About

Jimothy is a wild raccoon with short spine syndrome who lives in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. His short spine syndrome makes him appear particularly round and short compared to normal raccoons.

Jimothy went viral in July 2026 because of his short spine syndrome, which many found cute and peculiar. Videos of Jimothy spread across social media, inspiring works of fan art, memes and viral coverage in the media and with streamers and social media stars. Google also added an Easter egg when searching his name.

Origin

On July 14th, 2026, Instagram^[1] user Kiana Hall (c1vrgr1) posted a video of a raccoon with short spine syndrome named Jimothy running in her backyard. The post description reads, "For our 13th anniversary, @ehhbahnan and I were graced with the presence of Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome. Praise Jimothy!! 🦝" The video gained over 398,000 likes in six days.

Short spine syndrome is a rare deformity that happens when an animal's vertebrae are fused or compressed during development. The condition is not always painful for the animal, but does cause some mobility issues, which can harm the animal's ability to survive in the wild. Over time, the condition can lead to pain.^[2][3]

Spread

Hall's video of Jimothy went viral and was reposted numerous times online over the following days. This inspired a wave of other videos of Jimothy, along with fan art and content celebrating the raccoon.^[4]

On July 17th, 2026, X^[5] account @dubseatv posted another video sighting of Jimothy, garnering over 25,000 likes and 1,600 reposts in three days.

That day, X^[6] user @sitkapetrodolla posted a video of Jimothy as a baby taken in their friend's backyard, garnering over 162,000 likes in three days.

On that same day, X^[7] user @Oatmeal posted a drawing of Jimothy, writing, "I drew a police sketch of Jimothy in case the cops need it," garnering over 20,000 likes in three days.

On July 19th, 2026, X^[8] user @greg16676935420 posted a photograph of a short truck, writing, "Everything reminds me of him," likening the truck to Jimothy, garnering over 21,000 likes in a day.

On July 23rd, X^[9] user @mugiwarasol_ posted a photograph taken by their friend that shows Jimothy drinking some milk from a bowl, garnering over 7,300 likes in a day.

In late July 2026, Google then added an Easter egg when searching Jimothy's name, which plays a short animation of the raccoon scurrying across the screen.^[10]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References