Happy Little Trees Trivia Quiz

Answer: Florida

Robert Norman Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida on October 29, 1942, but he grew up in Orlando. His dad was named Jack, and his mother was a waitress named Ollie. During his childhood, his parents divorced, married other people, divorced their new spouses, and then remarried, all before he was a teenager.

Answer: Caring for injured animals

On the show, Bob often talked about his animals and they would sometimes appear on the show, especially his rescue squirrels, the most famous of which was Peapod the Pocket Squirrel. His hobby of taking in sick or injured animals began when he was a child. His parents would come home to find strange animals in their house, including an armadillo and an injured alligator.

Answer: Carpenter

Ross quit school in the 9th grade and went to work as a carpenter with his dad. An accident during this time caused him to lose part of one of his fingers. He was able to hide this from viewers on his show with the way he held his palette. He worked as a carpenter until he enlisted in the military at 18.

Answer: Air Force

Bob Ross joined the US Air Force at age 18 and was first given the job of medical records technician. He spent twenty years with the Air Force and reached the rank of Master Sergeant. As hard as it is to believe given his calm manner on his TV show, Bob Ross earned the nickname "Bust 'em up Bobby" from his subordinates. Even though he had a reputation for being tough, he didn't like the job.

He mentioned in an interview with the newspaper, "Orlando Sentinel", that had to be mean because he "was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work" (1990).

Answer: Alaska

Bob Ross fell in love with the Alaskan landscape, which influenced many of his paintings. He began taking an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club, but he wasn't fond of his instructors' techniques and teaching since they were more interested in abstract art.

While living in Alaska, Ross began making extra money by painting landscapes on the inside of gold pans and selling them. He also began giving private art lessons.

Answer: The Joy of Painting

While in Alaska, Ross became inspired by Bill Alexander's show, "The Magic of Oil Painting", which ran on PBS from 1974 to 1982. When Ross left the military in the early 80s, he found Bill Alexander and began learning more about his technique. Later, Ross began making his own show, "The Joy of Painting", which began airing on PBS on January 11, 1983.

Its last episode aired on May 17, 1994. In each episode, Ross spoke as if he were talking to a single person so that it would feel as if he were giving a private lesson.

Answer: Wet-on-wet

The name 'alla prima' comes from the Italian meaning "At first attempt", and it is a technique used mainly in oil painting. In this technique, an artist adds a layer of paint to a previous layer which has not yet dried. This allows them to create different color blends and work more quickly since they don't have to wait for the previous layer to dry before continuing their work. Ross learned this technique from Bill Alexander.

Answer: Happy accidents

Bob Ross called almost everything 'happy'. He would say that we could add a few 'happy little trees' here or a 'happy cloud' there. One of the phrases he would often say on the show was, "We don't have mistakes; we just have happy accidents". Ross believed that anyone could paint and he wanted to be encouraging to viewers, so many of his remarks on the show reflected this.

Answer: False

It was in his 1990 interview with the "Orlando Sentinel" that Ross stated that he didn't get paid for his work on the show. Even though it was the show that made him famous, he got his money through his private business selling art supplies, how-to books, and other branded items. Additionally, his business had certified instructors trained in his method who offered lessons and classes. One of them was his son, Steven, who appeared on "The Joy of Painting" a few times, including the last episode of the first season where he read some of the viewers questions to Bob so that he could answer them.

Answer: Lymphoma

Ross was a very private person and initially hid the fact that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma from everyone who wasn't a close friend or family member. He eventually had to retire because of his cancer, and the last episode of "The Joy of Painting" aired on May 17, 1994. Bob Ross died on July 4, 1995, and he was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida.

The plaque above his grave reads: "Bob Ross, Television Artist".