Travelers on I-5 North may have noticed a whimsical surprise in the trees: a giant toy sloth, hanging 70 feet off the ground. The stuffed animal, nicknamed “Slothy,” remained visible above signage near Bellingham for more than a year.
Slothy made its return to solid ground on Tuesday, March 18 — but not without help from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Madison Sehlke, public information officer for WSDOT, said the decision was made in the interest of public safety.
“We had received some complaints that it was becoming a distraction, as people were starting to slow down, which in a busy corridor could cause problems,” Sehlke said. “So out of abundance of caution, and for safety, we decided that it was time for the slot to come down.”
Sehlke added that the “quick operation” was made possible due to a break in the weather. After implementing rolling slowdowns, WSDOT crew retrieved Slothy with the help of a 125-foot bucket truck.
WSDOT North posted photos of the operation on social media that afternoon. Per the organization’s X account, “Friendly reminder: Trees are not for toys. Roadways are not zoos and our highways are not native habits [sic] for sloths.”
As for how Slothy found its way up a tree to begin with? Sehlke said WSDOT doesn’t have “any insight at this point” — but the toy’s mysterious origins prompted plenty of online speculation.
As one Reddit user commented: “Maybe it put itself up there… very slowly.”
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
