California residents woke up on New Year’s Day to find that the Hollywood sign had been changed to read “Hollyweed.” Betsy Isroelit, a spokeswoman for the Hollywood Sign Trust, said that this was the most “ambitious” prank she had seen. Apparently, this is not the first time it has been changed to read “Hollyweed.”
They’re not sure who was behind the prank, but the motive is fairly clear. California legalized recreational marijuana use in the recent election. The sale and taxation of the drug will begin in 2018.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles police said that the pranksters used giant tarps to turn the “O” letters into “E” letters. The vandal was wearing all black when they were recorded on surveillance footage last night. They had to climb over the fence to get to the sign. The person will possibly face a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
People took advantage of the opportunity to take pictures of themselves with the sign before the tarps over the letters were removed.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions:
Y'all saying Hollywood sign vandalized …. but they just put sheet over it ?????
— JON JOHNSON (@jierdoispharaoh) January 1, 2017
Whoever changed the Hollywood sign to Hollyweed is savage of the year already ???
— •Mercedies• (@Merr_Millerr) January 1, 2017
Someone changed the Hollywood sign to Hollyweed
I LOVE 2017 ALREADY!!!!— britt (@osmondbrittany) January 1, 2017
I don't know who did this to the Hollywood Sign, but I'm quite impressed they got away with it. pic.twitter.com/KaRZPSs1iw
— Steve-O (@steveo) January 1, 2017
The sign originally read “Hollywoodland” when it was erected in 1923 to advertise a new housing development of the same name.
In 1949, the sign was first changed by a storm which knocked out the “H.” The “land” part of the sign was removed the same year.
It was changed to “Hollyweed” one other time in 1976. This was used to mark the state decriminalizing marijuana. Possessing up to one ounce was changed to a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
The same prankster, Danny Finegood, changed it to “Ollywood” in 1987 to protest Col Oliver North, the marine at the center of the Iran-Contra scandal.
In 1990, Finegood changed it to read “Oil war” in protest of the first Gulf War. He died in 2007.
This is a great start to 2017. Let’s enjoy it while we can.
Someone changed the famed Hollywood sign to read “Hollyweed" https://t.co/dr5pIIJZaL pic.twitter.com/LoWa4rnr7D
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 1, 2017
Featured image via Twitter.
