Jimothy is a wild animal, not a pet and not an attraction. This game is as close as any of us should ever get to him.
If you find yourself in his neighborhood: don't go looking for him, don't feed him, don't try to touch him, and don't crowd him for a photo. Food from people teaches raccoons to approach humans, and that is how a beloved neighborhood raccoon becomes a "problem animal" who gets removed. A short spine means he already moves slower than he should have to. A crowd is a genuine danger to him.
Secure your trash, keep your dog leashed, give him the whole sidewalk, and let him get on with his night. Love him from a distance. That's the whole ask.
If you see a raccoon that is injured or in trouble, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area rather than handling it yourself.
Jimothy Sighting is a four-mission sequel built on the same 256x240 cartridge foundation as the original Jimothy game. Every mission is one continuous trip home: scale the fence, cross its narrow top, climb down the far side, then fight the giant garbage can guarding Jimothy's tree hollow. The title art, levels, objects, result screen, ending, and synthesized soundtrack are all new. Built by Chris Pirillo.
| Move | Arrow keys. On touch, use the D-pad — below the screen upright, beside it sideways. |
|---|---|
| 'A' button | Z, Space, or 'A'. Jump; also confirms menus. |
| 'B' button | X, Shift, or 'B'. Pick up and throw settled garbage in the final mission. |
| Roll | Hold Down and press 'B' while standing on a horizontal surface. |
| Start | Enter or Start. Begins a mission and pauses mid-game. |
| Difficulty | Settings toggles Basic and Advanced. Advanced tightens reaction windows and keeps separate hi-scores. |
| Select | Tab or Backspace, or Select on the pad. Goes back where appropriate; Escape does the same. |
| Mute | M, or the speaker control. |
| Gamepad | Plug in or pair a standard controller and press any button. |
The first three missions begin unlocked. Homeward Bound stays padlocked until all three fence routes are cleared. You get 5 lives per mission. Clear all four to unlock the new ending.
Climb a tall cedar fence from behind. Move sideways along every horizontal seam to find a route around mounted planters while harmless vines and changing hazard bursts complicate every run.
Cross the narrow top rail in side view. Changing encounter patterns combine birds, low throws, and high throws without becoming unavoidable.
Descend the far side in a front-facing view. Find open routes between obstructions while balls, spray, and other garden hazards rise from below.
Dodge moving garbage on the ground, then use settled pieces as ammunition against the jumping garbage can guarding Jimothy's tree hollow. Garbage is harmless once it stops moving.
Every track is a new composition generated live by a 2A03-style synth in your browser. None of the original game's melodies, bass lines, or cadences are reused. Tap a track to preview it.
On July 14, 2026, a few seconds of video shot near the Ballard Goodwill in Seattle asked the internet a simple question: "What am I looking at?" The answer was a small, round raccoon with an unusually short spine, front and rear legs bunched close together, and a determined little hobble. The internet named him Jimothy, and within days the clip passed 10 million views.
Wildlife veterinarians believe Jimothy has a congenital spinal deformity, often called short-spine syndrome, which compresses the vertebrae so he appears to have no neck. It is rare in raccoons, but it does not seem to slow him down. One expert who reviewed the footage called him resilient and adapting - the fact that he has survived in the wild at all is the impressive part. Some Ballard neighbors say they have seen him around since 2023 and called him Nubby; the vets think he was likely born more recently. The legend accommodates both.
Jimothy became a folk hero almost overnight: fan art, tattoos, merch, a dedicated subreddit, and the slogan "Jimothy Summer" - which Seattle City Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Dan Strauss made official on July 26, 2026, proclaiming the season at Bergen Place Park in Ballard with a fan art contest. Neighbors report he freezes in place when spotted, as if holding still makes him invisible, then scoots up the nearest tree. Every mission in "Jimothy" comes from that real life - including the paparazzi, because people really did start combing Ballard hoping to spot him.
Experts say the kindest thing you can do for Jimothy is leave him alone. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends: never feed raccoons, never let them reach your garbage, feed dogs and cats indoors, and lock pet doors at night. A fed raccoon loses its healthy fear of people, and that rarely ends well for the raccoon. If you are worried about an animal in the Seattle area, the PAWS Wildlife Center can help at 425-412-4040. Photograph from a distance, keep your dog leashed, and let the little guy hobble in peace.
Common questions about "Jimothy Sighting" and Jimothy the raccoon.
Jimothy is a real raccoon living in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood who went viral in July 2026 after a short video asked the internet "What am I looking at?" His unusually short spine makes his torso look almost spherical, and his scuttling hobble made him an overnight icon: 10+ million views, fan art, merch, and an official Seattle City Council proclamation naming the season "Jimothy Summer."
Yes, he is real. Wildlife veterinarians believe he has a congenital spinal deformity, often described as short-spine syndrome, which compresses the vertebrae so he appears to have no neck. Experts who reviewed the videos say he is adapting and thriving. This game turns that real resilience into gameplay.
Arrows move. 'A' or Z jumps and confirms. 'B' or X performs an action. Hold Down and press 'B' to roll. In the final mission, 'B' picks up and throws settled garbage. Enter is Start. On phones an NES-style pad appears under the screen, and standard gamepads work too. If you like road-crossing chaos, our Chicken game is the same genre with more poultry.
What Goes Up (rear-view climbing), On the Edge (side-view balance and dodging), Must Come Down (front-view descent), and Homeward Bound (a side-scrolling garbage-can boss fight). The first three are open immediately; the fourth unlocks when all three are cleared.
Yes. Touch devices get an NES-style d-pad plus 'A', 'B', and Start buttons — under the screen upright, split to either side when you turn the phone sideways. The game scales to any display at crisp integer pixel sizes, and hi-scores save locally. Free, no account, nothing uploaded. For more pocket-sized retro, try Electronic Sorcerer.
No. Experts say Jimothy is best left to his own devices. Washington Fish and Wildlife's advice: never feed raccoons, secure your garbage, feed pets indoors, lock pet doors at night. Concerned about an animal near Seattle? PAWS Wildlife Center: 425-412-4040.
Yes. Open Settings from the title screen and switch Difficulty from Basic to Advanced. Advanced shortens mission clocks, accelerates hazards, tightens telegraphs, and gives the final boss more health and a larger dodge budget. Basic and Advanced keep separate hi-score tables.
No. Jimothy is a wild raccoon and has, as far as anyone knows, signed no licensing deals. This is a free fan tribute built by Chris Pirillo in the style of a late-1980s NES game, with an original synthesized chiptune soundtrack and real raccoon-coexistence tips in the manual.