It's like, 'Wait a minute, are you, wait, is that Jimothy?' The inside story of how the viral raccoon climbed inside Roku City
Jimothy Raccoon, the squat, viral Seattle-based mammal, is now immortalized inside Roku City. Here's how that happened
A Seattle-based raccoon named Jimothy has made a virtual appearance in Roku City, the fictional purple cityscape created by Roku. Initially, people were skeptical about the raccoon's sudden appearance, as they had heard claims that Roku had inserted him into the platform. To confirm the story, a reporter attempted to force the platform's screen saver mode, which opened up Roku City. Inside, Jimothy's silhouette was clearly visible, perched on a chain-link fence.
Roku's Vice President of Global Brand and Creative, Damon Van Deusen, revealed that the raccoon's appearance in Roku City was not a coincidence. In 2021, Roku noticed an increase in social media posts from users who wanted to visit the city, share a kiss, or even get married in the purple space. To engage these fans and social media users, Roku started incorporating Easter eggs in the screen saver.
A cross-functional group called the Rapid Response Easter Egg Team was formed to quickly incorporate popular and fun moments into Roku City. This team avoids negative news and aims to create delight, an unexpected smile, and conversation. Jimothy's inclusion in Roku City was the result of this team's efforts, with the help of a world-class illustration team built over the last five years. The team focused on capturing Jimothy's iconic hunch and signature gait to ensure an accurate representation of the raccoon.
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