# Pumpkin The Raccoon > Pumpkin the Raccoon is a 2014 Instagram celebrity pet who became famous for photos of eating at the dinner table and cuddling with her dog siblings, amassing over 1.4 million followers. Pumpkin the Raccoon was a pet raccoon who lived with a family in the Bahamas and became one of Instagram's biggest animal celebrities, amassing over 1.4 million followers before her death in 2019. After falling from a tree as a one-month-old baby in October 2014, Pumpkin was rescued by the Young family and raised alongside their two dogs, Toffee and Oreo. Her photos of eating at the dinner table, cuddling with her canine "siblings," and getting into household mischief made her a viral sensation and the subject of a book. ## Origin In October 2014, a baby raccoon fell out of a tree in Rosie Kemp's backyard in Nassau, Bahamas[1]. The raccoon was roughly one month old, extremely weak, and had a broken hind leg[6]. Kemp waited for the mother to return, but she never did[2]. The nearby Bahamas Humane Society couldn't take in an orphaned raccoon, so Kemp and her daughter Laura Young decided to raise her themselves[1]. With guidance from friends who had experience with raccoons, the family nursed the baby back to health and named her Pumpkin[3]. After about a month, Pumpkin moved in with Laura and her husband William, where she immediately bonded with their two rescue dogs, Toffee and Oreo[1]. The Bahamas had no rabies and no restrictions on keeping raccoons, making the arrangement legal. Pumpkin was vaccinated and spayed[1]. On December 30, 2014, Laura Young created an Instagram account for Pumpkin and posted the first photo. It received 6,498 likes[4]. - **Platform:** Instagram - **Creator:** Laura Young (owner/photographer), William Young (co-owner), Rosie Kemp (rescuer) - **Date:** 2014 ## Overview Pumpkin the Raccoon was a female raccoon raised as a house pet in Nassau, Bahamas. What made her stand out from typical pet accounts was the absurdity and charm of a raccoon living a fully domesticated life. She ate pizza and edamame at the family dinner table, took baths with rubber ducks, learned to use a toilet, and napped in elaborate poses on the couch[1]. Her bond with the family's two rescue dogs, Toffee and Oreo, gave the account its emotional core. Pumpkin treated them as her mothers, cuddling with them and roughhousing until they'd had enough[2]. The account thrived on the contrast between Pumpkin's wild raccoon instincts and her pampered domestic life. She could be moody, destructive, and mischievous. Once she turned on every faucet in the house while the family was away, flooding the place[3]. But she was also affectionate, licking tears off her owner Laura Young's face during tough moments[7]. ## How It Spread Pumpkin's Instagram grew quickly thanks to the novelty of a pet raccoon living like a dog. On February 4, 2015, a Reddit post to r/aww titled "My friend rescued a baby raccoon. Meet Pumpkin, the raccoon who is too cute to handle!" pulled in 3,006 upvotes with 95% approval[4]. More photos from the account kept surfacing on Reddit throughout the year. The account saw its first major viral spike in 2015 when The Dodo published a feature on Pumpkin[3]. "I never imagined she would become such a hit!" Laura Young said[3]. By October 2015, Pumpkin had 77,000 Instagram followers and was featured in a CBS News photo essay[1]. By January 2016, the count hit 514,000 on Instagram, 50,000 likes on Facebook, and 3,200 followers on Twitter[4]. Coverage spread to major outlets. Us Weekly profiled Pumpkin as a "social media star"[2]. Garden & Gun, a Southern lifestyle magazine, not only featured the Youngs' Bahamas home on its cover but profiled Pumpkin's rise to fame, noting she had surpassed 1.2 million Instagram followers[3]. Laura Young used the platform for advocacy, partnering with the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness (BAARK) and the Bahamas Humane Society to feature rescue dogs and raise donations[3]. At her peak, Pumpkin had over 1.4 million Instagram followers and more than 1,200 posts documenting her daily life[7]. She also starred in a book, *Pumpkin: The Raccoon Who Thought She Was a Dog*, written by Laura Young about her life and relationship with Toffee and Oreo[2]. ## How to Use Pumpkin the Raccoon wasn't a meme template in the traditional sense. There's no exploitable format or image macro. Instead, her photos circulated as standalone wholesome content, typically shared in contexts like: - "Animals being raised by other species" threads - Wholesome or feel-good content compilations - Discussions about unusual pets or raccoon intelligence - Instagram's animal celebrity ecosystem People engaged with Pumpkin content