BY KEELIN EVERLY-LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 7/31/2026
The long legs and fluffy round body of the internet’s favorite raccoon, Jimothy, have spread far beyond Seattle, including into our little pocket of the Pacific Northwest in Tacoma.
From tattoos to mugs to rock sculptures, fridge magnets, stickers and T-shirts, the creepy-cute raccoon has added a new hero for the odd and adorable.
The unusual animal was spotted by Kiana Hall in Seattle, who posted a video to her Instagram account. The video went viral, and he has now become an international sensation.
Experts have said his strange proportions are most likely due to short spine syndrome.
Our call for Jimothy art from our Volcano community brought responses from around the region, from Olympia to Monroe, Washington.
Artist Ilidia Nicholas sketched the round raccoon while vending with Ritual Tacoma at Tacoma Porchfest. When asked what inspired her, she said, “I just found him so adorably cute and different in the best way. I’m obsessed with him.”
Tacoma artist Parker (@casper_cult_studios) stayed true to their pop-horror aesthetic and took a darker take on the animal, including some bloody skulls.
Local tattoo apprentice Kayla Suffia, of Divina Arts Tattoo, has already immortalized Jimothy in ink.
Cartoonists Commander RR Anderson of Tinkertopia and Kristin Peterson gave Jimothy surprising situations and narrative adventures to explore.
If you need more Jimothy in your life, Olympia artist Missy Maxwell and Gig Harbor-based artist Vanessa Calverley of Embark Design Co. have already created stickers.
Jimothy’s fame has also brought up mention of Tacoma’s own unusual animal.
“It has come to our attention that Jimothy has become a popular PNW cryptid. We at the Tacoma Noise Rodeo would like to take this time to proclaim all of you heretics. Have you forgotten our lord and savior Jawless Jerry? You have been judged, and you have been found wanting. #KeepTacomaFeared,” the experimental music community posted on Facebook.
The Shroom Brothers also mentioned Jawless Jerry in their own post sharing some new original art featuring Jimothy titled “Jimothy and Friends,” adding the note, “Sorry, no Jawless Jerry this time,” to their post.
Artist Valerie Woolard, @valeriescribbles, posted a Jawless Jerry illustration shortly after sharing her rendition of Jimothy.
Technically, a cryptid is an animal or creature that lives in urban legend and eyewitness accounts without ever being proven to exist.
Jawless Jerry is the name bestowed upon a coyote without the upper half of her jaw that became infamous in Tacoma around 2023. While the coyote did, in fact, exist, there was plenty about her presence that sparked controversy and mystery.
Although no longer with us, Jawless Jerry inspired fan art and sparked conversation, much like Jimothy.
The coyote encouraged conversations about empathy and accepting those who are different, as well as about wild animals.
In a post sharing the news of her demise, Grit City Magazine shared some reflections that echo the conversations around why Jimothy has sparked such a broad response.
“It’s human nature to cheer for the underdog. We celebrate unlikely victories and invest in long shots. Projecting emotions is part of how we evolved alongside canids for tens of thousands of years,” the magazine shared.
“This is a sad thing to hear, but the truth is, Jerry didn’t care what any of us thought. She didn’t care about the pity or the fear, the love or the hate, the authorities or the vigilantes.
“The best thing we can do to honor Jawless Jerry is make conscientious choices to protect wild green spaces in the city and allow the rest of our local wildlife to live their best lives.”
Jawless Jerry’s image is still memorialized in Grit City Magazine merchandise through stickers and T-shirts.
As for Jimothy, similar themes have been brought up in reflecting on his viral popularity and the lessons his difference and adoration have for all of us.
“He’s really captured the hearts of people across our state, really across the country and even the world,” Governor Bob Ferguson said during a ceremony awarding the raccoon an informal award titled Washingtonian of the Day.
“I think one of the reasons why he’s captured so much attention is he shows a certain resilience in getting by and even thriving, given that deformity,” Ferguson said.
This resilience is a theme in much of the response to Jimothy.
Local artist Ryan Henry Ward, known simply as Henry, was inspired by the raccoon and auctioned off a painting of the unlikely global mascot, raising more than $12,000 for the Ballard Food Bank.
Long before Jimothy helped make this impact, celebrating raccoons had also been a force for good in Tacoma in another way.
The Tacoma Trash Pandas (@tacomatrashpandas) is a faceless Instagram page that has been trading stickers for proof of trash pickup since 2021.
The Instagram page also organizes trash pickups and celebrates those who participate. As just one example, it held its 88th trash pickup event on March 8, and 92 volunteers picked up 1,000 pounds of trash.
Whether inspiration is coming from Jimothy, Jawless Jerry or any other wild creature in our midst, these moments remind us of our connection to the more-than-human world and how we can have a positive impact on those around us through art, action and connection.
