IF YOU mention the name Bob Ross around a baby boomer they’ll likely have fond memories of growing up listening to his soothing voice while watching his educational painting show.

Despite the fact he died 20 years ago, if you mention old Bobby to a teenager they’re likely to be just as knowledgeable about his artistic career and will probably also show you a hilarious meme about his iconic afro (which was actually a perm...but we will get to that later).

Then there’s everybody else in between who doesn’t know Bob Ross because you’re either not old enough to remember him the first time around or young enough to know about his recent viral comeback.

But what you do need to know is people love Bob Ross and here’s why.

Robert Norman Ross was born in America in 1942 and became a well-known art instructor, painter and television host.

He was the creator of an instructional painting show called The Joy of Painting that ran in the 80s and 90s, which was pretty much just Bob, with an easel and brush, teaching viewers about the wonderful world of painting, using seemingly simple techniques.

He passed away in 1995 at the age of 52 after a battle with lymphoma.

He is known for his iconic style with his long beard and majestic afro, which actually wasn’t a fro at all, it was a perm.

It turns out the popular artist had naturally straight hair but adopted his new style as practical, money saving technique.

“He got this bright idea that he could save money on haircuts,” his longtime business partner Annette Kowalski told NPR.

“So he let his hair grow, he got a perm, and decided he would never need a haircut again.”

This iconic style served him well, and definitely plays a big part in why young people are so fond of him.

Ross’s recent rise to fame in pop culture can be easily tracked through social media.

He has been an extremely popular choice of Halloween costume, with pictures of people donning wigs and holding paint brushes flooding Facebook, Twitter and Instagram each year.

i swiped right on a guy on tinder because he had a bob ross costume in one of his pictures — bratty preteen daughter (@csteff_) January 25, 2018

A Happy Little Costume Inspired By Bob Ross - https://t.co/cgUC0nosds pic.twitter.com/1p5G8jKbyz — The ViewTube (@Viewtubev) December 5, 2017

i won a costume contest as bob ross? pic.twitter.com/C6i4XYVmCM — ray🌭 (@HighAtTheMall) November 1, 2017

People love dressing up as Bob Ross so much that someone went to the trouble of organising a Bob Ross Bar Crawl in honour of the artist, which ran annually from 2013 to 2015.

Up to 50 people dressed in frizzy wigs and Oxford shirts would converge at various Chicago nightspots each year to celebrate Ross.

So this happened last night... 20+ fro'd painters hit up Lottie's on the Bob Ross Bar Crawl. #BRBC pic.twitter.com/agGm5aDsJU — Lottie's Pub (@lottiespub) September 22, 2013

For the past few years Ross has been popping up more frequently in pop culture: He was referenced in Family Guy, versed Picasso in an Epic Rap Battle and featured in the Deadpool 2 teaser trailer.

Popular video game streaming website, Twitch, pulled in 5.6 million viewers after they aired an all-episodes marathon of The Joy of Painting in 2015.

The marathon was such a success that Twitch decided to regularly air episodes after viewers campaigned for more Bob Roos, starting the hashtag #KEEPBOB.

Bob Ross taking over @Twitch is one of the coolest things I've seen happen on the Internet in a long time #KEEPBOB pic.twitter.com/AlVwqofBV0 — Steve Jablonsky (@jablonsky_steve) November 6, 2015

One 22-year-old even decided to hold a Bob Ross themed birthday party after seeing an episode of one of his shows on Netflix.

“The first time I ever watched a Bob Ross episode I just stumbled upon it on Netflix,” Chris Nervegna told ABC News.

“A couple of my friends came over and we got 15 canvases and a bunch of paint,” he said. “We thought, ‘If we’re doing it, we’re really going to do it.’”

Netflix added 26 episode’s of Bob Ross’s Beauty Is Everywhere in 2016, clearly recognising the growing demand for more of Ross’s positivity.

But it wasn’t just Ross’s bouncy mane that continues to draw people to him, it is also his soothing demeanour and voice.

News.com.au has heard reports that Bob Ross has recently attained cult status among Australian high school students who watch his videos “ironically” but also as a relaxation aid while studying.

It’s almost impossible to be stressed after watching ten minutes of him painting a snowy landscape and dotting it with “happy little trees” - one of his favourite catchphrases.

Many attribute it to his positive outlook and philosophical sayings like “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents”, but it turns out there is an actual scientific reason why people feel so calm after watching a Bob Ross video.

Research revealed that the painting tutorials actually triggers many people’s autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), which is best described as a tingling feeling at base of the neck that spreads down the spine and can be set off by certain sounds.

Common triggers are whisper tones, tapping fingers and crinkling paper, which numerous people have reported making them feel relaxed and even sleepy.

In fact the phenomenon is so popular that there are whole ASMR YouTube channels with videos of people whispering into a microphone.

It seems that Ross’s low, steady voice combined with the repetitive task of painting taps into this sensory experience for some people.

The next time you are stressed out about an upcoming exam, wound up after a hard day at work or just need to relax, Bob Ross is your go to guy.

With that in mind here he is, the man, the myth, the legend, Bob Ross painting his “happy little trees.