Last week, a Seattle woman named Kiana Hall spotted an unusual animal waddling out from under a car in her Ballard neighborhood. It looked like a raccoon, but… rounder. Significantly rounder. No visible neck. Compact little body. She posted a video to Instagram with the caption “What am I looking at?” and named him Jimothy, because, in her words, “He looked like a Jimothy.”
That video now has over 10 million views.
Jimothy’s distinctive shape is the result of a congenital spinal deformity — likely short spine syndrome — that gives him a dramatically shortened spine and a bowling ball-like silhouette.
According to Marcie Logsdon, a veterinary professor at Washington State University who reviewed footage for The Seattle Times, he appears to be a young raccoon born this year, and crucially: he’s healthy, he’s getting around fine, and he’s in no pain. “The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting,” she said.
In the six days since Hall posted the video, Seattle has gone full civic celebration mode. Jimothy now has a street mural, an honorary University of Washington degree, a Seattle City Council proclamation, a dedicated subreddit (r/JimothyTheRaccoon), merch, and people getting his face tattooed on their bodies. The phrase “Hot Jimothy Summer” — a riff on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer” — is all over social media.
Most viral animal moments burn out by day three. Jimothy got a city proclamation on day five. The wholesome thesis underneath all of it: Seattle collectively decided that a creature who looks different from every other raccoon was worth celebrating, not fixing.
Welcome to Hot Jimothy Summer.
Somebody got a tattoo of my Jimothy art and it’s beautiful pic.twitter.com/1PYUa0x1BY
— The Oatmeal (@Oatmeal) July 19, 2026
