Support the Million Bob March to Save PBS

I am not only an artist because of PBS, I am the man I am today because of people like Bob Ross and Mark Kistler, who taught me how to draw and paint. They gave me more than lessons in art. They gave me a vision of life itself as a creative act.

Now it is my turn to do what I can: to Protect Bob's Station, to protect imagination for the next generation. Because a nation that neglects imagination neglects its children's future. I had the distinct honor to speak as Bob Ross for a 24-minute interview on PBS, carrying his spirit forward in defense of the imagination he gave us all.

The Million Bob March is our rallying cry. Bob was quiet, but now we can't afford to be. On October 29th in Washington, D.C., we will gather with a creative vision in the Joy of Protesting, to defend PBS and to defend the imagination of every child.

Your support will cover the essential costs to bring this movement to life: production and media, stickers and printed materials, travel to events, afro wigs and props, advertising to spread the word, and all the creative tools I need for this campaign to take off and reach the national stage.

Protect Bob’s Station. Protect the imagination for the next generation.

How You Can Be Part of It

Everyone is invited to come dressed as Bob Ross on Oct.29th, and it will be a National Day of Bobservance. If you can't make it to D.C., just go to school and work dressed as Bob. The fro, the blue denim, the joy. Together, we’ll make Washington look like a living canvas. REGISTER HERE

Leading up to the March, I will be organizing smaller Bob Mobs:

One in Muncie, Indiana, the hometown of The Joy of Painting — where it all began. Please reach out if you can help or want to be there.

One in Chicago, in front of Trump Tower, where I have already protested in full Bob attire and made the front page.

I will be “Bobtizing” statues as the campaign unfolds, installing giant afros on public monuments as a surreal form of protest art. The funds raised here will help me fabricate those afros.

We are moving in the spirit of Mr. Rogers Goes to Washington. In 1969, Fred Rogers testified before the Senate to save PBS. Now, in 2025, we are going back to Washington to fight for PBS again.

Why I’m Raising Funds

Your support will cover the essential costs to bring this movement to life:

This is a minimal budget. If we are able to overfund, every additional dollar will help us build bigger, bolder, and more imaginative actions.

My Lineage & Legacy

This movement is part of my life’s work. In 2008, I protested fossil fuel dependency and was arrested on the roof of a gas station in an artistic act of civil disobedience. I then rode my bicycle all the way to Washington, D.C. If this campaign hits its goals and grows, I will once again ride my bicycle from Indiana to Washington, this time with a fro on my helmet, to raise awareness and funds for PBS.

I am also working to create two new PBS shows:

When I originally showed Sally Schenk, Bob's friend and director of The Joy of Painting, my work honoring Bob's legacy, she told me, "Bob would have loved this, he would have loved you. Keep doing what you're doing." I asked if she would sit with us in the spirit of the Joy of Painting and help direct and produce the pilot for the Joy of Felting, and she said she would.

I'm also producing art I hope to see in major auction houses like Christie’s or Sotheby’s, with proceeds going toward PBS efforts.

A Personal Offering

For almost two years, I have been growing my hair, just as Bob Ross once grew his permed fro to save money on haircuts. But I have realized I've been growing it for a more metaphysical purpose. Bob fought cancer at the end of his life and had to wear a wig with a smile as he was losing that battle. Now, I will cut my hair, and with Laura’s artistry, felt it onto an image of Bob I illustrated 10 years ago for my Happy Little Hairdos collection. This piece will be auctioned, with the proceeds going to Locks of Love — giving a “Bald Bob” his fro back. (See my hair in the video below)

The Call

This isn't about me. This is about us. This is about protecting Bob’s station and protecting the imagination for the next generation.

Every dollar helps. Every share matters. Every wig worn, every brush raised, every smile in the crowd is a brushstroke on the canvas of a better tomorrow.

Protect Bob’s Station. Protect the imagination for the next generation.

J.J. Weinberg aka Bob Ross Protest Variant

www.happylittlehairdos.com

You can also stay tuned and watch for updates on Good Day NWI