"I went in Rome and came out Bob Ross."
With a button-up collared shirt, classic blue jeans and his signature hairstyle, receiver Rome Odunze stepped out of a dressing room at Halas Hall April 22 perfectly mirroring the iconic look of the beloved late American painter and television personality Bob Ross.
When Odunze entered the TV studio to film the Bears' "Happy Little Matchups" 2026 schedule release video, his method-acting skills really emerged. Speaking with a slow, soft, warm cadence and breaking out some of Ross' memorable lines such as "happy little trees" or "just happy little accidents," he embodied the traits that the painter made famous.
The two-hour shoot evolved into a two-minute video where Odunze used Bob Ross' whimsical painting techniques and positive attitude to display the Bears' slate of 2026 opponents onto a canvas, resulting in a beautiful painting that alludes to the 2026 schedule.
"It is obviously an honor for me to be part of this," Odunze said. "I know it's big for our content team, our fans and everybody, given it being the first look of what the 2026 season's gonna be like. So it was great, and obviously doing it as Bob, who I enjoyed his videos back in the day, it was great to embody that and pay homage to him."
Happy Little Matchups — which also features a cameo from Staley Da Bear — leans into Gen Z's love of nostalgia with a modern twist. The piece also underscores the Bears ongoing commitment to art and community, placing the Bears at the intersection of culture and sport.
A fan favorite since he was drafted in the first round alongside quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024, Odunze made for the perfect lead with his charismatic, positive personality. And with Odunze occasionally switching his hairstyle from cornrows to an afro last season, the physical resemblance to the most famous part of Ross' wardrobe was the cherry on top.
Through the creative process, the Bears marketing, content and brand creative departments worked closely with Bob Ross Inc. to ensure that each piece of the project, all the way up to the paint brushes, was authentic to Bob Ross and his style.
"Bob would have just loved this project. He liked reaching out beyond the art world, and there's nothing better than inspiring a football fanatic, right?" Bob Ross Inc. President Joan Kowalski said. "Not to mention that Rome simply nailed his role perfectly.
"Maybe he's ready for his own show on public television."
To create the video, the Bears put together a simple set with a plain black background, white Bob Ross Inc. easel and brushes and large clear paint palette — all parts resembling Ross' set up in his videos.
Bears vice president of brand creative John Conroy had prepped multiple different canvases, each at different stages of the painted scene, for Odunze to utilize in the shoot and even add a few of his own touches.
"I've always been a massive fan of Bob Ross, so having the opportunity to recreate his iconic style for this project was incredibly special," Conroy said. "At the same time, I was definitely nervous about doing the painting justice since I hadn't touched a paint brush in nearly 30 years. What's great about Bob Ross is that his entire approach is rooted in teaching. He makes painting feel approachable and fun. I was comforted knowing I could follow along with his videos step-by-step and trust that he'd guide me through recreating his style. It also helped that it was a collaborative process – I had some help with painting the opponents thanks to [Bears partnership activation specialist] Danica Lopez and her artistic talent.
"In the end, it reminded me how rewarding it is to create something away from a computer screen."
After putting on his Ross-esque outfit in the dressing room, styling his hair in the mirror and heading to the set, Odunze immediately began rehearsing his lines.
"Can someone pull up some Bob for me so I can hear his cadence," Odunze asked, "see how he did the intro? He's just soft spoken, right?"
As the shoot began, Odunze consistently asked for coaching points and watched each take as if he was in the film room with coach Ben Johnson. Throughout the filming process, the Bears' content team helped him make small tweaks to his tone, smile, cadence and stance to ensure the best possible takes.
"How was that?" Odunze asked the room after the first scene. "Feedback, feedback. Coaching, coaching? Little slower?"
"Try your best to see if you can add that smile when you're speaking. Let's see if it comes out a little warmer," manager of production & special projects Chris Yankton replied.
"I don't look happy enough," Odunze declared near the end of the shoot. "I need more joy. You guys agree with that? Let me just put a natural smile on."