by sharing her posts, tagging friends, and using her photos in "goals" or reaction contexts (e.g., Pumpkin eating pizza at a table as a mood). ## Cultural Impact Pumpkin's rise coincided with the explosion of animal influencer accounts on Instagram in the mid-2010s. She was covered by CBS News[1], BBC[5], CNN[6], Daily Mail[7], Us Weekly[2], and Garden & Gun[3], among others. Her crossover appeal went beyond typical pet accounts because of the inherent absurdity of a raccoon eating at a dinner table with a knife and fork. Laura Young published the book *Pumpkin: The Raccoon Who Thought She Was a Dog*, which told Pumpkin's story and documented her relationship with Toffee and Oreo[2]. The book gave the account a narrative arc beyond daily Instagram posts. Pumpkin also served as an ambassador for animal rescue causes. Through partnerships with BAARK and the Bahamas Humane Society, the account featured rescue dogs in need of homes and raised donations for both organizations[3]. During Hurricane Dorian in September 2019, Pumpkin's platform raised funds for World Central Kitchen and hurricane relief[6]. ## Fun Facts - Pumpkin learned to use the family's toilet on her own, though Laura noted this was more a result of raccoon curiosity than actual training[1]. - Laura Young's least favorite thing about Pumpkin was how intelligent she was, because "anticipating a raccoon's next move can be a bit of a handful"[1]. - Pumpkin's home appeared on the cover of Garden & Gun magazine's August/September issue, bringing attention to the Youngs' Bahamas cottage before many readers even knew about the raccoon[6]. - Wild raccoons typically survive only two to three years. Pumpkin lived to almost five[6]. - Pumpkin's favorite foods included avocados, eggs, pizza, and sips of leftover tea[7]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Pumpkin the Raccoon? Pumpkin the Raccoon was a pet raccoon raised by a family in Nassau, Bahamas, who became an Instagram celebrity with over 1.4 million followers[5]. ### Where did Pumpkin the Raccoon come from? Pumpkin fell out of a tree as a one-month-old baby in Rosie Kemp's backyard in Nassau, Bahamas, in October 2014. When her mother didn't return, Kemp's daughter Laura Young took her in[1]. ### What does Pumpkin the Raccoon mean? Pumpkin isn't a meme template but a viral animal celebrity. Her content was shared for its wholesome, absurd quality, showing a raccoon living a fully domesticated life alongside two dogs[4]. ### How do you use Pumpkin the Raccoon? Pumpkin content is typically shared as wholesome or feel-good material, often in contexts about unusual pets, raccoon intelligence, or interspecies friendship[2]. ### Is Pumpkin the Raccoon still popular? Pumpkin died in October 2019 at roughly five years old. Laura Young kept the Instagram account active to honor her memory[5]. ### Who owned Pumpkin the Raccoon? Laura Young and her husband William in Nassau, Bahamas. Laura's mother Rosie Kemp originally found and rescued the baby raccoon[1]. ### Was it legal to keep Pumpkin as a pet? Yes. The Bahamas has no rabies and no restrictions on keeping raccoons. Pumpkin was vaccinated and spayed[1]. ### Who were Toffee and Oreo? Toffee and Oreo were the Young family's two rescue dogs. Pumpkin bonded with them immediately and treated them as her mothers[2]. ### Did Pumpkin the Raccoon have a book? Yes. Laura Young wrote *Pumpkin: The Raccoon Who Thought She Was a Dog*, documenting Pumpkin's life and her relationships with the family dogs[3]. ### How did Pumpkin the Raccoon die? Pumpkin died in October 2019 at approximately five years old. Her death came as a shock to the family, and Laura Young announced it to 1.4 million followers on Instagram[7]. ### How many Instagram followers did Pumpkin have? At her peak, Pumpkin had over 1.4 million Instagram followers and more than 1,200 posts[7]. ### Did Pumpkin support any charities? Yes. The account partnered with BAARK and the Bahamas Humane Society, and raised funds for Hurricane Dorian relief through World Central Kitchen[6]. ## References 1. [Pumpkin the raccoon is just your average dog]() 2. [Instagram sensation Pumpkin the Raccoon, who loved eating pizza dies aged five | Daily Mail Online]() 3. [Meet Social Media Star Pumpkin the Raccoon | Us Weekly]() 4. [Pumpkin the Raccoon - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Features of the Marvel Cinematic Universe]() 6. [A Star is Born: The Raccoon Who Thinks She's A Dog – Garden & Gun]() 7. [Most popular raccoon on Instagram dies]() 8. [Pumpkin, the most followed raccoon on Instagram, has died | CNN]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/pumpkin-the-raccoon Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library