A raccoon with a rare physical condition has become one of the more unlikely internet celebrities of July 2026. His name is Jimothy, he lives in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, and as of Wednesday he had been summoned in a Google animation more than 1.5 million times.
According to CNET, Jimothy appears to have short spine syndrome, a rare disorder that gives him a hunched, compact appearance with almost no visible neck. A veterinary professor told the Seattle Times that he appears to be functioning well and is described as "very spry."
The story began when local resident Kiana Hall posted a video of Jimothy on Instagram. Hall told the Seattle Times she initially thought he was a cat: "I just have never seen any other animal like it." She named him Jimothy because "he looked like a Jimothy."
The video spread quickly. Google responded by creating an animated version of the raccoon that races across the screen when users search his name. A green paw icon appears alongside the animation, and users can click it to watch Jimothy run again.
The attention has extended well beyond a Google easter egg. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum announced it is producing a Jimothy bobblehead, available to preorder for $30 with shipping scheduled for December. The Seattle Mariners placed a raccoon-suited person in their regular ballpark salmon race. Jimothy won.
Another Ballard resident, Ben Trammell, surfaced older footage showing Jimothy as a baby alongside what appeared to be his mother and siblings. "We saw Jimothy … almost daily for months," Trammell wrote on Instagram. "He was so small and clumsy, but his mother and siblings were always so patient and caring, keeping him from falling and sometimes just carrying him."
On July 26, the Ballard neighborhood plans to mark the moment with a formal proclamation in Jimothy's honor and an art competition. Oatmeal cartoonist Matthew Inman, a Seattle-area resident, drew what he called a police sketch of Jimothy in case authorities ever needed one.
