He looks more like a pom-pom than a raccoon — and the internet is obsessed. Jimothy, the unusually round raccoon of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, is riding another massive wave of viral fame thanks to his short, compact body and unbothered attitude.
Jimothy first went viral in July 2026, when Ballard resident Kiana Hall posted an Instagram video and asked followers, “What am I looking at?” She named him on the spot: “He just looked like a Jimothy to me.” The clip exploded — Seattle public radio station KUOW reported the videos passed 10 million views across platforms within days.
Animal experts believe Jimothy was born with a spinal deformity resembling short spine syndrome, a rare congenital condition best known in dogs, in which the vertebrae fail to separate properly during fetal development. The result: a shortened torso, little to no neck, and a strikingly spherical silhouette.
A neighborhood celebrity
Despite his unusual anatomy, Jimothy is thriving. Wildlife officials say he walks, climbs fences, squeezes through gaps and finds food with total confidence — and shows no sign of pain or distress. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has urged admirers not to approach or feed him.
His fame spilled into real life: Seattle city council members proclaimed a “Jimothy Summer” season on July 27, and a person in a raccoon costume represented him in the Seattle Mariners’ 7th-inning “Salmon Run” — which Jimothy won. Fan art, murals, stickers, shirts and even tattoos followed.
Why the internet loves him
Jimothy’s appeal, admirers say, is that he is celebrated rather than othered for looking different — a wild animal thriving exactly as he is, without human intervention. His clips continue to rack up millions of views, and meme trackers rank him among the top trending memes in the US this week.
As one viral caption put it: “In Jimothy we trust.”
Not the first round raccoon
Longtime Ballard residents note Jimothy may not even be the first short-spined raccoon in the neighborhood — an older individual nicknamed “Danny DeVito,” filmed rolling across a lawn in August 2025, is sometimes mistaken for him, and some suspect it could be a parent. Wild raccoons typically live only three to five years, which has locals wondering how many round raccoons have quietly called Ballard home. For now, though, there’s only one Jimothy — and one “Hot Jimothy Summer.”
