From the outside, it looks like any other warehouse in Kent’s industrial area, north of downtown (well, except for the climbing walls and train caboose out back).<\/p>\n
But inside, the shelves are stocked with colorful bags, filled with giant inflatable toys and labeled like a kid’s dream.<\/p>\n
Air hockey, pool tables, Spiderman, “muscle beach combo,” “pirate club combo,” and, of course, “assorted balls.” Boxes overflow with giant boxing gloves and a Dance Dance Revolution game is pushed off to the side.<\/p>\n
There are half-inflated toys around and one of the workers is assembling a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course while a portable mechanical bull surveys it all from one corner.<\/p>\n
Welcome to Clowns Unlimited.<\/p>\n
Like his warehouse, owner Bob Washburn’s relatively normal exterior hides a fun interior. As Leo the Clown, Washburn has been entertaining kids of all ages all over the Seattle area since 1981.<\/p>\n
“It was a hobby, really,” said Washburn, who said he “got the bug” during a clown class at the University of Washington Experimental College.<\/p>\n
Washburn got his start entertaining as manager of the KING Haunted House where he was told to put on a costume and entertain those waiting in line.<\/p>\n
He loved it.<\/p>\n
“For those two weeks, I was all over the place,” he said. “It was exhilarating.”<\/p>\n
Looking for a way to continue clowning full time, Washburn founded Clowns Unlimited, which began as he tried to create a one-stop place for entertainers and performers.<\/p>\n
The business has changed since then, expanding into corporate events and parties.<\/p>\n
“We introduced in this are the corporate world to company picnics,” Washburn said.<\/p>\n
In the early 1990s, the inflatable business really took off with giant slides and other rides, all of which can be rented from the Kent 11,000-square-foot warehouse.<\/p>\n
Today, the rides and attractions make up the core of business, from birthday parties to the largest of companies.<\/p>\n
Among his clients, the biggest is probably Microsoft. Clowns Unlimited is a preferred vender at the Redmond company’s yearly picnic, sending 80 employees and more than 30 attractions.<\/p>\n
Clowns Unlimited was also called in to Key Arena to set up the mechanical bull during a halftime show for the Seattle Sonics.<\/p>\n
Washburn said finding the newest attractions is the key to his job today.<\/p>\n
“My job is to find the things that are cutting edge,” he said.<\/p>\n
Aming those currently are the Airbots (a 21st Century update of the Sumo Suits) and the Monkey Motion Machine, a four-person bungee contraption, and the only portable ropes course on the West Coast.<\/p>\n
“We’re much more than what the name says,” Washburns said.<\/p>\n
Along with the attractions, Washburn said his company can handle all of the party planning for any size, from attractions to food and eveything in between.<\/p>\n
“We are a one-call,” he said.<\/p>\n
Surrounded by family and friends, many of whom have worked with him for more than 15 years, Washburn said he loves what he does, especially the clowning.<\/p>\n
“Thirty-four years later, things haven’t changed a bit,” he said.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From the outside, it looks like any other warehouse in Kent’s industrial area, north of downtown (well, except for the climbing walls and train caboose out back).
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