This was an easy guess for most of you this week. I know a few of you might not be as familiar with Bob Ross the PBS star who did the series The Joy of Painting back in the 80’s. Turns out he’s a BIGGER name now in 2019. The boys gave John a T-shirt of Bob Ross for Christmas and we all had to explain who he was. Now his image appears on everything from socks to waffle irons and boxer shorts. His afro makes him perfect for those chia seed planters.

Robert Norman Ross was born in Florida. He had an affinity for helping wounded animals; be it a squirrel or an alligator. He tried carpentry with his dad after he dropped out of school in 9th grade but ended up losing the tip of his left index finger. At 18 he joined the US Air Force. After retiring he swore he’d never raise his voice again. He did 381 episodes of his Joy of Painting show and didn’t make a dime off the shows. He even donated his paintings to help with raising money for public television. He did sell books and art supplies etc and made a good living doing so.

One thing that surprised me was that the afro wasn’t natural. He was trying to save money and grew out his hair and had it permed back when times were tight. Once success caught up with him, the afro had become part of his brand. It wasn’t his favorite thing but he didn’t want to argue with success!

Here’s a link to what Bob looked like without the afro.. http://mentalfloss.com/article/65787/why-bob-ross-permed-his-hair-even-though-he-hated-it

Other sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ross https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-bob-ross-everyones-favorite-art-teacher https://www.biography.com/news/bob-ross-biography-facts