Merch commemorating drunk Virginia raccoon raises over $250,000 for animal shelter
Merchandise commemorating the raccoon that gained international fame by barging into a Virginia liquor store, smashing bottled spirits and passing out drunk in a bathroom on Black Friday has raised more than a quarter-million dollars for the local animal shelter where he slept off his bender.
The Hanover county animal protection shelter raised the charitable amount after caring for the inebriated raccoon in question and teaming up with custom apparel maker Bonfire to create and sell items seizing on the internet virality achieved by the creature.
Emblazoned with the words “Trashed Panda”, the shirts, sweatshirts, cups and stickers contain an image of a raccoon spread-eagle next to a spilled booze bottle – unmistakably evoking the compromising position the animal that burgled the Ashland ABC store on 29 November was found and photographed in.
Proceeds from the campaign anchored by those limited edition items “directly support shelter animal care and enrichment”, according to Bonfire’s website.
Figures posted by the company based in Richmond, Virginia, indicated the campaign had raised more than $254,000 as of Tuesday morning. At the time, the campaign was also within 250 sales of its goal of selling 19,000 items.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/16/drunk-virginia-raccoon-merch-fundraiser
On another note, the Virginia ABC stores have posters featuring "Raccoon's Recommendations" which advertise the various brands of booze the raccoon sampled
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