SEATTLE — J.P. Patches was a children’s television clown known for making people laugh.
But what happened to his statue in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood is nothing to chuckle at.
It’s been defaced- again.
According to the official website for J.P. Patches, someone painted over his face and his sidekick, Gertrude.
“Someone has spray-painted the faces black. We are looking into how to best restore the paint, but any donations will be greatly appreciated,” the website states.
The children’s character was a television fixture from 1958 to 1981, airing on KIRO 7.
The last segment of his final show was preserved in the KIRO 7 archives in partnership with the University of Washington Special Collections. You can watch it here.
It was one of the longest-running children’s shows on local TV in the U.S.
Fans came by the statue Friday reacting to the vandalism.
“J.P. would say let these things be,” said Brian Benson. “This is a great sculpture put together by our community. We can all share it and enjoy it, and leave it so others can enjoy it.”
“My sister got married and they had pictures taken with that statue,” said Walter Farley, who worked on the show at KIRO 7 behind-the-scenes.
Farley said it’s heartbreaking to see the incident.
“Why do you deface something that’s fun?” he said.
The statue of J.P. Patches was unveiled in 2008. Chris Wedes, who portrayed the clown, passed away in 2012 at the age of 84.
People can donate to help with the cost of restoring the statue by clicking here.
Unfortunately, someone spray painted the faces on the J.P. Patches and Gertrude statue, "Late for the Interurban"...
Posted by JPPatches.com on Thursday, May 1, 2025
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