Anyone that has been a PBS junkie has gotten to know Bob Ross and his soothing style of painting. His gentle touch and laid back personality made him a favorite among those who yearned to paint and those that needed a break from stress. However, due to death of cancer in 1995, his status as an icon went into a short abeyance before reemerging in recent years due to his embrace by a younger generation that digs his lets just have fun and see what happens style of teaching combined with his tranquilizing personality. This popularity among millennials was evident when his show’s entire run was broadcast from start to finish, uninterrupted, on the popular video gaming website Twitch which has an overwhelmingly young user base. While it cannot be said how long this popularity will last, it a refreshing to see someone transcend generations and find popularity in two time periods that are radically different. As an aside, I cannot help but wonder how his estate is handling his sudden rise in popularity as his likeness rights must be in high demand right now.
See Foster Kamer, Bob Ross’s Strange Afterlife, The New York Times, December 2, 2015.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse for bringing this article to my attention.
