In Project Zomboid’s tutorial, players will be instructed by the ambiguously helpful Raccoon Spiffo, who teaches players how the game works.

The furry companion then instructs the player to scream and attract a horde of zombies as there is no hope left, supposedly in an effort to set the tone for the game’s difficulty and depressing atmosphere.

Despite this transgression, players have quickly adopted Spiffo as a mascot for the game, creating huge amounts of art, Spiffo suits, and even plushies along their playthroughs.

Players can finally take the cute orange raccoon home, now with hopefully less backstabbing:

The description for the Spiffo plushie reads:

Project Zomboid Spiffo plushie

“Struggling with surviving the apocalypse? Need a companion by your side to give you helpful tips and looks of encouragement, or to hug before you meet your inevitable demise? Look no further: Spiffo is here!

Spiffo is the ultimate companion to every newbie survivor, with his trusty nailbat and a backpack full of beginner essentials: a can of pop, a butter knife, and a dead rat. At only +2 encumbrance, adding him to your inventory for a boost for +25 happiness and -25 boredom is an easy decision – but hurry, he’s only available for a limited time!

There was no hope of survival. This is how you died while accompanied by an adorably squishable raccoon.”

The orders will be live for 21 days and shipping is estimated to start in March 4, 2023. Spiffo can be purchased here for $27.99 USD.

Project Zomboid has been available for Windows PC (via Steam and GOG).

This is Niche Merch. In this column, we regularly cover merch and toys from games, anime, geek culture, and more. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s something you want us to cover!