Seattle may need to prepare for the possibility of multiple Jimothys — Jimothies? Jimothem? Jimothi? The internet has not yet settled on the plural.
The unusually shaped raccoon became an internet celebrity after footage of him walking through the city’s Ballard neighborhood went viral. But as residents continue sharing possible sightings — including some they claim date back to 2017 — wildlife experts are questioning whether every round raccoon caught on camera is actually the same animal.
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Jimothy first captured widespread attention after Seattle resident Kiana Hall encountered him during a walk through Ballard on July 13. Hall initially mistook the animal beneath a parked car for a cat, then started recording when the creature emerged with the masked face of a raccoon and a noticeably shortened torso and neck. She named him Jimothy because, as she later explained to Today, he simply looked like one.
The brief video accumulated millions of views and made Jimothy an almost immediate Seattle celebrity. Fans declared it “Hot Jimothy Summer” and created memes, murals, tattoos, and merchandise in his honor, while local organizations joined in with government PSAs and an honorary doctorate from the University of Washington. A costumed Jimothy even defeated four oversized fish during the Seattle Mariners’ seventh-inning Salmon Run. Google has even joined in on the fun — if you look up “Jimothy” or “Jimothy the raccoon” in the search box, an animation of Jimothy will scurry across your screen.
Experts believe his unusual appearance may be caused by a congenital spinal deformity resembling short spine syndrome, although he has not been examined by a veterinarian and does not have a confirmed diagnosis. Despite his compressed build, videos show him walking, climbing, finding food, and independently navigating the neighborhood.
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But as Jimothy’s following grew, Ballard residents began digging through old photographs and security-camera footage for previous sightings. That is where the plot thickens.
Ballard resident Rebecca Sorenson raised the question in an interview with FOX 13 Seattle after noticing conflicting accounts of Jimothy’s age.
“There’s posts now that say that he was born a year ago and then other people with posts that saw him in 2017,” Sorenson said. “I’m curious now if there are more than one?”
Those dates would be difficult to reconcile if every video showed the same raccoon. Wendi Mallo, an animal keeper who cares for two raccoons at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, told the station that three to five years would already be a long lifespan for a wild raccoon. Many do not survive their first year because of cars, dogs, disease, and other dangers.
A raccoon spotted in 2017 would therefore need to be at least 9 years old today, making it unlikely — although apparently not impossible — that Seattle has been following the same Jimothy for nearly a decade.
“Yeah, that seems like a very long-lived raccoon to me for the wild,” Mallo told FOX 13 Seattle. “But who knows, there’s magic in the wild. We’ve just got to look for it.”
Another possibility is that Ballard has been home to multiple raccoons with similar spinal abnormalities. The theory remains speculation, however. No one has confirmed that multiple short-spined raccoons are living in the neighborhood, just as no one has established that all the reported sightings show the same animal.
The uncertainty complicates the story of Jimothy’s life. Residents have collected old security-camera footage, photographs, and backyard sightings they believe show the distinctive raccoon at different ages. One set of videos reportedly captures a young Jimothy living with his mother and siblings in 2025, while other residents have attached different ages and origin stories to raccoons they believe are him.
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Without an examination or another reliable way to identify the animal, there is no definitive answer. Seattle could be following one exceptionally resilient raccoon, several similarly shaped relatives, or a mixture of genuine Jimothy sightings and mistaken identities.
Whoever appears in the recent videos seems to be doing well. Mallo added that the raccoon’s body appears to be in good condition, despite the challenges his unusual build may create.
Wildlife officials have advised residents to continue observing Jimothy — or any possible Jimothys — from a distance. People should not approach, feed, capture, or attempt to pet the animals, especially as increased attention could draw more visitors into the neighborhood, creating more hazards for racoons as well.
Until someone solves the mystery, “Jimothy” may be less one raccoon’s name than a title passed among Ballard’s roundest residents.
Source: https://mashable.com/life/jimothy-raccoon-multiple-seattle-sightings
