Hollywood sign changed to read ‘Hollyweed’

The Hollywood sign was changed before sunrise today to read “Hollyweed.” In an apparent New Year’s prank, someone placed two black tarps (one painted with a peace sign and the other with a heart) over two “O’s” so they appear like “E’s.”

There’s surveillance video, and Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Robert Payon tells Curbed it looks like the stunt, which is being investigated as an act of trespassing—not vandalism—went down around 3 or 4 a.m. “At this time, we don’t know which way they accessed the sign,” he said.

The tarps will probably be taken down by noon. “Rangers are up there now,” Payon said.

It’s tough, but not impossible to reach the sign. There’s a security camera-equipped fence along the sign’s perimeter; those cameras have night vision and infrared displays.

A Cal State Northridge art student named Danny Finegood played the same trick on January 1, 1976, “the day the state’s relaxed marijuana law took effect,” according to the Los Angeles Times. He used stones, ropes, and curtains to make the sign read “Hollyweed.”

"An artist's role throughout history has been to create representations of the culture he exists in. By hanging four relatively small pieces of fabric on the landmark, we were able to change people's perception of the Hollywood Sign," Finegood later told the Times.

In November, Californians voted to legalize recreational marijuana. Some aspects of the new law are already in effect, and bigger changes are on the way, but not much is expected to change in 2017.

• Video: Why It's So Hard to Get to the Hollywood Sign [Curbed LA]
• How the Hollywood Sign Stays in Such Excellent Shape [Curbed LA]