Don’t Get Too Attached to Jimothy

On July 14, internet history was made. After capturing video of a cryptid-like raccoon with a hunched spine and stumpy tail in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, Kiana Hall uploaded the footage to her Instagram account, referring to the sprightly little furball as “Jimothy.” (Later, asked in the comments where this name had come from, Hall replied that the animal “looked like a Jimothy to me.”)

Within days, the clip had been viewed millions of times, spawning memes, fan art, plushie toys, and more. City leaders proclaimed a “Jimothy Summer” in honor of the local mascot, and next week, the Seattle Mariners will host a “Jimothy Night” at T-Mobile Park, with ticketholders receiving Jimothy T-shirts. Another Seattelite, Ben Trammell, produced a year-old backyard video of Jimothy as a tiny baby raccoon with his mother and siblings, adding to his lore and celebrity status.

Jimothy’s congenital spine condition—the exact kind...

Copyright of this story solely belongs to wired.com. To see the full text click HERE