It began with an innocuous video shared by Seattle resident Kiana Hall on Instagram. "What am I looking at?" Hall could be heard exclaiming, as an unusual-looking raccoon hurtled across a pavement and up some nearby steps. The caption referred to the creature as "Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome" – a condition that, while not confirmed, has stuck as the explanation for his spindly shape and Tasmanian Devil-like scamper.
Within days, Hall's reel had amassed more than eight million views as of Friday morning, sparking a cascade of likes, comments and reposts. "My brother was talking about Jimothy the other day, and I asked him who he is," reads one comment on the video. "He told me Jimothy would find me, and now he has."
“A Seattle raccoon with suspected short spine syndrome becomes a viral meme after Kiana Hall's Instagram reel gets over 8 million views.”
Jimothy joins a strange pop cultural tradition that includes Moo Deng, Neil the Seal, Doge and Grumpy Cat – cute, distinctive and seemingly chaotic creatures immortalised in amateur footage, sometimes cringeworthy brand posts, and even murals. In Seattle's Ballard neighbourhood, one local artist has already celebrated him with a mural.
Some users have praised Jimothy's online fame for drawing attention to spine conditions. "I hope that someone can care for Jimothy as a wild animal... he will get older and need more care," wrote one user, who said she had been born with a congenital spine syndrome. A dog called Pig became a brief internet sensation in 2014 owing in part to having short spine syndrome.
Dr Idil Galip, a digital culture researcher, explained the phenomenon: "As cities expand and food waste increases, humans and raccoons cross paths more often. More encounters mean more footage of raccoons being funny and in today's fast-moving, saturated feeds, that footage can become a meme almost instantly."
For now, Jimothy remains a wild animal roaming Seattle – but the internet's attention shows no sign of waning.