Jimothy – [Critter?/Cryptid?]

Description

Jimothy – [Critter?/Cryptid??]

• About: Recently spotted scuttling in Seattle Washington. Jimothy is a mutant raccoon with a cvery short spine! Recently hes been unfairly compared to ‘the Squonk’, but where the Squonks dwell in their own lugubrious misery, Jimothy thrives in oblivious joy!

• Critter? or Cryptid? – Recently there’s been some online discussion & comparison of Jimothy to the fearsome critter known as “The Squonk.” – So; with Fearsome Critters and folkloric cryptids being my wheel house, I figured I’d weigh in with some thoughts n’ opinions….

Some cryptozoologists have recently (probably jokingly) claimed that Jimothy or (perhaps something with a similar deformity) gave rise to the legend of ‘The Squonk.”. (A squat, homely pig-like creature covered in warts and illfitting skin, its said to be so hideous that it literally dissolves into a puddle of tears if it sees itself or is captured.) although they indeed share an amusingly similar ‘short n’ stubby’ shape, I’d say its more than likely entirely coincidental. Now, is it impossible? nah. but it feels unlikely; The Squonk has its origin and roots firmly square as the Pennsylvanian variety of ‘Snipe hunting.‘ (a form of scout hazing which involves hunting an imaginary creature, where in the victims are left ‘holding the bag’ in the darkness of the woods at night) The original story about the Squonk as recorded by the First Minnesotan State Forester, William T Cox in his 1910’s fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods bestiary and describes just that! (on that note, lets hope that nobody tries to capture poor Jimothy..) …Another important thing to note about the Squonk is that despite it’s reputation as ‘the ugliest creature that’s ever existed’ The creature actively despises itself for it! (Where as Jimothy seems to revels in his obliviousness, existing totally happy and oblivious not knowing that anythings wrong! or at least exists in-spite of it!) In modern times; the squonks ‘lack of self confidence and helplessness’ (Relatability) has made it quickly become one of- if not THE– most endearing of the fearsome critters. (Or as my editor recently put it; “Squonk Moe.“)

..Besides, Jimothy is far too handsome to be a Squonk! In just 3 days; Hes already been made into puppets, murals and appeared on TV, in minecraft, and even has his own google Easter Egg! Given the immediate and massive amount of positive art created on the subject; I’d say if anything, we’ve found the “yin to the squonks yang”! if anything his immediate viral rise & televised popularity and perchance to be immediately adored by all, if anything makes him closer to an ‘anti-squonk..’ 

[‘the squonk’ as it appears in  fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods by William T Cox, 1910]

Besides, either way i think about it: A “true cryptid” Jimothy is not, a potential legend for certain (time and future folklore will tell!) but the problem with calling him a ‘cryptid’ lies is the fact that hes been immediately identified. (A raccoon biologist even weighed in on the subject.) so I wouldn’t exactly say that he is in the realm of it. — but Regardless of that; I’d ALMOST categorize Jimothy among what i like to call the “Trashbin-Chimera”  which i usually define as: “Animals which are often misidentified or reported as a mix of other creatures; (jokingly or not) They are often reported by those taking out the trash at night, some even speak! (Not to say that Jimothy does that, hes just a little guy.) A few other critters in this classification include the Racoonigator, Skunkadillo  or even the ‘Telepathic football‘. — I digress; All in all, Jimothy’s situation has a bit more in common with the “Canadian Cobra Chicken” [Canadian geese which where ‘misnamed’ by an immigrant for their long necks, the funny name stuck & went viral, and found its way into modern birding books.] or perhaps even kentuckys “Giraffepossoms” [Which is actually a nick-name for ‘phantom’ wild hyenas which have been spotted in the area! As documented in ‘Kentucky Cryptids 2018.’ by Ron Coffey] (the critters been drawn and adopted in a few forms of popular media since) I digress, that’s neither here nor there and I wouldn’t say it’s he’s the same or even similar to those which I’ve just listed!

Overall; Jimothy is comparable to other ‘mutant-viral-wildlife sensations’ which border on Cryptozoology. – Such as ‘Real Jackalopes‘ [Rabbits suffering from the Shope papilloma virus] or “Pedals the bear“ [a mutant bear which stood on two legs and also went viral. RIP.] the list goes on. – perhaps you could say that hes more of a ‘cultural cryptid.’ Than a cryptid proper 🤔– After-all, everyone believes in Jimothy; With so many pictures and videos, there’s no doubt to ’em, Jimothy real.

— Regardless of what I think, that doesn’t stop Jimothy from being a fun topic to theorize about and build on, I certainly wouldn’t have spent the time to write all this out; draw, print and sell a sticker of him or add him to my creature index if i didn’t at least find the topic amusing!) I digress, i’ll keep this bio short. Keep up the whimsy Seattle. (…i cant help but wonder what the modern reaction would be to that one Florescent green raccoon that nobel prize winner saw...)

[Jimothy  as he recently appeared on the daily show.]

[jimothy dashes across your screen when you search his name on google]

[art sticker and creature bio by samkalensky part of my fearsome critters & cryptids collections of stickers; follow and support for many more!]