Jimothy the Raccoon

The Jimothy meme centers on affection for an unusually recognizable neighborhood raccoon. People share his compact shape and movements as animal reactions or sightings, rather than following a fixed dance, song or photo-replacement template.

His name has become shorthand for anything small, round and unbothered. Calling something "very Jimothy" means it is compact, a little odd and completely at peace with it.

For Seattle he became a local mascot, the kind of neighborhood celebrity people go looking for on evening walks.

He looks unreal at first glance, so clips get rewatched and shared to ask "is this real?"

He seems to be thriving, which makes the story wholesome rather than sad. Viewers root for him.

The name helps. "Jimothy" is a joke name that sounds like a person, which makes every post read like a story about a neighbor.

Local institutions joined in. The stadium tribute and national TV coverage moved him from a Seattle story to a national one.

Ballard resident Dmitriy Ishimskiy had been filming the raccoon since July 2025, usually sitting on a fence or digging for food. In July 2026 a neighbor's video went viral over a weekend and was picked up by local TV.

The person who posted the first viral video chose the name; asked why on CBS Evening News, they said he simply looks like one.

The stadium tribute helped turn Jimothy into a local cultural reference; he also inspired fan art and tattoos. Experts quoted in the coverage believe his shape comes from short spine syndrome, a rare condition that compresses the vertebrae.

1. Jul 2025

   A neighbor first films the raccoon on a fence in Ballard.

2. Jul 2026

   Videos of Jimothy go viral; local TV reports on him.

3. Jul 2026

   CBS Evening News covers Jimothy; the Mariners stage a tribute.

1. 1Share sightings from a distance and never feed or approach a wild raccoon.
2. 2Credit the person who filmed the clip.
3. 3Do not post exact locations of where he sleeps or eats.
4. 4Use the name in the caption so others can find the post.

• Choose a version that keeps the animal visible rather than burying it under captions. A short reaction about getting through your day can work without diagnosing the raccoon or inventing a rescue story. If you share an older clip, keep its context instead of presenting it as footage recorded today.
• Credit the person who recorded the footage when you can establish that credit. A repost watermark is not automatically the original source, so follow the linked coverage before copying a name into your caption. If you cannot verify who filmed a clip, say that rather than inventing an attribution.
• For fan art, use your own drawing and label it as an interpretation. Do not pass an AI animation off as a new sighting. Keep any imagined speech clearly separate from factual information about the animal, and avoid adding unsupported medical explanations just because they make the caption sound authoritative.
• Do not approach, feed or reposition a wild animal to recreate a meme. If you happen to see wildlife, keep your distance and avoid sharing a precise resting location. The post should celebrate a recognizable character, not encourage a crowd to look for an animal at a particular address.

• Kiana Hall (@c1vrgr1): Praise Jimothy — anniversary raccoon sighting
• MLB: Jimothy stadium tribute
• FOX: Who is 'Jimothy'? Why a Seattle raccoon has gone viral
• KMPH: Jimothy, the Ballard raccoon with rare spinal condition, goes viral worldwide
• Know Your Meme: Jimothy the Raccoon
• CBS Miami: Jimothy the Raccoon and conversations about animals with disabilities

The linked sighting video belongs to its creator. Observe wildlife from a distance and obtain permission for footage you reuse. Source attribution does not grant a licence to copy, edit or republish the source media.

Search terms: jimothy raccoon, jimothy the raccoon, jimothy seattle, ballard raccoon, raccoon with no neck, short spine raccoon and jimothy mariners.

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Last updated Oct 26, 2026.

• Oct 26, 2026 — Clarified the definition, source references, key questions and practical making steps.
• Oct 25, 2026 — Replaced the synthetic primary image with a credited platform reference post.
• Oct 24, 2026 — Updated the explanation and checked the linked sources.
• Oct 22, 2026 — Page expanded: the name, the Mariners game and TV coverage, more questions and sources.
• Oct 21, 2026 — Page published.