One day the Harrisburg Post Office was short on carriers because many employees thought Groundhog Day was a federal holiday. The situation was so dire that the supervisor gave one route to a raccoon. The raccoon scampered door to door, tearing the mail apart and digging through people's garbage. She couldn't live up to the standards of the fine men and women at the U.S.P.S., but she did her best. Despite seeing their bills get shredded, many citizens were upset by the raccoon, so they called the Post Office and screamed their heads off. All they got was a recording, so they put their heads back on and stormed down to the Post Office. "You're right. We're sorry," the supervisor said, trying to calm everyone down. "We had an emergency situation today. Your regular carrier will be back tomorrow and this will never happen again."

The supervisor stood patiently as people yelled at him. He then faked a smile and handed out free books of Marilyn Manson stamps.

But the citizens wouldn't let it go. They called the local media, and reporters raced to interview the raccoon. The story was picked up by the wires, the cable news channels, and talk radio. Everyone else thought the raccoon mailman was funny and cute, and when they heard she was being taken off her route, thousands of calls flooded the TV and radio stations. Due to the media attention and protests, the Post Office let the raccoon keep her route, and she delivered the mail for years to come.