Prankster Alters Hollywood Sign to Read ‘Hollyweed’
One as-yet-unidentified vandal rang in the New Year early Sunday morning by trekking up to the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles and altering it to read, “Hollyweed.”
A law enforcement official told CBS Los Angeles that the prankster hiked up Mount Lee and draped two tarps over the “O”s in the sign to make them appear as “E”s. As the sun rose over Los Angeles Sunday morning, locals took to social media to share snaps of the altered sign.
THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN GOT VANDALISED AND IT NOW SAYS HOLLYWEED pic.twitter.com/Ngek4zqpTp
— ebola ✨ (@mileynoticedme) January 1, 2017
Last night the Hollywood sign was vandalized into 'Hollyweed' Starting 2017 on a high note. #2017 #hollyweedpic.twitter.com/9V5CZD5GY6
— Kory DeSoto (@Korsoto) January 1, 2017
Someone managed to change the Hollywood sign to say "Hollyweed" – 2017 starting off strong 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/KPhiPAPgHo
— Jon (@MrDalekJD) January 1, 2017
The incident was reportedly caught on tape by security cameras and police are investigating it as misdemeanor trespassing.
The vandal may have been making a political statement, or may have simply been celebrating; in November, California legalized marijuana for recreational use for those 21 and older, the most significant statewide change in marijuana laws since the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized the drug for medical use.
As other outlets have noted, this is not the first time the iconic sign has been altered to read “Hollyweed.” On New Year’s Day 1976, a student at Cal State Northridge similarly draped tarps over the “O”s to change them into “E”s, and the same thing reportedly happened again in 1983.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum