Julius Pierpont "J. P." Patches was a clown and the main character on The J. P. Patches Show, an Emmy Award-winning local children's television show on Seattle station KIRO-TV, produced from 1958 to 1981. J.P. Patches was played by show creator and Seattle children's entertainer Chris Wedes (April 3, 1928 – July 22, 2012). When the show ended in 1981, The J. P. Patches Show was one of the longest-running locally produced children's television programs in the United States.[6][7]