Meet Jimothy: the Short, Round Seattle Raccoon the Whole Internet Has Adopted

He is short, round, and has taken over the internet purely by existing. Meet Jimothy — a wild raccoon in Seattle whose unusual shape has turned him into a genuine pop-culture phenomenon, complete with merchandise, artwork, and his own nickname for the season: "Hot Jimothy Summer."

On July 13, 33-year-old marketing specialist Kiana Hall spotted an oddly shaped raccoon roaming Seattle's Ballard neighborhood and filmed him. "I looked at him and he looked like a 'Jimothy,'" she told TODAY.com. The video, posted to Instagram, showed a raccoon with a strikingly short, compact, rounded body — nothing like the typical long-bodied raccoon shape. It has since racked up more than 10 million views across social media.

Jimothy has become the rare wild-animal viral moment that turns into an actual cultural marker: Seattle unofficially declared a "Jimothy Summer," and he's now the subject of clothing, artwork, and slogans across the city and online. Local outlets report he appears healthy and shows no signs of pain or mobility issues, which is part of why the story has stayed charming rather than becoming a welfare concern.

Animal experts say Jimothy's shape is likely the result of a congenital spinal deformity resembling short spine syndrome — a rare condition more commonly documented in dogs, and only rarely reported in other mammals, that causes fused or missing vertebrae. Despite the unusual shape, wildlife officials note he appears to move and forage normally. Officials have also reminded the public, as they do with any wild raccoon that draws a crowd, to admire Jimothy from a distance rather than approach or feed him.

"He looked like a 'Jimothy,'" Hall said of the moment she named him. Animal behavior experts interviewed by Newsweek describe his condition as unusual but not dangerous to his quality of life. Online, the reaction has been overwhelmingly affectionate — Jimothy has inspired fan art, merchandise, and a wave of "hot Jimothy summer" posts across social platforms.

Jimothy remains a wild animal living freely in Ballard, and there are no plans to capture or relocate him since he shows no signs of distress. Sightings continue to circulate online, though it's unconfirmed whether every raccoon since spotted and tagged "Jimothy" online is actually the same animal — FOX 13 Seattle has even reported on the question directly.

Sometimes virality needs nothing more than an unusual-looking animal filmed at the right moment — Jimothy didn't do anything except exist, and the internet did the rest.