Thieves stole Gary “Bubble Man” Golightly’s van and 45 years’ worth of bubble-making equipment. Now, his community is rallying to help him rebuild.
Seattle — Gary “Bubble Man” Golightly For 45 years, we’ve been spreading joy to children in western Washington using only soap, water and handmade wands made from thrift store finds and recycled plastic.
But his good nature was put to the test a few weeks ago when thieves stole his 20-year-old Honda Odyssey from outside a Seattle supermarket.
Police found the van, but all his gear – cobbled together over nearly half a century – was missing. Golightly had to cancel at least six shows while trying to rebuild his collection.
“It’s a terrible loss. I put a lot of work into these things. You can’t find them again,” he said. “Some of them took me months to create.”
Despite the setback, Golightly, who turns 73 this summer, refuses to give up. “I’m not going to let this defeat me,” he said. “This is what I came to this planet for.”
The community agrees. Raul Gonzalez met Golightly at a local grocery store. After learning about this, Gonzalez immediately lent him the car for a week. Golightly said it was just Golightly’s own kindness coming back to him.
“When I see him sad, I feel sad too, so I have to do my part,” Gonzalez said. “We’re all in this together. We have to help each other.”
Organized by Jason Surh online fundraiser Help Golightly recoup his losses and plan a larger event to provide him with greater financial security.
“I can’t think of a more perfect, pure case of altruism,” Suhr said. “He has selflessly dedicated his life and craft to performing for children for 45 years. Bubbleman deserves it.”
Golightly admits his bubble-blowing days may finally be over — neuropathy in his legs has begun to slow him down — but he’s not ready to stop just yet.
“You can’t retire just because you hear kids laughing,” he said. “It makes me feel good. It’s why I’m on this planet.”
