One by one, the letters went up, until they made a rather bizarre request: SAVE THE POOD. But supporters of Hollywood’s iconic sign needn’t worry that it has been taken over for some kind of toilet-themed guerilla ad campaign – the ultimate message of “Save the Peak” is just a temporary plea for help to protect the mountain that this Los Angeles landmark stands on.
The Save the Cahuenga Peak movement aims to raise $13 million by April 14th to raise the $13 million needed to buy the land from Fox River Financial Resources, a developer that reportedly plans to build mansions on land adjacent to the sign.
As HOLLYWOOD gave way to messages like “SALLYWOOD” and “SAVE THE PEOK”, the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land got just what they wanted: attention. The nonprofit group has already raised more than half the money needed to buy the land, with the sign slated to come down on Tuesday, February 16th.
This isn’t the first time the Hollywood sign has been hijacked for a cause – noble or not. In 1976, the sign briefly read “HOLLYWEED” thanks to prankster Danny Finegood’s desire to celebrate a relaxation in California’s marijuana laws, and it has also read “HOLYWOOD”, “OLLYWOOD” and “JOLLYGOOD” at various points over the last few decades.
The cause may be green, but what about the stunt itself? According to Fast Company, the Trust for Public Land doesn’t plan to recycle the thousands of yards of mesh material used to cover the sign, though they do say it will go back to the city. Used for five days, the material reportedly came with a price tag in the “high five figures”.
Images: SaveHollywoodland.org, Fast Company, LA Attractions