For more than 45 years, Garry “Bubbleman” Golightly has been a fixture across Seattle parks and community events, bringing giant bubbles and laughter to children free of charge, until thieves cleaned out the van that carried his life’s work.
Now the 72-year-old entertainer is trying to rebuild from scratch. Golightly, best known for his regular appearances at Carkeek Park, says his 20-year-old Honda Odyssey was stolen earlier this year outside the QFC on Holman Road in Seattle. Police eventually recovered the vehicle, but the thieves had already stripped it of nearly everything inside. Gone were decades of handmade bubble equipment, custom props, tools, and one-of-a-kind creations he spent years building by hand.
“It’s a terrible loss,” Golightly said. “It was just a lot of work I put into these things. You can’t find them all over again. Some of them took me months to create.”
Among the stolen items were five elaborate chandeliers woven from recycled six-pack rings, specialty bubble tools, and irreplaceable performance pieces collected and crafted over nearly half a century. Now he’s paying the price for Seattle’s ongoing property crime crisis.
The theft comes as Golightly battles serious health issues, including major surgery and worsening neuropathy in his legs. The loss forced him to cancel at least six performances while trying to piece together replacement equipment from thrift stores and recycled materials.
But even after everything that’s happened, he refuses to quit. “I’m not gonna let this get the best of me,” Golightly told KING 5. “This is what I was put on this planet for.”
On most weekend mornings, Golightly can still be found at Carkeek Park, testing out rebuilt bubble wands and greeting families who stop by.
“I am gradually rebuilding my Bubble Performance with ‘cheap toys’ I find in thrift stores,” Golightly shared in a message to supporters. “I am usually at Carkeek Park most weekend mornings displaying my new bubblers, and I would be ever so grateful to see you and your children visit me.”
Golightly admits age and health problems are beginning to slow him down, but says he’s not ready to walk away from the work he loves.
“You can’t retire from hearing children’s laughter,” he told KING 5. “It makes me feel so good.”
A GoFundMe campaign has now been launched to help Golightly replace the stolen equipment, cover mounting medical bills, and keep performing for Seattle-area families.
