History YMMV / TheJoyOfPainting

* SequelDisplacement: There are many, many people who have spent decades watching ''The Joy of Painting,'' yet have no idea that it was based entirely on Bill Alexander's ''The Magic of Oil Painting.'' Bill Alexander was Bob Ross's instructor in the wet-on-wet method, and Bob's early episodes are nearly indistinguishable from Bill's show in style and technique.[[note]]Bob ultimately simplified the technique to reach a broader audience, but this didn't come through in his show until after the first season.[[/note]] Bill even first used many of the phrases that have become closely associated with Bob Ross: "Almighty ______" "Happy trees" "You can do it." Bill had given Bob permission to use those techniques, and ''Joy'' is considered to be something of a sequel series to ''Magic'' once Bill decided he didn't want to be on TV anymore. The strongest contrast between the two series is also the aspect of ''The Joy of Painting'' that's most remarked upon: Bob Ross's famously gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, and soothing personality. Alexander's teaching style was more loud and excitable, often shouting instructions at the audience. Sadly, Bill grew unhappy with Bob's growing fame in the 1980s and accused Bob of "betraying" him. Alexander also claimed to have invented wet-on-wet painting, but Dutch painters like Creator/{{Rembrandt|VanRijn}} [[OlderThanTheyThink were using it in the 17th century]].

* FridgeBrilliance: Bob Ross never actually uses the word "''art''" about his paintings. This might be handy to remember the next time you catch somebody trash-talking his painting skills.
* FriendlyFandoms: With those of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', as despite the differing target demographics, both have a soothing and healing tone to them and both feature an AllLovingHero now practically worshipped as a god. The two are so closely associated that it likely spawned the [[PopCultureUrbanLegends urban legend]] of Fred Rogers being a war veteran who wore his famous sweater to cover up his tattoos; Bob Ross ''was'' a drill sergeant prior to becoming a painter, and openly spoke about his military service on the show.

-> '''Bob:''' There are no YMMV articles in painting, just happy perspectives.

* ValuesDissonance: Sometimes, when mixing blue and black paints, Ross would joke that "black and blue" is how he looks when he's in trouble at home. It's obviously a joke, but greater awareness of domestic abuse means that this kind of casual joke wouldn't fly three decades later.

* FriendlyFandoms: With those of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', as despite the differing target demographics, both have a soothing and healing tone to them and both feature an AllLovingHero now practically worshipped as a god. The two are so closely associated that it likely spawned the false rumor that Fred Rogers was a war veteran who wore his famous sweater to cover up his tattoos; Bob Ross ''was'' a drill sergeant prior to becoming a painter, and openly spoke about his military service on the show.

* FriendlyFandoms: With those of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', as despite the differing target demographics, both have a soothing and healing tone to them and both feature an AllLovingHero now practically worshipped as a god.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: {{Averted}}. All the paintings look like real landscapes (although few are expressly modeled on a specific location, and some are blatantly fanciful), and the point of the show is that anybody who wants to paint can make them.
* ValuesDissonance: Sometimes, when mixing blue and black paints, Ross would joke that "black and blue" is how he looks when he's in trouble at home. It's obviously a joke, but in the 21st Century, a comment like that wouldn't be seen as a laughing matter.

* FriendlyFandoms: With those of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', as despite the differing target demographics, both have a soothing and healing tone to them and both feature an AllLovingHero now practically [[UnacceptableTargets worshipped as a god.]]

* UnacceptableTargets: Mocking Bob Ross is a bad idea. Everyone loves him. This is the result of a PopularityPolynomial; he was acceptable to mock during the Nineties and gained his universal popularity [[PosthumousPopularityPotential after his death.]]

* SequelDisplacement: There are many, many people who have spent decades watching ''The Joy of Painting,'' yet have no idea that it was based entirely on Bill Alexander's ''The Magic of Oil Painting.'' Bill Alexander was Bob Ross's instructor in the wet-on-wet method, and Bob's early episodes are nearly indistinguishable from Bill's show in style and technique.[[note]]Bob ultimately simplified the technique to reach a broader audience, but this didn't come through in his show until after the first season.[[/note]] Bill even first used many of the phrases that have become closely associated with Bob Ross: "Almighty ______" "Happy trees" "You can do it." Bill had given Bob permission to use those techniques, and ''Joy'' is considered to be something of a sequel series to ''Magic'' once Bill decided he didn't want to be on TV anymore. The strongest contrast between the two series is also the aspect of ''The Joy of Painting'' that's most remarked upon: Bob Ross's famously gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, and soothing personality. Alexander's teaching style was more loud and excitable, often shouting instructions at the audience. Sadly, Bill grew unhappy with Bob's growing fame in the 1980s and accused Bob of "betraying" him. Alexander also claimed to have invented wet-on-wet painting, but Dutch painters like Rembrandt [[OlderThanTheyThink were using it in the 17th century]].

* UnacceptableTargets: Mocking Bob Ross is a bad idea. Everyone loves him. This is the result of a PopularityPolynomial; he was acceptable to mock during the Nineties and gained his universal popularity [[DeadArtistsAreBetter after his death.]]
* VindicatedByHistory: While Bob Ross and his show were always liked reasonably well, it wasn't until the 2010s, two decades after his death, that he became a beloved icon.

* UnacceptableTargets: Mocking Bob Ross is a bad idea. Everyone loves him.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: Ross usually painted every painting that appeared on the show three times: The first as a reference, the second being the one he'd paint on camera and a third that included extra details and would be included in his instruction books. According to a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDs3o1uLEdU a documentary]] by the ''New York Times'', many of these paintings are archived at the headquarters of Ross' business, while his friends Annette and Walt Kowalski also own a complete collection. Some of the paintings from the headquarters were donated to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

* SweetDreamsFuel: Bob has such a soft, soothing voice that it's easy to fall asleep watching his show.