# Jimothy the Raccoon > Short spine, long summer. Seattle has a new mascot. Updated Oct 15, 2026 · first seen Jul 14, 2026 · #1 on today's ViralMeme board · +3% in 24 hours · on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook. Where it is in its life: Brands (past peak). Past its peak: add your own twist. Also called: jimothy, jimothy raccoon, jimothy summer, jimothy fortnite, jimothy roku city, jimothy seattle, seattle raccoon meme, baby jimothy. Page: https://viralmeme.ai/meme/jimothy-the-raccoon-meme ![Jimothy the Raccoon: the picture as it went round online](https://media.rapduo.ai/uploads/rapduo/site/viralmeme/memes/jimothy.jpg) The original picture, as it went round online. ## TL;DR Jimothy the Raccoon is a wild raccoon in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood with an unusually short, round body; vets say he likely has a rare condition called short spine syndrome. A video posted on Instagram on July 14, 2026 drew about 8 million views, and within two weeks he had a Google search animation, a bobblehead and an official "Jimothy Summer." He's past his July peak but still spotted, and Fortnite made Jimothy a free Sidekick in October. ## What does Jimothy the Raccoon mean? Posting Jimothy is cheering for a lovable, odd-looking underdog and claiming a little Seattle weirdness as your own. Fans share sightings, fan art and edits, and the running joke is how round and compact he is. A Seattle tattoo shop owner called him a symbol of resilience: a little guy who lives differently and seems to be fine. One popular joke is a photo of anything short and stubby, like a compact truck, with a caption saying everything reminds you of him, which is how one X user put it in July 2026. Another is the Jimothy tattoo, posted as proof of loyalty; one Seattle shop said it got many requests for him. And in Seattle, a post that says "Jimothy Summer" is local pride, not a weather report. ## Why did Jimothy the Raccoon take off? Jimothy looks unlike any raccoon most people had seen, and real sightings kept coming, so the story never ran out. Each new clip, from old baby footage to a visit to a dog's water bowl, gave fans a fresh reason to post. Then officials and brands made Jimothy part of the city. Councilmembers proclaimed a summer in his name, the Mariners put him on the jumbotron, brands gave him cameos, and games carried the joke into the fall. ## Where did Jimothy the Raccoon come from? Jimothy went viral on July 14, 2026, when a Ballard resident posted a short video of him on Instagram. She told Smithsonian she filmed him on an evening walk the night before and at first thought he was a cat, until she saw his masked face. Within days, neighbors filled in his history. Another Seattle resident shared older footage that appears to show him as a baby. Veterinarians who watched the videos said Jimothy likely has short spine syndrome, a rare congenital condition in which the vertebrae compress as they develop and leave a short, round body. Videos alone can't confirm a diagnosis, and a Washington State University vet said his spine doesn't appear to limit him. By July 23 the story was national. ABC News reported a Google animation for Jimothy searches, a $30 bobblehead from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, a mascot of him winning the Mariners' Salmon Run and nods from NASA. On Sunday, July 26, Seattle councilmembers proclaimed "Jimothy Summer" at a celebration in Ballard attended by hundreds. - **Jul 14, 2026:** A Ballard resident posts a video of Jimothy on Instagram. It reaches about 8 million views. - **Jul 23, 2026:** ABC News reports a Google search animation, a $30 bobblehead on pre-sale and a nod from NASA. - **Jul 26, 2026:** Seattle councilmembers proclaim "Jimothy Summer" at a celebration in Ballard attended by hundreds. - **Aug 3, 2026:** He wins Know Your Meme's July 2026 Meme of the Month with 15.6% of the vote. - **Oct 1, 2026:** Fortnite makes Jimothy a free Sidekick during its Fortnitemares event. - **Oct 7, 2026:** KIRO 7 airs a new sighting of him climbing a fence and settling onto a roof in Ballard. ## Popular versions of Jimothy the Raccoon ### Jimothy sightings The core format is the sighting: a phone video of Jimothy on a deck, a fence or a roof, posted with the neighborhood and the time. Ballard residents have reported him on decks, drinking from a dog's water bowl and sitting in trees, and local TV still airs the best clips. ### Jimothy fan art and tattoos Artists drew Jimothy from the first week. The Oatmeal posted a mock police sketch on July 17, a mural went up outside Ballard Clay Pottery Studio, and a Maryland tattoo shop inked him on a leg. Art of him raised about $6,500 for the Ballard Food Bank. ### Jimothy in games World of Warcraft posted a virtual Jimothy in one of its forests, and Paizo gave him tongue-in-cheek Pathfinder stats as a small animal minion. On Oct 1, 2026, Fortnite made him a free Sidekick. ### Jimothy brand cameos Brands treated Jimothy like a celebrity. Roku drew him into Roku City, and Google added an animation of him running across search results. Goodyear posted a tire-safety joke about him crossing the road, and NASA Earth shared a space station photo of Ballard. ## How to post Jimothy the Raccoon on TikTok 1. If you see Jimothy, film from a distance and post the sighting with where and when. 2. Or post fan art, an edit, or a photo of something short and round that reminds you of him. 3. In Fortnite, extract a Dumpster Dive Sprite during Fortnitemares to unlock the free Sidekick. 