Kyzl’s Pick: Trash Bandit’s Lucky Corn

At Found Image Press, we spend a lot of time digging through history, and occasionally, we unearth an image that makes everyone laugh out loud. This month, Kyzl, our Woman of Many Hats, picked a “Raccoon Washing Corn” art print with real charm. Front and center of this illustration is a raccoon caught red-pawed, mid-rinse, giving dinner the careful attention typically reserved for a five-star meal. It is silly, sweet, and has a little heart behind it too. 

What first drew you to this image? 

It’s a raccoon, and it’s washing corn! That is just so unbelievably cute. Honestly, I don’t think I even need a reason beyond that. The second I saw those tiny paws scrubbing away, I was sold. 

What does this image remind you of personally? 

This image reminds me of my mom and her cooking, and how lucky I am to come home to food. Growing up, even when my mom was at work, there would be something for me to eat. It might be my favorite fish or some cut pieces of fruit, always waiting to remind me that she had thought of me before she left. When I moved away, I would find myself struggling to decide what to eat. I had often come home to an empty apartment and, sometimes, even worse, an empty fridge. This little raccoon, carefully washing its corn before it eats, reminds me of that same instinct to take care of your food and yourself, even when no one is watching. 

What do you think this image says about its time period? 

I think it says that raccoons have always liked corn, and that back when this illustration was created, it was easier for raccoons to get corn. There was more open land, more farms, and fewer fences between a hungry raccoon and a good snack. 

Why do you think this image still resonates today? 

I think the struggle for food is a constant problem. While we expand upon cities, wildlife has to deal with the loss of resources they once had. Their search for food sometimes leads them to wander around the streets of a neighborhood, digging through trash cans or garden beds just trying to find their next meal. Watching them adapt to a world that keeps shrinking around them is a little funny and a little bittersweet at the same time, 

If you could give this image a caption or title, what would it be? 

Trash Bandit’s Lucky Corn. I don’t know how the raccoon got its paws on the corn. Maybe it found it in some trash and is washing it clean. Maybe this raccoon raided the local farm. Maybe the trash bandit found it floating by. One thing is for sure: it’s happy to have that corn. 

There is something universally relatable about a critter who takes the time to wash its dinner before digging in. Kyzl’s pick shows that even the smallest, scrappiest creatures deserve a moment of care, and maybe so do we. So, here’s to the trash bandits, the lucky finds, and the small rituals that make food feel a little more special, no matter who is doing the eating.