The internet has moved on from its obsession with Punch the monkey to its newest celebrity, Jimothy the raccoon, who lives with a congenital disease that makes him shorter and rounder than a regular raccoon.
The adorable animal first made rounds on the internet when a local from the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Kiana Hall, posted a clip of him running away, loping along with his tiny body and short neck, on July 14.
"What am I looking at?" Kiana, who coined his name, could be heard saying in the clip. She added in the caption that Jimothy appeared on her 13th wedding anniversary with her husband as a sign of good luck; the video has now racked up over eight million views.
© InstagramA star is born
Kiana shared more about the bizarre experience with Today, including the inspiration behind his name.
"He just looked like a 'Jimothy' to me. I don't have any other explanation," she said.
"I was pretty surprised and confused because the body shape didn't look like anything I was familiar with," she continued. "He turned around, and I saw that masked pattern on the front of his face, and that's when I realized he was a raccoon."
"I never thought that my video of a raccoon would take off," Kiana added. "I'm really happy that he could bring some kind of joy to people. Times are hard for everyone. Everyone could use something silly and fun like this."
© InstagramBack to the beginning
Jimothy hit new heights of virality when videos began emerging of him as a baby being lovingly cared for by his mother and larger siblings.
"Seattle's newest celebrity was born in our neighbor's cedars to a raccoon family that had lived there for years," wrote local Ben Trammell on Instagram.
"We saw Jimothy (way better than the moniker than what we came up with) almost daily for months. The family used our backyard as a protected on/off ramp for their nightly outings."
Ben continued: "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."
"I honestly never had high hopes for his longevity, but every time we saw him it brought so much joy and a fair amount of amusement."
An internet sensation
Jimothy's shorter body is likely the result of a congenital spinal deformity, but the disability has not stopped him from living a normal life, nor from finding worldwide fame, as it seems.
Jimothy merch has popped up across the internet in the past week, and a mural of the creature has already been painted in Ballard.
City council member Alexis Mercedes Rinck even announced that she will issue an "official city proclamation" declaring it a "Jimothy Summer".
© InstagramKeep your distance
While Jimothy has taken the internet by storm, experts have warned fans of the furry celebrity to keep their distance for the sake of everyone's safety.
The Seattle and King County public health department advised in a Facebook post that raccoons can carry disease or lash out when frightened.
"We fell hard for Jimothy and all of his memes. But our public health veterinarian reminded us that all wildlife need some distance from humans," the post read.
"Jimothy is adorable, but please don't feed or interact with raccoons. They can carry bacteria and roundworms, and when cornered or stressed, any wildlife can bite."
"Raccoons are not known to carry rabies in this part of the country, but there is always a small possibility that it could spread to raccoon populations here."
