Bob Ross Died Fighting Profit-Driven Vultures Only For Them To Turn Him Into A Funko Pop NFT

The Joy of Painting has unfortunately become the Joy of Profiting

Beloved painter Bob Ross died in 1995 due to complications from lymphoma, but before he passed away he made it very clear to the world that he didn’t want his likeness used for profit. But recently, Pop figurine maker Funko went in on the hot new digital grift by turning turned Ross into an NFT that’s purchasable on December 21.

This grift is the antithesis to what Bob Ross wanted. Just before passing, he made significant changes to his will to prevent capitalists from profiting off him after death. More specifically, he wanted his family–Steve, his son, and half-brother, Jimmie Cox–to retain the rights to his name, image, and likeness (NIL). Things got messy when Cox allegedly relinquished his rights to the company, and once it was all said and done, Ross’ business partners, Annette and Walt Kowalski, took control of the entire estate. The Kowalski’s wanted that all along, sending Ross a threatening fax just days before the final Joy of Painting episode aired. From his deathbed and even beyond the grave, Ross sought to fight against those looking to benefit.

And now, we get digital Bob Ross Pop NFTs, which you can purchase directly from the digital Funko website. There are two packs available, one for $10 and another for $30, though why anyone would do this is beyond me. The standard bundle comes with five digital Pop cards, while the more expensive premium pack contains 15, all viewable through platforms called Droppp and TokenHead, which house NFTs for purchase via the blockchain.

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