The Joy of Mario Making, with Bob Ross

Bob Ross is a cultural icon. Over the course of around 400 episodes of The Joy of Painting, he didn't just teach the world how to paint. He reminded us that we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents. Sadly, he passed away more than 20 years ago. But what if he didn't, and he taught us how to do other things?

Over on the YouTube channel A Dumb Thing, Bob Ross is brought back to life, and this time he's trading in his painter's pallet for a Wii U pad. Throughout the five minute video, he explains the techniques necessary to craft the perfect Mario level. Of course, he always reminds you that he's just making his level, and that you can use these tools to make your own. Check it out below.

The level he constructs is an absolute nightmare, and barely gives the player room to breathe from the get-go. But as he learned, you have to make that first jump before you can worry about tackling any of the other challenges.

I loved this parody of The Joy of Painting. It's hard to say whether Bob Ross himself would have enjoyed creating such a nightmare, but I'm guessing it wouldn't have been his cup of tea. If you want to try your hand at this nightmare, the level is real. You can access and bookmark it here. Only 106 people have managed to complete it so far. Can you?