aerial view of Western's campus at night, with golden lights surrounded by dark trees

One Quick Question: Why has the I-5 Sloth become the symbol of the city?

by Mikayla King

WWU Communications

"Slothy," an 8-foot stuffed animal, hangs from a tree above I-5. Photo courtesy of Computer Science Instructor See-Mong Tan.

Last April, a sloth stuffed animal, “Slothy,” appeared overnight, clinging to a tree about 70 feet above Northbound I-5 near the Lake Samish exit. Nearly a year later in March 2025, the Washington State Department of Transportation removed the sloth, citing the 8-foot toy as a distraction to drivers. 

Bellingham residents expressed their disappointment with the removal, but that wasn’t the end of Slothy’s story. A month later, the sloth returned to its spot above the interstate. This time, he had a group of loyal supporters behind him. Locals praised whoever put up the sloth, claiming Slothy as an embodiment of the city’s whimsy and a source of joy in their lives. 

A Slothy flag, created by Washington State Memes, a satire Facebook page.

When the sloth was removed again only a few days later, the internet rallied behind Slothy. Businesses posted memes of Slothy visiting their storefronts, Slothy mimics began popping up around town, and Washington State Memes, a satire Facebook page, posted a flag of a sloth with the text “WSDOT Treaded on Me.”  

Finally, a third Slothy found its way over I-5, and this time it seems it will stay — at least for a while — with WSDOT stating the stuffed animal is too high to remove without straining their limited resources.

But why did Slothy become a Bellingham icon in the first place? 

We asked WWU Assistant Professor of Anthropology Natalie Baloy: Why might communities rally around seemingly random jokes, events or people and adopt them into their shared identity?

Baloy: In some ways, Slothy is an apropos mascot for the City of Subdued Excitement. While the animal itself has no relevance to this place, its ecosystems or Indigenous cultures here, the sloth is certainly subdued and its sightings exciting. Whoever has placed (and replaced) the huge stuffy high in the trees has become a nameless hero, cheered on by the community for their playful and skillful work to keep Slothy aloft. The community’s rallying around Slothy reflects our fascination with figures like Banksy or the Barefoot Bandit before he was caught: cheering for Slothy has become an anti-establishment gesture since WSDOT removal and the sloth’s return. The WSDOT social media team has been a good sport through the process and Slothy has now become a meme and a symbol: first as a quirky and surprising landmark, and now as an icon of rebellion and community cheer since its resurrections. Solidarity Slothys are also cropping up around town, with smaller sloth stuffies perched on billboards and storefronts. What remains to be seen is Slothy’s staying power as a community icon. The stuffy may topple out of the tree, and my guess is that, like sloths in the wild, Slothy (and their handler) will keep climbing back up to the top.

Mikayla King (‘17) covers the College of Science and Engineering and Woodring College of Education for University Communications. Reach out to her with story ideas at kingm24@wwu.edu.