The internet's hearts have been stolen by yet another mammal, but instead of a small baby hippo named Moo Deng, it's a short-spined raccoon dubbed "Jimothy."

About a week ago, 33-year-old marketing specialist Kiana Hall posted an Instagram Reel of a creature that looks straight out of The Lord of the Rings--like Gollum's cousin or something. This creature, though odd-looking, was a raccoon with a round, stocky body. It's giving furry ham with legs, and the internet lost its collective mind.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DayHOfryG7Z/

Since this post went viral, Jimothy the raccoon has become an internet superstar because of his condition. According to veterinarians who spoke to Smithsonian Magazine on July 20, he appears to have a congenital spine condition called "short spine syndrome" that also affects dogs. Although it's difficult to diagnose from videos alone, the rare disorder causes an animal's vertebrae to remain as pliable as cartilage instead of hardening into bone, resulting in the spine compressing, fusing, and shortening. This gives the animal that "no neck" or "hunched over" look.

Deformed or not, the internet became smitten with this plump furball. So much so that not only are there gaming memes tying Jimothy to various worlds--like Runescape and World of Warcraft--but he even has his own browser-based game that's an 8-bit supermix of OG Donkey Kong (from the '80s), Frogger, and others.

https://twitter.com/TheSims/status/2079322914705281419 https://twitter.com/wbgames/status/2079709451280588899 https://twitter.com/Wizards_DnD/status/2079657674170413089 https://twitter.com/QuiteDan/status/2078630815903121637

Artist and entrepreneur Chris Pirillo created a four-level game based around Jimothy's adventures. From dodging traffic to raiding garbage to escaping paparazzi to climbing ladders, the NES-style games are easy, fun, quick, and can be played either on desktop or mobile. I played them on my laptop and, aside from getting run over maybe five or so times, I completed each level on the first try. They're not meant to be challenging. Instead, they're just capturing the zeitgeist that is Jimothy.

https://twitter.com/ChrisPirillo/status/2078936904486322633

There is speculation that the Seattle-based plumper could live a short life due to his condition; however, veterinarians believe that Jimothy's shorter spine isn't holding him back. In fact, he remains spry as a cat, which is a testament to his resilience in the face of adversity.

Maybe we all could be more like Jimothy.