Even if you live an ocean away from the location, there’s been no avoiding the Chicago rat hole. Earlier this month, a rat-shaped hole in a Chicago pavement went viral, prompting crowds to attend the site in a show of respect. Now, coins circle the water-filled rat hole, and a shrine has been erected in its honour. The rat in question has been named Chimley, with the name appearing in countless tributes nearby.
The most recent visitors have been blown away by the response, sharing videos of the ridiculous amount of offerings left for the late Chimley. Taking a look at these videos, we can see that the gaming community has been especially generous, leaving references toPokemonandBaldur’s Gate 3at the Chimley memorial.
This video from TikTok user marshian_rover gives you an idea of how many offerings have been made to the Chicago rat hole over the weekend. In this video alone, we can see multiple Pokemon cards. Surprisingly, they don’t really seem rat-themed, as I spot a Haunter and Cyndaquil among the gifts. Maybe they were just someone’s favourite Pokemon?
Then, we have Twitter user @gimblebock, who says he “sacrificed” the Baldur’s Gate 3 character Rolan to the rat hole. Alas, I cannot spot Rolan in the video, so he may have blown away - or could have even been destroyed when someone tried to fill up the rat hole, destroying the landmark. Thankfully, Chimley survived the attempt, thanks to the efforts of his followers.
Other than that, the other geek-adjacent gift left for Chimley that I’ve spotted is a photo of Uncle Iroh fromAvatar: The Last Airbender. We’ll never know if Chimley himself was a gamer, but the community has embraced him regardless.
The rat hole isn’t new, and it might not even be a rat, according to a local speaking to theChicago Sun-Times. Apparently, it’s more likely to be a squirrel.
Of course, there are many other gifts left for Chimley. He seems to be particularly popular with the LGBTQ+ community, judging from all of the queer memorabilia left behind. Shout out to rat yuri. There was even a gay wedding at the rat hole, because why not?
We’ll have to see what other weird and wonderful presents are left at the Chicago rat hole, but as news spreads of its location, we can only expect more communities to make the pilgrimage. Just be considerate of the neighbours if you do go - this must be pretty wild for them.
