How to unlock the Raccoon in Stardew Valley

A lot of things changed in Stardew Valley after the 1.6 update, and new things came to Pelican Town. One of these new things is the utterly adorable Raccoons, but before you can get a family, you need to unlock the first of th🌳e Raccoons. 

If you’re just starting a new playthrough, you’re going to have a while to wait before the Raccoons grace Pelican Town with their presence, as you first need to complete some bundles at the Community Center. Namely, you’ll need to complete at least one bundle in the Crafts Room in order to unlock the Pantry, and then you’ll need to complete all of the Pantry bundles.

Why? Because you need to repair the Greenhouse. It turns out that hiding underneath the broken Green💧house is a Raccoon and during the repair🔯 cutscene, you’ll see him flee south towards Cindersap Forest. 

He’ll take refuge in the giant tree which also appeared in the 1.6 update, but you might not see him for a while even after this. You’ll need to wait for a random event during the night, where a strong wind storm will pass through the town. After this, if you head down into Cindersap Forest, you’ll see that the tree is now nothing more than a giant stump. 

You’ll then need to repair the giant stump using 100 Hardwood, creating the perfect home for the first Raccoon, and eventually his entire fꦦamily. 

Once he takes up residence, the Raccoon will have a series of requests for you to complete, and each completed request will reward you with an additional member of the family. You’ll also unlock Mrs. Raccoon’s shop, allowing you to purchase items in exchange🐲 for o💃ther items.