"He never would have wanted this": Bob Ross Funko Pop NFT controversy sparks backlash among fans online 

On December 14, Funko announced the digital release of NFT-based Funko Pop by renowned late painter, Bob Ross. The toy company is set to release the NFTs via Droppp and TokenHead on December 21. It will be available with packs of five-card packs for $9.99 and a more premium 15 card pack for $29.99.

Like similar NFT launches recently, the packs will be available at a limited capacity, including 24,000 standard packs and 8,000 premium packs.

On December 14, a similar NFT of Bob Ross, which included a 1971 painting, was auctioned at around $931 or 0.25 Ethereum.

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How did Twitter react to Bob Ross’ NFT by Funko Pop?

Just like the recent Stan Lee’s NFT, Bob Ross’ one sparked a lot of controversy over capitalizing on the late painter’s legacy. Before passing away in 1995, Bob reportedly strongly expressed his disapproval of using his name after his death.

Ross’ stance on using his likeness to gain profits was recently mentioned in his Netflix documentary, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.

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Bob Ross’ recent legal issues over his likeness

Since 1995, after Ross’ death, his business venture has been involved in a legal dispute over its ownership between the painter’s family and his former business partners. According to the contractual obligations of his firm, Bob Ross Inc, the death of any partner would cause the ownership to be shared among the remaining partners.

Many Twitter users also pointed out Stan Lee’s recent controversy with the NFT launch, while others mentioned about Ross’ legal disputes over the usage of his likeness. In his documentary, it was reported that the late painter wanted to leave his business to his son and his half-brother.

Bob’s son, Steve, recently also alleged that the current owners of his father’s firm unlawfully licensed his pictures. His original business partner’s daughters currently own Bob Ross, Inc.