Recent days have seen me wake up and desperately search for an excuse to write about Jimothy: the Seattle raccoon that has gone viral in the best way we can hope for a raccoon to go viral. Alas, as we at least try to bring you news about genre entertainment around here, the opportunity has yet to present itself.
That is until today when the Dungeons & Dragons social media team decided to bless this humble vessel by adding a Jimothy cryptid to D&D Beyond.
Some (very necessary) context before we move on. Jimothy is the name given to a raccoon who has recently been spotted in the Seattle area. The critter quickly garnered attention for its somewhat unusual frame, which is believed to be the result of a spinal condition. Yet, millions have looked upon Jimothy’s long legs that carry his wonderfully round body towards glory at unusually high speeds and have found hope. You could make the argument that Jimothy’s rise to fame can be at least partially attributed to our love of watching something not only survive but thrive in a world that feels pretty rough right now. Jimothy is also just unbelievably cute in a rather unique way. As Kiana Hall, the Seattle resident who is often credited for naming the raccoon, said, “He just looks like a Jimothy.”
In the last week or so, various individuals and organizations have paid tribute to Jimothy in their own ways. Local artists have painted murals of Jimothy, the Seattle Mariners updated their social media profile to pay homage to Jimothy, and NASA has even proclaimed Jimothy to be the ruler of Seattle. As noted above, Jimothy was also recently added to D&D Beyond: the official digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons.
As shared by the Dungeons & Dragons Twitter account, Jimothy has been added to D&D Beyond as a cryptid: a rare creature in the universe that borders on mythological. Jimothy even has his own D&D character sheet, which features not only the raccoon’s stats (Jimothy’s charisma is understandably quite high) but a few unique Traits and Actions. For instance, Jimothy’s “Agile” Trait allows him to move out of an enemy’s reach, while his “Compact Frame” trait enables him to move through especially small spaces. Of course, Jimothy has the ability to perform a “Hurl Garbage” Action which not only serves as a ranged attack but leaves the target “stinky.”
Jimothy, Beloved Cryptid (as he is formally known in D&D Beyond), is hardly the first real-life figure to get a nod from the D&D team. Yet of all the tributes to his name, there is certainly something appropriate about honoring our beloved raccoon by treating him like the mythological figure he most certainly is.
