Robert 'Umbrella Man' Steffen

Pinky in December of 2007, Downtown as usual Robert Steffen (aka Umbrella Man) was born in 1965, and is one of Santa Cruz' Town Characters. During his heyday he would don pink women's clothing and makeup and then proceed to walk down Pacific Avenue very slowly. He did this six days a week! At the time, it was an event to spot him in normal clothes, and rumor had it he worked in IT "during the day". He has been nominated locally for "Best Street Performer" in the past. He is also known as Umbrella Guy or Pinky, and a myspace has been created about him under the name of Robert 'Pinky' Valentino.
What Robert did before he became "Umbrella Man" has been a topic of great discussion in town. He was previously recognized by his adorned garbage bag outfit, provocative signs and presidential ambitions. Some believe he was a lawyer, others swear that he worked on confidential operations with NASA, as he himself has claimed in interviews. Steffen says that he worked for the NASA Ames Research Center as an Electrical Engineer. He quit because he "saw no point in building things if people didn't appreciate them"[2]. Since then he has lived among the homeless of Santa Cruz.
In 2008 Robert was seen less frequently Downtown, and some theorized this was due to the emergence of Orange Guy (who was interviewed by Bruce Bratton on Bruce's radio program). Presently, Robert does not dress up the way he used to, and early in 2009, in an interview aired on SoWat TV he said he was painting, and in August Santa Cruz Weekly posted the links to Robert's Art Website and Robert's Twitter Page on their Facebook page.
Early in January of 2010 Robert annouced he would be running for a spot on the Santa Cruz City Council in the November election [1], but later in the month he announced that he was withdrawing from the race due to personal health issues. [2]

• [1] http://www.goodtimessantacruz.com/santa-cruz-news/santa-cruz-local-news/515-pink-is-passe.html
  

• [2] Good Times. February, 4, 2010, pg 8.
  

• http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/09.28.05/fashion-0539.html
  

• http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/07.12.00/nuz-0028.html
  

• http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/cc/archives/99/12-14m.html Item 2.b concerns Robert Frederick Steffen
  

• http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/cc/archives/99/11-9a.html Concerning Robert Frederick Steffen
  

• http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_9184245 He seems to have recently gone missing from Pacific Ave.
  

• http://www.santacruz.com/News/2009/02/27/Umbrella_Man_Sighted_in_Downtown_Santa_Cruz Feb 27th, 2009: He's back (apparently was evicted during his absence)

• Robert's Platform for his 2010 City Council candidacy
  

• Robert's Twitter page
  

• The Umbrella Guy is the Coolest! - Facebook Group
  

• I've shared an awkward moment with the Pink Umbrella Man - Facebook Group
  

• Youtube video 'tribute' to Robert Produced by SoWat TV
  

• Flickr group for Umbrella Man photos
  

• http://mindmob.blogspot.com/2005/03/umbrella-man-has-posse.html
  

• People of Santa Cruz
  

• Bizarro Santa Cruz
  

• Downtown

Comments:

Someone add more about him if you have any information. — MishaNasledov

2007-08-15 17:00:06   This may be his Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/robertpinky. It has a recent picture of him sporting the pink attire as well as a pre-pink photo. It is unclear whether or not this myspace is run by Pinky himself. I saw him downtown and asked him if it was his and he shrugged his shoulders without a verbal response. Regardless of who runs the site, it is fun to see the love the fans of this man give him in the comments section. And as of May 2007, Robert or someone is selling merchandise, including "Pinky" t-shirts, which you can find at: http://www.cafepress.com/pinkyvalentino —AlexDarocy

2007-08-15 19:29:52   The MySpace sight and the Cafepress store are run by some students from UCSC. —67.188.206.88

2007-11-30 12:52:06   I heard a rumor that he was a child molester and registered as one. Is this true? —209.125.235.109

As discussed on a Flickr post, Robert RUSSELL Steffen is on the Megan's law database. Robert FREDERICK Steffen, the pink umbrella man who worked at NASA and pays tickets in Santa Cruz, is not the same person.

Should we change the title at some point to reflect the name Robert Steffen? I'm not really sure how one would verify something like his name, other than asking him. —BenChaney

2007-12-27 15:06:53   I changed the title to Robert Steffen...His name, along with photos and interviews with him, is referenced in the 7/12/00 and 9/28/05 issues of MetroSantaCruz. He may have other names, but this is his most common one. —AlexDarocy

2007-12-29 16:36:53   Thank you Alex for the rewrite here. Very nice. —BenChaney

2008-08-20 20:08:41   Robert was indeed a NASA engineer. He graduated from RPI with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. He is not a child molester. He grew up in Riverside. —68.167.236.157

2009-04-25 11:16:38   He isn't currently homeless, his is living at the River Street shelter and looking for housing. —75.144.246.233

2009-08-11 00:50:50   i say we need to make something to remember him by like the Bronze statue of musical saw player Tom Scribner in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz. but pink it HAST to be pink! —71.198.216.14