The Times' obituary for Finegood mentioned two specific unrealized pranks: changing the sign to HOLLYWEEN on October 31st and an April Fools Day prank that would involve camouflaging the sign in a way that would make it look like it had disappeared.ġ991: In April a yellow ribbon was tied around the sign to mark the end of the Gulf War. Until his death, Finegood continued to come up with ideas for sign pranks. This wound up being Feingood's last alteration to the sign before his death in 2007.

Times report says the political message was removed shortly after it went up. Finally, September saw the sign become HOLYWOOD again to celebrate a visit from Pope John Paul II.ġ990: With the Gulf War raging, Finegood changed the sign to OIL WAR, but a contemporary L.A. Then, in July 1987, Danny Finegood returned to the sign and covered up the H to create OLLYWOOD, a mockery of Oliver North's involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. 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.Ī month later, senior pranksters from CalTech changed the sign to spell CALTECH. According to a UPI report, band member Charles Arack claimed 'We are here to conquer Hollywood and we definitely want to let people know.' The Hollywood Sign prank wound up being The Raffeys' most notable achievement.ġ987: 1987 was a very busy year for sign alterations. A week later, New Orleans rock band The Raffeys took credit for the prank during a concert in Venice. Navy won the game 42-13.ġ985: On New Year's Day the sign was mysteriously changed to read RAFFEYSOD, leaving police puzzled. However, as they only put sheets over select letters and didn't cover up the unused letters, it wound up reading GOLLNAVYD. In celebration of the game, which was played at the Rose Bowl, a group of Navy Midshipmen covered a few of the letters of the sign with the intention of making it read GO NAVY. The pot-friendly message appeared in newspapers around the world and earned Finegood an 'A' on his assignment.ġ983: For the first, and so far only, time ever the Army-Navy Football Game was played on the west coast. 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 t he 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.ġ976: The tradition of Hollywood Sign pranks was started by 21-year old Cal State Northridge art student Danny Finegood when he turned the sign into HOLLYWeeD. They will not be charged for vandalism as the sign was not damaged but will be cited with misdemeanor trespassing and released, Lurie said.The Hollywood Sign is the most famous sign in the world which has naturally made it a target of pranksters over the last few decades. The identities of the six individuals have been withheld. “It needs to be upheld, it doesn’t need to be demeaned.” “This is an icon that’s there for visual reinforcement of the importance of Hollywood, not just for the city of L.A., but to the world,” Panatier continued. “It’s unfortunate that such an important icon for the city of L.A. Mark Panatier, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, which maintains the sign and surrounding area, said that altering the sign was unacceptable regardless of the cause. Responding to their call, a police helicopter monitored the area as the group made their way down the hill, where other officers were waiting to apprehend them.Ī law enforcement source told Deadline that one of the group members said that they were trying to raise awareness for breast cancer. Los Angeles Police Department security first noticed five men and a woman altering the iconic sign at around 1:15 p.m., LAPD Captain Steve Lurie, the Hollywood area commander, told the Los Angeles Times. The group on Monday managed to haul a big tarp with the letter “B” over the “W” and strategically place a white dash in the center of the “D” to make it another “B.” Six people have been arrested for altering the Hollywood sign to read “Hollyboob” in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Hollywood sign prank