If you’ve been on the internet recently, you might’ve heard of Jimothy—a raccoon from Seattle who went viral. Jimothy t-shirts, murals, tattoos, and tribute songs popped up across the country. We wanted to understand why this raccoon had captured so many hearts, so we spoke to one of the first people who spotted him: Ben Trammell.

One night in Seattle, Ben was watching a raccoon family walk along his backyard fence when he saw a tiny, scruffy, hunched-over raccoon with stiff front legs and a short puffball of a tail instead of the usual long, stripey one.

He was instantly enamored with this clumsy little guy and began watching his escapades night after night. What Ben saw taught him something about raccoons he never expected.

Songbud Alan talks with Ben about raccoon chaos, family care, and the joy of watching a wild animal do life his own way. They flip the script on “survival of the fittest” to discover that compassion and care are natural and weird is good! Lulu also speaks with Seattle writer and disability activist Elsa Sjunneson about how Jimothy became a champion for grungy Seattle and an icon for the disability community.

Very special thanks to Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes for his performance of the song, "Jimothy."

KEEP LEARNING!

Huge thanks to Elsa Sjunneson for joining us. Her new book, Dear Blind Lady, is out this fall and available for preorder now - it includes a whole chapter for parents on how to talk to their kids about disability.

Elsa also recommended two children's books for young readers who want to learn more:

We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire, a picture book about the many different ways disabled people move through the world.
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimentel, the true story of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who at 8 years old crawled up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Want more Elsa? Listen to her Radiolab episode, The Helen Keller Exorcism, and watch this wonderful PBS mini documentary about Elsa and her fencing.

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced by Alan Goffinski with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Sarah Sandbach is our Executive Producer. Our team also includes Ana González, Tanya Chawla, Natalia Ramirez, and Joe Plourde. Fact checking by Diane Kelly.

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The Jimothy: Seattle Raccoon Steals Hearts

Terrestrials

The Jimothy: Seattle Raccoon Steals Hearts