A raccoon will soon be the face of Chesterfield County. But while the mascot has a name — “Cole,” a nod to the county’s mining history — it does not yet have a final design.
While an AI-generated image was used in the mascot vote, two local artists are designing the final version of Cole the raccoon. (Image courtesy Chesterfield County)
The moniker was picked with the help of county employees, who helped narrow down the options to a raccoon, retriever, chipmunk and bear. Officials used concept drawings created with generative AI to inform a vote held on the social media pages of Experience Chesterfield, a county tourism effort.
“It truly was a very close race,” Elizabeth Hart, Experience Chesterfield’s digital media coordinator, told the Board of Supervisors on July 24.
The raccoon won about a third of the 3,012 votes. Hart noted that 94% of raccoon supporters had IP addresses in the Chesterfield area. Artists Ross Trimmer of Sure Hand Signs and Mickael Broth, who together produced the Midlothian mural at Winterfield Crossing, will collaborate on a final design.
“It’s my understanding that the idea for a mascot has been tossed around by county employees for years,” Hart added in an email. “With the [creation] of our department (Sports, Visitation & Entertainment) last year, it made sense for us to take on the endeavor.”
An Experience Chesterfield blog post describes Cole as a “resourceful, skillful and adaptable” raccoon who “indulges in midnight snacks” and is a “distant cousin” to Meeko, Pocahontas’ pet raccoon in the 1995 animated Disney movie. The mascot is likely to be seen at events that “showcase Chesterfield as a great place to live, work and play.”
The county spent $2,000 for the commissioning of the drawing, Supervisor Jim Ingle said.
Added Board Chairman Jim Holland: “That’s one cool raccoon.”