Having watched Bob Ross videos when he was younger because of their relaxing and fun nature, Odunze felt confident in his ability to properly portray the artist. However, in the days leading up to the shoot, he did "a little bit of film study," mainly focusing on learning Ross' calming voice and relaxed cadence.
"My favorite part of the shoot was just rehearing his iconic lines and getting to say them and kind of do it the way that he did," Odunze said. "It was pretty fun. I remember the line, 'Beat the devil out of it.' His happy little clouds, happy little trees and all that. So that was cool, and getting to paint it a little bit was fun as well. Obviously, I'm not that good of an artist, that was not my calling, but it was fun to be able to put my signature on it and do my little impressions for sure."
Odunze's most notable achievements in the arts department included his paintings of birds and clouds, which are actually featured in the final design.
"Rome demonstrated that he had a real talent for painting," Conroy said. "The precision and delicate control he brought, especially when painting the birds, was genuinely impressive. He mentioned taking a painting class in high school, and it was clear he had experience and confidence with a brush. He definitely has the instincts of an artist."
Before concluding his run as Ross and changing back into Rome, Odunze made sure to give President & CEO Kevin Warren and special advisor to the President/CEO & chief administrative officer Ted Crews a sneak peek at what was to come.
The Happy Little Matchups video gives Odunze a memorable role that allows him to put a new spin on a classic and experience a meeting between sports and art, which the Bears have fully embraced over the past few seasons with collaborations both domestically and internationally.
In addition to the video, the Bears also created an immersive Happy Little Matchups experience within the Chicago Bears Official App. The experience is inspired by Bob Ross' era on public television – the 1980s and 1990s. The experience simulates using a TV from that era and gives users the opportunity to flip through various channels, such as a TV guide page, a Weather Channel-inspired station and a clip from the classic Tecmo Bowl video game, among others.
The Bears are also providing a few ways for fans to get involved, including sending out art inspired kits to local creators, launching a coloring contest for Kids Club members and plans to host a painting class later this summer with a local community partner's art program.
"I look at sports as an art in itself," Odunze said. "Whether that's basketball, baseball, football, each individual is kind of creating their art piece out there. Especially at wide receiver, our routes are art in my eyes, the way we catch the ball is art, the way we fly through the air. It's art in its own perspective.
"To kind of intertwine those worlds, while they may seem a lot different, I think they carry their similarities, and the passion behind them from the people that enjoy it is also similar. So, I'm glad I could kind of dive into that world a little bit. And hopefully there's some artists out there that I can make a football fan to watch our art this season."
Reaction around the organization prior to sharing the video publicly Thursday evening drew an overwhelming consensus: Odunze absolutely nailed the role of Bob Ross and, in turn, generated even more excitement for the 2026 season.
"My immediate reaction was the same as when coach Johnson tore off his shirt after the Eagles game," chairman George H. McCaskey said. "I laughed my head off. The resemblance to Bob Ross is uncanny. Of course, he's got the hair, but he also had the wardrobe, he was very much in the character with the voice. I thought it was hilarious.
"There was once a time when the NFL schedule release was a piece of paper sent out on a Friday afternoon, and now it's this big production number and a great opportunity for fans to get excited about their team. We are all excited about the 2026 season, of course. This is the big stepping off point, and now it starts to get real. People make plans to attend games. 'How are we going to get tickets? Are we going out of town with the Bears?'
"A lot of rivalries, a great, strong schedule at home and away, and we're looking forward to it."
Over the last several years, the NFL schedule release has evolved into a league-wide creative showcase where each team competes to create the most entertaining and unique media to announce their slate of games.
While attention on the creative part of the schedule release has magnified, Bears players and coaches remain focused on preparing for the 2026 season through voluntary workouts and, soon, OTAs.
"We're just here taking it day by day," Odunze said. "Obviously our expectations are high for ourselves this season. Our main goal is to win the Super Bowl. That's a big goal, and it takes big steps to get to that point, but right now we're just doing the little things right day by day, training and getting our chemistry down and building our offense so we can continue to make steps towards that goal. And I think we're doing it properly."
