--- title: Free Climbing Raccoon Scales Minnesota Skyscraper description: The saga of a small mammal scaling a tower inspired art and introspection canonical: https://time.com/5310704/raccoon-climbs-minnesota-ubs-skyscraper/ author: Eli Meixler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-13T06:09:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T19:21:00.000Z og:title: Free Climbing Raccoon Scales Minnesota Skyscraper og:description: The saga of a small mammal scaling a tower inspired art and introspection og:url: https://time.com/5310704/raccoon-climbs-minnesota-ubs-skyscraper/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45b50f2c2fe6fd62/698932ecab6d772b576b2f09/ap18163702029572.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Stranded Raccoon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Free Climbing Raccoon Scales Minnesota Skyscraper twitter:description: The saga of a small mammal scaling a tower inspired art and introspection twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45b50f2c2fe6fd62/698932ecab6d772b576b2f09/ap18163702029572.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Free Climbing Raccoon Captures Hearts and Minds Scaling Minnesota Skyscraper > Sponsored content. 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The raccoon made it all the way up to a ledge on the twenty-third story of the UBS building Tuesday._ by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:21 PM UTCPublished: Jun 13, 2018 6:09 AM UTC  A raccoon scurries up the side of the UBS Tower in St. Paul, Minn., on June 12, 2018. A raccoon scurries up the side of the UBS Tower in St. Paul, Minn., on June 12, 2018.Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio—AP by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:21 PM UTCPublished: Jun 13, 2018 6:09 AM UTC Inspiration can strike from the most unlikely of places, and on Tuesday it was found in the form of a small, determined mammal on an improbable upward adventure. Internet-addicts among us may now have heard of #MPRraccoon, the creature seen climbing up the side of a 25-storey tower in St. Paul, Minnesota. After a nail-biting drama that lasted about 20 hours, the raccoon reportedly reached the building’s rooftop early Wednesday. > [](https://twitter.com/timnelson%5Fmpr/status/1006805559285354496) The raccoon was [originally stranded](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/06/12/st-paul-raccoon-scales-skyscraper-social-media-star) on a different nearby building Monday before escaping to a nearby roof and starting its unlikely ascent, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reports. Early rescue efforts by the St. Paul Fire Department and building workers, who fashioned a makeshift ladder, proved unsuccessful. Late Tuesday night, the raccoon began to [slowly descend](https://twitter.com/timnelson%5Fmpr/status/1006743697545924610) to the seventeenth floor, according to a reporter for MPR. The animal’s growing network of virtual cheerleaders watched in suspense as it crept onward toward an uncertain fate. Its travails captivated social media users. Before long, a [Twitter account](https://twitter.com/TheStPaulRacco1) for the climbing critter was created, and an Internet star was born. > [](https://twitter.com/TheStPaulRacco1/status/1006600693090865152) The saga struck a chord, inspiring both art and introspection. > [](https://twitter.com/timnelson%5Fmpr/status/1006731222398263296) > [](https://twitter.com/chrisgeidner/status/1006635941065318400) > [](https://twitter.com/ItsASwellLife/status/1006724311439118337) > [](https://twitter.com/eugenegu/status/1006728406241701890) > [](https://twitter.com/ErinMayeQuade/status/1006741127343452160) > [](https://twitter.com/mattritter1/status/1006783191456387077) > [](https://twitter.com/karalynum/status/1006628415867441152) Here’s to all your future adventures, MPRraccoon. 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