Our darling Jimothy

A love letter:

My dearest, darling Jimothy,

I will never forget the first time I witnessed your beauty, your stout form, your innocent and chaotic energy. It was an Instagram post from c1vrgr1. She saw you galavanting through Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, likely searching for your next trash meal.

Your undeniably adorable presence made me giggle. Your cryptid features made me nostalgic for the “scrongly” babies I’ve come to love. For a moment, all was right in the world.

I fell in love. We all did.

Yours, Hollie

Seriously, though, this raccoon is living rent-free in my head, and I’m sure he is in yours as well. “Jimothy the raccoon” became a viral sensation basically overnight. He’s now the subject of countless memes, merch, and art.

He’s become a beacon of hope, a disability rights advocate, and the world’s favorite little guy in just the blink of an eye.

He likely lives with short spine syndrome, a rare congenital disorder in which the vertebrae compress or fuse, resulting in a shortened body or neck. It’s been documented in dogs, but not as much in wildlife. Experts can’t accurately diagnose Jimothy with this disorder from video but haven’t ruled out that he has this condition.

Wildlife experts interviewed on the matter believe the little guy is thriving since he’s pretty agile in the video posted by Kiana Hall, aka c1vrgrl.

Since becoming the most famous creature on the internet, searches about Jimothy prove that our curiosity is only growing.

Besides searching for general Jimothy info, we are also searching for his lore. (Thank you Ben Trammell, aka bwtrammell on Instagram, for blessing us with the baby Jimothy video.)

We are also searching for the memes.

The memeification of Jimothy

I’ve consumed so much Jimothy content in the last few days, both willingly and unwillingly. My job puts me on the front lines of trendspotting, so I’ve curated my own feeds to showcase the goofiest memes and topics that the internet has to offer.

And folks, we’ve really been blessed with the internet’s best content for this guy.

A post from wittyidiot on Instagram really spoke to me by saying, “My whole feed is a perfect playfully mischievous frolicsome raccoon and the collapse of civilization.” This carousel of memes curated by katiemcrenshaw also speaks to me on a spiritual level, especially the post of Jimothy with Punch the monkey.

This song I found on YouTube Shorts has been added to my ever growing list of earworms. And so has this parody of Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy” that I saw on Instagram. Both are bangers.

In real life, our little guy has inspired crafts, merch, and, obviously, my wonderful love letter above. KING 5 in Seattle reported other Jimothy-inspired creations, including tattoos, murals and even a city dedication.

Of course, every viral animal does this in some sort of way, but Jimothy has also reminded us of why we’re so fascinated by cryptid-like creatures.

What is it about the weird little guys?

Think of your favorite viral animal. Is it the Keyboard Cat? Pizza Rat? Doge? Or perhaps your favorite is more contemporary, like Moo Deng or the previously mentioned Punch the monkey. What fascinates you about these creatures?

Right now, many of these creatures provide a sense of nostalgia from the “good ol’ days” of the internet, the early-to-mid 2010s. These were formative years for me – I was just starting high school and figuring out who I wanted to be. These memes helped me find my community within my small-town Iowa school and created memories that I won’t ever forget.

I imagine it may be similar for you, depending on where you are currently at in life. But at the end of the day, I think the sense of community rings true for most internet users.

Jimothy’s ascension reminds me of these creatures because his physical form and energy are just as applicable and relatable as past viral animals are (and continue to be).

Grumpy Cat still makes her rounds in reaction memes to this day (and also lives rent free in my head. RIP to that legend). Meanwhile, Punch the monkey’s story of being accepted mirrors how we have welcomed Jimothy into our loving arms.

Is there a difference between Jimothy and viral animals of the past? Of course, he’s a raccoon with a congenital disorder. He’s his own beautiful soul. But I think these creatures have more in common than they have differences.

There’s also a feeling of contraryist counterculture - why idolize the cute and conventionally appealing animals when a scrongly “trash animal” represents our lesser but more authentic attributes? Who wants to be a puppy or kitten like everyone else when you can be a cryptid raccoon, full of mischief? Gen Z loves a subversive underdog, and the rest of us are following suit.

Why Jimothy now?

Why not? The world can feel like it’s sucking your soul out of you with each headline you read (I KNOW it’s not just me who feels that way). Though I no longer work in news, I can still identify that there’s a negative energy that is always circulating online, no matter what platform you’re on and no matter how much you try to curate a positive environment.

Jimothy is a wonderful distraction. And since he’s a wild animal, he also provides a sense of authenticity that we all crave.

Our little guy’s frame can be put in almost any meme and you’ll feel his positive aura – take this Erling Haaland x Jimothy carousel from Instagram (adorable, am I right?). Just as this carousel shows, Jimothy can be melded with other memes and still delight viewers across the spectrum.

This series of images invite users to claim which Jimothy they are, pulling more of us into the meme that he is. (I think I’m Jimothysaurus Rex, but I also relate with Classic Jimothy.)

Jimothy now, Jimothy forever ♥️

So, we have this meme, but what do we do now? Like many trends on the internet, Jimothy content will plateau and likely drop in time for the next little weirdo to entertain us. That shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the ride we’re currently on.

For now, I think it’s safe for us to go ahead and include Jimothy on our Mount Rushmore of Scrongly Babies.