\n\n\"A viral moment can give momentary brand visibility, in searches and social media feeds, where the attention is.\"\n\nHe's even popped up in Minecraft, or so the official account claims.\n\nFrom naughty penguins to ungovernable elephant seals, funny animals attracting attention on the internet is nothing new.\n\nBut the surge of interest and drive to document these quirky, characterful creatures can often result in pleas from local officials to respect their privacy and safety.\n\nPeople in Washington and its most populous city Seattle have been similarly warned not to approach Jimothy to protect him and themselves.\n\n\"As long as you don't try to pet him, cuddle him or feed him, Jimothy poses zero public health risk,\" said [the state health department on Threads, external](https://www.threads.com/@wadepthealth/post/Da5y1eLGnWZ).\n\nFigure caption, \n\nBut in an otherwise overwhelming online landscape, some feel these viral moments offer some relief.\n\n\"The internet is a lot. It is too much, constantly, in every direction,\" writes Jamie Slack on her blog, [Totally the Bomb, external](https://totallythebomb.com/jimothy-raccoon-went-viral/).\n\n\"And then Jimothy shows up and for one brief weird moment everyone is on the same page - rooting for this little gremlin, giggling at his name, feeling weirdly connected to strangers over absolutely nothing.\"\n\n## Related topics\n\n## More on this story\n\n    \n\n    *   Published 6 March \n\n    \n\n    *   Published 27 December 2025 \n\n    \n\n    *   Published 18 January 2021 \n\n## The video playlist\n\nWatch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC\n\nPrevious Next\n\n*   0:48 PM Andy Burnham spends first day at No 10 North. 00:00:48, play video PM Andy Burnham spends first day at No 10 North![Image 6: A man with black hair and glasses stands in front of a sign saying 'Number 10 of the North'.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/400/cpsprodpb/ccc8/live/be22e920-876d-11f1-b8ee-9b3c26ad07bb.jpg) \n*   0:53 Has Trump walked back his nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia? 00:00:53, play video Has Trump walked back his nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia?![Image 7: A man in traditional Saudi dress shakes hands with a man in a blue suit. ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/400/cpsprodpb/dbd7/live/fa7b6b60-874d-11f1-b8ee-9b3c26ad07bb.jpg) \n*   1:26 The best friends who found they were brother and sister. 00:01:26, play video The best friends who found they were brother and sister![Image 8: Dave Green and Andrea Urmston](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/400/cpsprodpb/0e24/live/c067b360-8749-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg) \n*   0:54 Man sues ChatGPT for near-fatal medical advice. 00:00:54, play video Man sues ChatGPT for near-fatal medical advice![Image 9: The ChatGPT symbol against a circuit board](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/400/cpsprodpb/eb32/live/628a8090-8755-11f1-a7ab-8b30adf0800a.jpg) \n*   0:56 Daughter proud as mum graduates after husbands covid death. 00:00:56, play video Daughter proud as mum graduates after husbands covid death![Image 10: Mother and daughter hugging on her graduation day](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/400/cpsprodpb/7681/live/0b89f300-8766-11f1-a7ab-8b30adf0800a.jpg) \n*   0:42 Rayner rejects idea of rent controls in England. 00:00:42, play video Rayner rejects idea of rent controls in England![Image 11: A woman with long, ginger hair and a fringe talks to someone off-camera. 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