The Girl in the Fishbowl at Bimbo's 365 Club

Bay Curious

KQED

Places & Travel, History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Rita Hayworth, Robin Williams, Adele — these are just a few of the huge stars that have graced the stage of Bimbo’s 365 Club over its 94 years in San Francisco. But the act the club is most famous for is Dolphina — or the “Girl in the Fishbowl.” Dolphina isn’t a person, though; she’s a character who’s been played by many different women since 1931. When Dolphina performs, it looks like there is a real, live woman, shrunk down to 6 inches, swimming in a fish tank at the bar. How did this quirky act come to be? Additional Resources: The Girl in the Fishbowl: The Secret Behind San Francisco's Quirkiest Nightclub Act Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Transgender kids have been in the headlines a lot recently, but they rarely get to tell their own stories.
0:06.6	Join us on the California Report magazine for a limited series called Love You for You.
0:12.3	We'll listen to trans and non-binary kids talk with the adults in their lives about what it means to thrive with love and support.
0:18.9	Thanks for letting me be who I am.
0:21.2	Thank you for letting me be your parent and for letting me love you.
0:25.5	From KQED, Find the California Report magazine wherever you get your podcasts.
0:32.9	From KQED.
0:35.5	The inside of Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco's North Beach is lush, with red velvet, mood lighting, and dark wood paneling.
0:45.7	You half expect the rat pack to step out from the coat room.
0:49.6	And almost everywhere you look, there are images of a naked woman on a fish.
1:02.0	She's etched into the glass on the front doors, painted on murals on the walls,
1:08.0	even immortalized as an Italian marble statue in the lobby.
1:13.6	She's Dolfina, the star of Bimbo's Girl in the Fishbow Act, who's been luring
1:19.6	customers in since 1931.
1:24.6	What and who was the girl in the fishbowl? And can you still see her today?
1:31.0	Today on Bay Curious, we're diving into the mysterious waters of the famous nightclubs past.
1:36.8	I'm Katrina Schwartz. Stay with us.
1:43.6	Support for Bay Curious comes from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
1:47.3	where pure ingredients and sustainable brewing meet a legacy of craft.
1:51.6	Share one with a friend today and taste for yourself.
1:54.8	Sierra Nevada, taste what matters.
1:57.5	Please drink responsibly.
	...

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