It began with an innocuous video shared by Seattle resident Kiana Hall on Instagram — and within days, a raccoon with an unusual, spindly shape had become the internet's latest animal obsession.
"What am I looking at?" Hall could be heard exclaiming, as the creature hurtled across a pavement and up some nearby steps. A caption referred to the raccoon as "Jimothy the raccoon with short spine syndrome". While it is not known for sure if the condition has caused his appearance, many have assumed as such, and the description has stuck.
“Seattle raccoon with spindly shape becomes internet sensation after Instagram video gets 8 million views.”
Jimothy's scamper — likened to that of a Tasmanian Devil — was quickly seized on by the internet as a new hit meme. Hall's reel had attracted more than eight million views as of Friday morning, along with thousands 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 Hall's video. "He told me Jimothy would find me, and now he has."
Some users have also praised the raccoon'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.
Jimothy is the latest in a strange pop cultural tradition that covers the likes of Doge, Grumpy Cat, Moo Deng and Neil the Seal — unusual animals that become highly shareable. Australian YouTuber Lessons in Meme Culture pointed out that a dog called Pig became a brief internet sensation in 2014 owing in part to having short spine syndrome.
"As cities expand and food waste increases, humans and raccoons cross paths more often," said digital culture researcher Dr Idil Galip. "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."
The online outpouring of love for Jimothy has also translated into the real world — with one local artist celebrating him with a mural in the neighbourhood of Ballard, where the raccoon was first spotted.
Jimothy may soon find himself in the crosshairs of even more media attention, as the internet continues to embrace the chaotic, spindly creature as the unlikely mascot of summer.