Viral Raccoon Merchandise Campaign
A raccoon that gained fame after a drunken escapade in a Virginia liquor store has led to a successful fundraising campaign, generating $292,826 for an animal shelter. The merchandise, dubbed “Trashed Panda,” includes mugs, tumblers, stickers, shirts, and hoodies.
The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter partnered with the fundraising platform Bonfire to create the merchandise. Animal protection officer Samantha Martin shared on the public access podcast “Hear in Hanover” that Bonfire approached them with the idea, which they initially thought would be just a fun project. They never anticipated it would raise such significant funds.
The campaign has successfully sold 19,234 items out of its goal of 19,500. While there is no specific monetary target set for the campaign’s total earnings, the funds are crucial for the shelter’s operations.
The influx of donations comes at a critical time for the Hanover County shelter as it seeks to make necessary upgrades. Martin emphasized the urgent need for improvements due to the aging facility and increasing county population: “We desperately need it because our shelter is extremely old and the county is growing like wildfire. We can’t keep up. We need more kennel space…”
The infamous raccoon made headlines after it broke into a Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Authority store in Ashland on November 29. The mischievous animal caused chaos by breaking bottles before getting intoxicated and falling asleep in a bathroom.
Martin noted that this raccoon has been known to cause trouble in its territory; it has previously broken into both a Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office and a karate studio located within the same shopping center.
