A raccoon. (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA \/ AFP) (Photo by EZEQUIEL BECERRA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
You may have seen clips of a strangely circular creature scurrying across your timeline lately\u2014it\u2019s not an AI-generated monstrosity, but \u201cJimothy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who (Or What) Is Jimothy? <\/p>\n
Jimothy is a uniquely shaped raccoon who has won the heart of social media users, attracting a dedicated online fandom.<\/p>\n
A resident of Seattle, Jimothy\u2019s striking appearance is the result of a condition suspected to be short spine syndrome, a rare deformity that results in a round body shape and short limbs.<\/p>\n
The condition could have been a death sentence for a young raccoon, but somehow, Jimothy has managed to thrive, his deformity imbuing him with the cutesy, cartoonish proportions of a Pok\u00e9mon, or perhaps a Squishmallow.<\/p>\n
For a year, locals have spotted Jimothy on his travels, some managing to capture him on camera, posting clips online. If visitors to Seattle are lucky, they might catch a glimpse of the rotund raccoon.<\/p>\n
Over time, the clips and photos began to attract the attention of the wider web, snowballing until the raccoon suddenly exploded into virality, becoming something of an internet icon.<\/p>\n
Jimothy has been jokingly compared to a cryptid, like a friendlier, fuzzier version of the chupacabra.<\/p>\n
While no one knows for certain, it\u2019s assumed that Jimothy is a male (although, some have questioned Jimothy\u2019s gender).<\/p>\n
The raccoon was given his unusual name by Seattle resident Kiana Hall, who posted a popular video of him on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n In a fateful act of spontaneity, she dubbed him \u201cJimothy\u201d in her caption, and the internet immediately accepted the title.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just looked like a Jimothy to me,\u201d Hall explained.<\/p>\n During the early days of Jimothy fandom, the famous raccoon was sometimes referred to<\/a> as \u201cBob,\u201d but that didn\u2019t stick\u2014sometimes, a punchy stage name is all it takes for a celebrity\u2019s star to shine.<\/p>\n Thanks to the efforts of Seattle\u2019s animal-lovers, fans have plenty of cute clips and photos to dig through, going back to when Jimothy was still a baby, persevering with the help of his devoted mother who patiently guided her ball-shaped son to adulthood.<\/p>\n Jimothy isn\u2019t the first cute animal to unite the digital landscape in collective \u201cawww\u201d\u2014he follows in the footsteps of Moo Deng<\/a>, the shiny pigmy hippo, and Punch the monkey<\/a>, whose heartbreaking habit of clutching a stuffie for comfort turned him into a simian celebrity.<\/p>\n Jimothy marks something of a shift, as the viral raccoon is unconventionally adorable\u2014he\u2019s deformed, but his compressed body echoes the hyper-accelerated cuteness of \u201ckawaii,\u201d characterized by squishy anime critters with impossibly huge, sparkly eyes.<\/p>\n To draw a cute creature, the circle is the only shape that matters (of course, Jimothy has inspired plenty of fan art).<\/p>\n Jimothy\u2019s body might not be optimized for survival, but when it comes to invoking human empathy, it\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n Social Media Is Obsessed With Jimothy<\/p>\n Everyone loves to root for an underdog, and the Jimothy fandom continues to spread\u2014the viral raccoon has reached the stage of celebrity in which brands start to join in on the memes.<\/p>\n On Instagram, Jimothy has been officially acknowledged by Budweiser<\/a>, while on X (Twitter) the official NASA account<\/a> posted a tribute to Seattle\u2019s iconic raccoon, stating, \u201cJimothy runs this city.\u201d<\/p>\n Jimothy seems designed to roam a fantasy landscape\u2014he\u2019s made a cameo in Minecraft<\/a>, is due to appear in World of Warcraft, and has become an official Dungeons & Dragons NPC, boasting the ability to \u201cHurl Garbage\u201d at enemies, along with \u201cCompact Frame,\u201d which enables Jimothy to \u201cmove through a space as narrow as 4 inches without expending extra movement to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n Google has even introduced a hidden Easter egg for Jimothy, as searches for his name trigger an animation of the raccoon running across the screen.<\/p>\n Jimothy has inspired a range of tributes, edits, jokes and memes across the internet.<\/p>\n One X user even managed to find the \u201copposite of a Jimothy.\u201d<\/p>\n The growing fandom of Seattle\u2019s round raccoon is one of those rare internet trends in which positivity is the point\u2014Jimothy simply sparks joy.<\/p>\n Hopefully, he continues to roll around Seattle for many more years, undisturbed by his newfound celebrity status.<\/p>\n MORE FROM FORBESForbesSophie Cunningham\u2019s \u2018Finger Pointing\u2019 Meme, ExplainedBy Dani Di Placido<\/a>ForbesWho Is Moo Deng? The Viral Baby Hippo, ExplainedBy Dani Di Placido<\/a>ForbesWhat Does \u2018You The Birthday\u2019 Mean? TikTok\u2019s Viral Phrase, ExplainedBy Dani Di Placido<\/a>ForbesWhy We\u2019re Rooting For Punch The MonkeyBy Dani Di Placido<\/a>