El Bandito El Bandito right before he jumps into a garbage can
The Sims: Unleashed included an NPCraccoon known as "El Bandito." This raccoon will appear randomly at night and will raid the garbage can, creating a mess and waking up any Sims (human or pet) who are sleeping. He will often wander around the lot before deciding to head for the garbage can.
Adult Sims can call Animal Control, which will send someone to remove El Bandito for a §20 fee. Adults and children can try to shoo him away, though they won't do so autonomously and he won't always leave if they do. A dog may autonomously choose to fight El Bandito. If the dog wins, the raccoon will leave.
Bugs and Glitches
El Bandito will sometimes leave a lot almost as soon as he has entered it, usually before the player notices he is there. Since this still triggers the burglar music, it led to a belief that the music would play for seemingly no reason.
When a child tries to shoo El Bandito, the "Missing Animation" bubble will appear. Many people believe that this was a glitch that Maxis forgot to fix and add into the game when the expansion pack was released.
Trivia
When El Bandito enters a lot, burglar music will start playing. Players can tell whether the music was triggered by the burglar or by El Bandito by checking to see if Buy mode and Build mode are disabled. Buy mode and Build mode are not disabled when El Bandito is on a lot, while they are disabled when the burglar is on a lot.
While "El Bandito" is frequently thought to be Spanish for "the bandit," it is not. "Bandit" in Spanish is bandido.
Raccoons return in The Sims 3: Pets, where they wander in the player's home neighborhood following the installation of the expansion pack. A Sim can either "watch" or "shoo" the raccoon, although some Sims may be able to pet them. Raccoons can often be seen tipping over garbage cans on residential lots. Watching raccoons raises a Sim's hidden Wildlife skill. Raccoons also do not have any traits.
Trivia
Male raccoons are always named "Meeko," while female raccoons are always "Meeka." However, on mouseover, they simply say "Raccoon."
When raccoons meet Sims with a high wildlife skill they will sometimes autonomously ask the Sim to play "chase," the same game cats can request of Sims. This cannot be requested by the active Sim; only the raccoon can initiate it, making it a rare interaction.
When editing raccoons in CAS, they will appear as a tall, deformed figure. You can only change the name, gender, and traits, even though the buttons for the other CAS features like "Breeds" are greyed out.
The name Meeko is a reference to Pocahontas' pet raccoon who is also named Meeko
