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CultureQuiet 6d · day 6

Viral Seattle raccoon "Jimothy" gets new video, fans push to shield his location

A new clip shared by the raccoon's caretaker's niece/nephew draws thousands of reactions, with commenters split between adoration and warnings to protect him from harm.

What to know

  • Jimothy is a raccoon in the Seattle area whose videos, shared by a caretaker's family, have made him a minor internet celebrity.
  • The dominant concern in the comments is protecting Jimothy's exact location from people who might trap, harm, or exploit him for attention.
  • Commenters also speculate, half-jokingly and half-seriously, about apparent physical limitations or unusual traits in Jimothy, without confirmation of a cause.

The dispute Some want the aunt to continue actively caring for and filming Jimothy, while others argue any human engagement risks making him too comfortable around people and endangers him. · positions read across 51 posts and comments

most voices

Jimothy is a beloved, feel-good presence and people are simply happy to see more of him.

  • “what a darling! Jimothy always cheers me up”

    janetdeguerre.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
many voices

His exact location and human contact should be kept secret to prevent people from harming, trapping, or exploiting him.

  • “But please tell your aunt to avoid engaging with Jimothy. It's very important that he not become too comfortable with humans, especially now that he's a celebrity.”

    claudiamw.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
some voices

Jimothy's unusual appearance or behavior invites speculation, often playful, about a genetic condition or broader raccoon phenomenon.

  • “Raccoons are an ascendant species now showing evidence of emerging bipedalism.”

    raisedbyvoles.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗

Jimothy Viral Seattle-area raccoonjimothy-raccoon.bsky.social Bluesky account run by relatives of Jimothy's caretakerclaudiamw.bsky.social Commenter

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments

Peak 9 pieces in two hours at Sep 19, 11 AM; 51 pieces over 6 days (1 post · 50 comments) Sep 19, 5 AM — 3 pieces · 1 post · 2 comments — Bluesky 3Sep 19, 7 AM — 8 pieces · 8 comments — Bluesky 8Sep 19, 9 AM — 7 pieces · 7 comments — Bluesky 7Sep 19, 11 AM — 9 pieces · 9 comments — Bluesky 9Sep 19, 1 PM — 6 pieces · 6 comments — Bluesky 6Sep 19, 3 PM — 6 pieces · 6 comments — Bluesky 6Sep 19, 5 PM — 7 pieces · 7 comments — Bluesky 7Sep 19, 7 PM — 5 pieces · 5 comments — Bluesky 5Sep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 1 AM — quietSep 23, 3 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 7 AM — quietSep 23, 9 AM — quietSep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 1 PM — quietSep 23, 3 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — quietSep 23, 7 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quiet 1–34
Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23yesterdaynow · 12:00 PM ET
  1. 4

    Commenter recounts Jimothy's origin on r/Seattle

    A late reply noted that Jimothy's fame began with an earlier post on r/Seattle and that the community has consistently avoided sharing identifiable location details to protect him.

    “From the first Jimothy post (on r/Seattle iirc) there has been great caution about even showing any recognizable backgrounds, let alone mentioning the neighborhood. Jimothy is in good hands. 🫶🏼…”
    — n0face.bsky.social
    • I think he is good, the bigger problem now is the magat assholes hunting the Matriarch Wolf in Yellowstone.

      savingdemocracy101.bsky.socialBluesky5d ago4▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 18 posts in this stretch
    • OMG ! He is living his best life with folks who love him ! Jimothy Forever !🦝

      ptarmigan64.bsky.socialBluesky5d ago3▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • Seattle natives are mostly highly environmentally aware, which is part of why we live in the PNW. From the first Jimothy post (on r/Seattle iirc) there has been great caution about even showing any recognizable backgrounds, let alone mentioning the neighborhood. Jimothy is in good hands. 🫶🏼

      n0face.bsky.socialBluesky5d ago1▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  2. 3

    Commenters speculate about Jimothy's physical traits

    Some replies discussed apparent physical limitations or unusual features of Jimothy, with theories ranging from a genetic condition to jokes about raccoon evolution.

    “Don't ever share the exact location, please.”
    — robertgibson.bsky.social, commenter · source
    • Don't ever share the exact location, please.

      robertgibson.bsky.socialBluesky5d ago18▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 22 posts in this stretch
    • I’d be worried about this one with the salivating. 😳

      elliegal.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago14▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • Raccoons are an ascendant species now showing evidence of emerging bipedalism.

      raisedbyvoles.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago13▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  3. 2

    Commenters warn against revealing Jimothy's location

    Multiple replies asked the poster to keep Jimothy's whereabouts private, citing fear that people could trap, harm, or exploit him now that he is well known.

    “But please tell your aunt to avoid engaging with Jimothy. It's very important that he not become too comfortable with humans, especially now that he's a celebrity.”
    — claudiamw.bsky.social
    • Lovely. But please tell your aunt to avoid engaging with Jimothy. It's very important that he not become too comfortable with humans, especially now that he's a celebrity. Some of us people really suck and would trap or harm him just for attention. 😑

      claudiamw.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago34▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
    • what a darling! Jimothy always cheers me up

      janetdeguerre.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago19▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • Glad someone is watching out for him. And letting him live his life.

      rrdemocracy.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago15▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  4. 1

    Aunt shares new video snippet of Jimothy the raccoon

    A Bluesky account run by relatives of Jimothy's caretaker posted a short clip of the raccoon and his family, describing the aunt's ongoing footage of him.

    “our aunt has been posting the cutest videos of Jimothy and his family, and she let us share a small snippet.❤️…”
    — jimothy-raccoon.bsky.social
    • jimothy-raccoon.bsky.social

      our aunt has been posting the cutest videos of Jimothy and his family, and she let us share a small snippet.❤️ #jimothy #seattle #jimothyraccoon #JimothyTheRaccoon

      jimothy-raccoon.bsky.socialBluesky6d ago5.1k▲view on Bluesky ↗

What people are saying 15 voices from 1 site · best of 51 · verbatim

Still unanswered
  • What exactly causes Jimothy's apparent physical limitations or unusual traits?
  • What legal consequences would someone face for harming Jimothy?
  • Are there other raccoons in the area related to Jimothy with similar traits?