4. Don't approach, feed or try to catch him. Wild raccoons can carry bacteria and roundworms. ## Make your own ViralMeme explains this meme: it's a clip, a sound or a phrase you post as it is, not a format you put your photo into. ## Questions about Jimothy the Raccoon ### What does Jimothy mean? Jimothy is the name of a short, round wild raccoon in Seattle who went viral in July 2026. Fans use the name with affection, and for many he has become a symbol of resilience and of Seattle pride. ### Why is Jimothy named Jimothy? Jimothy got his name from the Ballard resident who filmed him. She told The Seattle Times, as MyNorthwest reported, that she picked it because he looked like one. ### What's wrong with Jimothy the raccoon? Jimothy likely has short spine syndrome, a rare congenital condition, according to vets who watched the videos. He hasn't been formally diagnosed, and wildlife officials say he can still walk, climb and find food on his own. ### Is Jimothy the raccoon real or AI? Jimothy is a real wild raccoon. Residents and local TV have filmed him many times in Ballard, and footage shared in July 2026 appears to show him as a baby. ### Is Jimothy still alive? Yes, Jimothy is alive as of the latest reports: KIRO 7 aired video of him climbing onto a roof in Ballard on Oct 7, 2026. A Washington State University vet said his survival to this age suggests he is adapting well. ### What is Jimothy Summer? Jimothy Summer is the name Seattle councilmembers gave summer 2026 at a celebration in Ballard in late July. FOX 13 dates the proclamation July 26; KIRO 7 says July 27. ### How do I get Jimothy in Fortnite? Jimothy is a free Sidekick in Fortnite, added for the Fortnitemares Halloween event; Insider Gaming reported him available on Oct 1, 2026. You unlock him by extracting a Dumpster Dive Sprite in a match. ### Is Jimothy in Roku City? Jimothy got a digital cameo in Roku City, the purple cityscape screensaver on Roku devices, in July 2026, MyNorthwest reported. We couldn't find a newer report on whether he is still in the screensaver in October. ### Why is Jimothy so popular? Jimothy is a lovable underdog with a look nobody had seen before, and new sightings kept the story going. Brands, the city of Seattle and local TV then joined in, which turned a single clip into a city mascot. ### Who is baby Jimothy? Baby Jimothy is older footage, shared in July 2026 by a Seattle resident, that appears to show the raccoon as a baby walking along a fence with his family. The resident wrote that he was born in cedar trees nearby. ## Sources - [Know Your Meme: Jimothy the Raccoon](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jimothy-the-raccoon) - [Smithsonian Magazine: An unusual-looking raccoon is winning hearts across the internet (Jul 20, 2026)](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-unusual-looking-raccoon-nicknamed-jimothy-is-winning-hearts-across-the-internet-for-his-short-round-body-180989157/) - [MyNorthwest: Ballard raccoon icon Jimothy (Jul 21, 2026)](https://mynorthwest.com/local/ballard-raccoon-icon-jimothy/4258982) - [ABC News: 'Jimothy' the raccoon captures the internet's heart (Jul 23, 2026)](https://abcnews.com/GMA/Living/jimothy-raccoon-captures-internets-heart/story?id=135020936) - [FOX 13 Seattle: Seattle declares 'Jimothy Summer' (Jul 26, 2026)](https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/seattle-jimothy-summer-viral-raccoon) - [Know Your Meme: See the winner of July 2026's Meme of the Month (Aug 3, 2026)](https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/meme-review/see-the-winner-of-july-2026s-meme-of-the-month) - [Insider Gaming: Fortnite's free raccoon Sidekick (Oct 1, 2026)](https://insider-gaming.com/fortnite-jimothy-raccoon-sidekick/) - [KIRO 7: Viral raccoon Jimothy spotted in Ballard (Oct 7, 2026)](https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/viral-raccoon-jimothy-spotted-ballard/ZOLBLBD26VBMTEKJQPPEPBNMXY/) ## What changed on this page - Oct 15, 2026: Tightened the page to the site's 1,200–1,600-word standard; no facts changed. - Oct 13, 2026: Added the original picture, as it went round online. - Oct 12, 2026: Page expanded: origin story, popular versions and more questions, with sources. - Oct 11, 2026: Page published with dated sources.