A J.P. Patches license plate? It could happen this year

Washington State is another step closer to getting a J.P. Patches license plate, and it could become a reality this year with bipartisan support.

The J.P Patches show was the best known Northwest children’s program, running on KIRO 7 from 1958 to 1981. Tens of thousands of kids who grew up in Seattle were Patches Pals, including Bill Gates, Paul Allen, former city mayors and state leaders.

In 2017, Patches Pals behind J.P.'s website, which is not affiliated with KIRO 7, started a crowd funding to make J.P. and his girlfriend Gertrude part of a special vanity plate.

That fall, the group announced they raised the $7,427 – and a little extra money for unexpected costs -- required to start the application process and to cover the costs of entering the new plates into the state system.

After years of repeated efforts – including getting 3,500 signatures asking for the license plate – House Bill 1255 passed the State House on March 1 with an 88-4 vote.

On March 26, the bill is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation.

“We hope to see as many J.P. Patches fans as possible in attendance,” Patches Pal and organizer Erik Madsen said. “They don’t need to testify – we’ll have members of the organizing committee for that – but their presence will show support for the bill.”

If it passes the Senate Transportation Committee, it moves onto a vote with the full Senate, and then to Governor Jay Inslee for his signature.

All proceeds from the Patches Pal license plate benefits Seattle Children’s Hospital and their Strong Against Cancer initiative. J.P Patches and Gertrude – played by Chris Wedes and Bob Newman – regularly visited kids at Children’s Hospital over the decades.

J.P. and Gertrude have a statue downhill from the Troll in Fremont, which was dedicated in August 2011. Until the statue in the 700 block of North 34th Street was vandalized, it also included a collection box for Children’s Hospital.

Wedes died in summer 2012 at age 84 after a years-long battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Newman, 87, is one of two living people with a statue in Seattle. (The other is Ken Griffey Jr. outside T-Mobile Park.)

The J.P. Patches Show was the first locally produced program to air on KIRO 7 when it went on the air in February 1958.

The primary sponsor of the bill is Rep. John Lovick (D). It’s also sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall (D), Rep. Mike Sells (D), Rep. Derek Stanford (D), Rep. Jeremie Dufault (R), and Rep. Morgan Irwin (R).

You can watch archive footage of the J.P. Patches show below and in the Throwback section of the KIRO 7 Smart TV apps, including Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV.

VIDEO: Forgotten 1970 JP Patches footage uncovered None

VIDEO: J.P. Patches Christmas special, Dec. 23. 1977 This J.P. Patches Christmas special was recorded on Dec. 22 and 23, 1977 and aired Friday, Dec. 23, 1977. J.P. Patches was the longest running locally produced children's show in the nation, airing from 1958 to 1981.

VIDEO JP Patches and Santa, 1960s None

VIDEO: J.P. Patches show, 1961 The J.P. Patches Show was the longer-running locally produced children's television programs in the United States. It was the first program broadcast on KIRO 7 the morning of Feb. 8, 1958. It continued on the air until 1981. Chris Wedes, who played J.P., died in 2012.

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