Hollywood sign altered to read ‘Hollyweed’ Los Angeles Times

Later that decade, Caltech students edited the sign to spell out the name of their school. In 1983, the sign was draped with the words “Go Navy” before the annual Army-Navy game. The modification was his project for an art class assignment hollyweed on working with scale. Mother Nature became the sign’s first editor, knocking out the H in a violent storm in 1949. Some Angelenos joked that the alteration reflected California’s recent vote to legalize recreational marijuana. Because the sign was not damaged, the incident will be investigated as misdemeanor trespassing.

HOLLYWeeD

Angelenos woke up to a new year and a new historic landmark on Sunday when the Hollywood sign was altered to read “Hollyweed.” Residents awoke on Sunday to find "Hollyweed" staring down at them in four-story, white letters from Los Angeles' Mount Lee, where a version of the picture-ready "Hollywood" sign was first erected in 1923. Vandals have altered the sign several times over the years. It was one of several times Finegood altered the sign. The first time was in 1990, when Finegood scaled the peak again and changed the sign to read “Oil War,” to protest the Persian Gulf War. Inclement weather delayed its completion, leading to the sign reading "RALLYOUSE" for much of Tuesday, and was only completed just before the Rams' victory parade the following day.

A Brief History Of Hollywood Sign Pranks

There are sensors at the sign that trigger an alarm for police, but because the sensors are only in certain areas of the letters, it’s possible to avoid them. Los Angeles residents awoke on New Year's Day after a night of revelry to the sight of the iconic "Hollywood" sign mysteriously transformed into "Hollyweed," the work of an apparent prankster. At the time, it read “Hollywoed,” while city park rangers were switching it back. But it’s not the first time the legendary letters have been altered, reports CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal.

• In 1949, the sign drew complaints from local residents, who called it an “eyesore and detriment to the community” and advocated its demolition.
• While the motive is self indulgent, it’s quite funny to think about how the prank is the only thing of note either band ever did.
• First, in April the Fox network celebrated the launch of their primetime programming by placing an F and an X over the H and first L, and shined a spotlight on the hillside FOX for five nights.
• In the 1940s, the sign was turned over to the City of Los Angeles.
• In the early hours of January 1st, 1976, the date a state law decriminalizing marijuana took effect, Feingood and three friends draped bed sheets on the two O’s to turn them into e’s.

A week later, New Orleans rock band The Raffeys took credit for the prank during a concert in Venice. The pot-friendly message appeared in newspapers around the world and earned Finegood an "A" on his assignment. In the early hours of January 1st, 1976, the date a state law decriminalizing marijuana took effect, Feingood and three friends draped bed sheets on the two O's to turn them into e's. So, when one of Feingood's classes assigned a project that involved working with scale, he knew he wanted to do something with the Hollywood Sign. According to the Los Angeles Times, Finegood grew up in Hollywood and had always been fascinated by the sign. Here's the 41-year history of Hollywood Sign pranks and alterations, from HOLLYWeeD in 1976 to HOLLYWeeD in 2017.

• So, when one of Feingood’s classes assigned a project that involved working with scale, he knew he wanted to do something with the Hollywood Sign.
• In 1978, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure.
• Unlike most other cleverly edited images, the “Hollyweed” sign was one that was shared in numerous versions showing it from multiple angles and at many resolutions concurrently.
• Our tours tend to fill up quickly, especially during peak travel seasons, such as spring break and summer.

Vandals changed the iconic "Hollywood" sign in Los Angeles to read "Hollyweed," Sunday morning, as California enters its first year with marijuana legal for recreational use by adults. Los Angeles’ iconic Hollywood sign was altered to read ‘HOLLYWeeD’ on New Year’s Eve, presumably in celebration of the full state-level legalisation of marijuana, but many might be unaware it has happened before, on the same day of the year and for similar reasons. A prankster in Hollywood must be pretty excited about the state's legalization of marijuana, as they altered the world-famous Hollywood sign to read "Hollyweed." It's not the first time the sign has been changed to read "Hollyweed." Variety reports that on New Year's Day in 1976, the sign was also changed to "Hollyweed" when marijuana was first decriminalized in the state.

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The sign's unprotected wood-and-sheet-metal structure deteriorated over the years. The restoration and removal of the "land" portion of the sign was conducted in September 1949. The Chamber entered into a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce protested against the sign's removal and offered to repair it. In 1949, the sign drew complaints from local residents, who called it an "eyesore and detriment to the community" and advocated its demolition. The sign’s illumination was switched off about 1933, as the new owners decided it was too expensive.