Only in Virginia could a raccoon get day-drunk in an ABC store and wake up a statewide celebrity by Monday.
After a masked intruder broke into the Ashland ABC on Nov. 30, tore through shelves, smashed bottles, and ultimately passed out facedown in the bathroom, the internet did what it does best: adopted him. The store’s employees called animal control, who found the exhausted bandit sleeping off what must’ve been a legendary bender. Apparently, he sobered up just fine and was released back into the wild presumably with a headache and some hard lessons about bourbon.
Original post HERE.
Virginia ABC, and seemingly every liquor company in Virginia, didn’t waste time embracing the chaos. This week the agency rolled out a series of promotional graphics featuring a raccoon posing with bottles of bourbon, vodka, tequila and more under the banner “Raccoon’s Recommendations.” They followed it up with cocktail recipes starring the raccoon, cementing his place in the viral canon of Virginia, and Richmond alongside, the Richmond Tank, Francine, and the Richmond Gunhole.
Meanwhile, the story’s reach went international, and Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter decided to make something good out of the attention. They released shirts and hoodies featuring the raccoon passed out drunk with the caption “Trashed Panda” with proceeds go toward equipment for wildlife calls, training for field officers, and care for shelter animals meaning our hungover friend is now unintentionally fundraising for his less chaotic peers.
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