Someone horsed around by changing 'Hollywood' to 'Hollyweed'
What a start to 2017. It’s barely been a day, and the year seems bright, fun and somewhat inebriated. In the wee hours of the New Year, an unknown prankster managed to change the iconic Hollywood sign at Moun Lee to “Hollyweed”.
Officer Christopher Garcia, a spokesman for the Los Angeles police department, said the episode was being investigated as trespassing, and not as vandalism, because the Hollywood sign was not damaged. The prankster draped peace and heart banners around the Os and changed them to Es. While a security camera footage shows him carrying out this masterpiece of a prank between midnight and 2AM, the police are unable to make out his race or height because the screen grabs are grainy.
The "Hollyweed" sign remained up until around 11am, when authorities took down the tarps used to change the lettering.
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| Photo: Twitter |
This is of course not the first time someone has tried to tamper with the gigantic sign on Hollywood Hills. In fact, this is not even the first time “Hollyweed” has happened. On January 1, 1976, Danny Finegood used curtains to declare “Hollyweed” - the day the state's relaxed marijuana law took effect.
This is not the first time the Hollywood Sign became the Hollyweed Sign. -- Happened in Dec. 1983 (Her-Ex) pic.twitter.com/dVxXyHt1bo
— Shelby Grad (@shelbygrad) January 1, 2017
Even in popular culture, there has been a lot of horsing around with the Hollywood sign. The most famous among them is perhaps from Netflix's animated comedy series Bojack Horseman. Bojack, the show’s lead - a narcissistic alcoholic and washed-up celebrity - has been guilty of stealing the Ds from the Hollywood sign in a desperate attempt to one-up his arch-rival Mr Peanutbutter by wooing his fiancée Diane.
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| Photo: Screengrab |
Since then, in the Bojack Horseman universe, the region continued to be referred to as “Hollywoo”. Curiously enough, Bojack tweeted about “Hollyweed”.
my lawyer has advised me not to officially comment on this matter https://t.co/0dau5abPS1
— BoJack Horseman (@BoJackHorseman) January 1, 2017
While the authorities obviously did not find the prank funny, Hollywood residents went to town with it. Especially those who have been rather open about their use of marijuana and their support for its legalisation. From Snoop Dogg to Tommy Chong, everyone welcomed “Hollyweed”:
1976 vs 2017 WHO WORE IT BETTER? #hollyweed pic.twitter.com/hiIQbEundI
— Keegan Allen (@KeeganAllen) January 1, 2017
The Hollywood sign was changed to say Hollyweed today pic.twitter.com/NSWmbgz9aP
— Tommy Chong (@tommychong) January 1, 2017
#hollyweed - that's were I get my mail. #merryjane pic.twitter.com/t5YgjAcEVv
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) January 1, 2017
My city. ✨welcome to #hollyweed https://t.co/WEFfwralKS pic.twitter.com/vAdpiMKWpC
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) January 2, 2017
Hi. I'm Zedd and I live in Hollyweed Hills.
— Zedd (@Zedd) January 1, 2017
What the hell? Some punks have already defaced the Hollyweed sign pic.twitter.com/4KNYpd6XhN
— Super Deluxe (@superdeluxe) January 1, 2017
2017 will be a good year.