Seattle has an honorary doctorate holder this year, and he's a raccoon. Jimothy — the roly-poly Ballard neighborhood raccoon whose short, compact build turned him into a global meme this summer — has now collected an academic degree, a city proclamation and his own officially licensed bobblehead, well over a month after the video that made him famous first circulated.
The saga began in July, when Ballard resident Kiana Hall filmed the animal trundling across her yard and posted it to Instagram, later explaining, "He just looked like a Jimothy to me." Wildlife experts believe his unusually rounded shape stems from short spine syndrome, a skeletal condition better documented in dogs than in wild mammals; despite the look, he appears to move and forage normally. The clip topped 10 million views within days, and "Dr. Jimothy" — the honorary title the University of Washington bestowed on him in a social-media post — was born.
Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck followed with an official proclamation declaring a "Jimothy Summer," and the Seattle Mariners hosted a dedicated "Jimothy Night" at the ballpark on Aug. 5 with limited-run merchandise. A neighborhood mural now marks his usual stomping grounds, and at least one fan has reportedly gotten a Jimothy tattoo.
The latest honor arrived courtesy of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which unveiled a numbered, $30 figurine depicting Jimothy mid-scamper on a grass-textured base.
We're excited to unveil the first bobblehead of Jimothy, Seattle's newest hometown hero who has a growing fan base across the nation.
— Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum
The tribute economy has spilled into gaming, too: according to a summary compiled on Wikipedia's tracking of the phenomenon, both Guild Wars 2 and D&D Beyond have added Jimothy-inspired content, from an in-game companion pet to an official tabletop stat block. City wildlife officials, for their part, have gently reminded fans that Jimothy is still a wild animal and shouldn't be fed or approached — a note of caution that has done little to slow the momentum of Seattle's most improbable celebrity.
