The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested six people for allegedly altering the famous Hollywood sign to read “Hollyboob.”
The prank occurred early Monday afternoon in the Hollywood hills. The six-person group covered the letters “W” and “D” to look like the letter “B” by affixing what appear to be tarps to the sign, according to NBC Los Angeles.
LAPD Sgt. Leonard Calderon said participants told an officer they made the change to raise awareness of breast cancer.
“They didn’t commit any permanent damage,” Calderon said.
Five men and one woman were taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing, according to the Los Angeles Times. They were later issued citations and released on their own recognizance.
Julia Rose, founder and CEO of adult magazine Shagmag, was among those arrested and took credit for the prank. She told Vice, however, that it wasn’t just for laughs.
Rose said the altered sign was meant to get the attention of Instagram head honcho Adam Mosseri. She said the social media platform recently suspended both her personal and business pages ― which have a total of 6 million followers ― because of nudity.
“My product is nearly identical to that of Playboy’s, and my content may even be considered safer than what Playboy’s has been allowed to publish on your platform,” Rose told Vice. “I want to know how they are picking and choosing which accounts to disable and why.”
Rose also posted about the prank on Twitter.
Rose told the Los Angeles Times she and her crew were only at the sign for 30 minutes at most before they walked down the hill where they arrested.
They were released Monday evening and LAPD officials said the group wasn’t charged with vandalism because there was no damage to the sign.
Still, Mark Panatier, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, which maintains the site in Griffith Park, told the paper that it was “unfortunate that such an important icon for the city of L.A. is not being appreciated.”
“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,” he added. “It needs to be upheld; it doesn’t need to be demeaned.”
Rose and the other members of her crew are due in court June 3 and hope the judge considers their prank harmless.
This isn’t the first time the Hollywood sign has been altered.
In Jan. 2017, a man altered the famous “Hollywood” sign to read “Hollyweed.”
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