Hollywood sign mistake you can’t unsee: 100th year anniversary

It’s one of the most recognised monuments in the world — but if you take a closer look at the Hollywood sign, there’s a “mistake” you can’t unsee.

It’s one of the most recognised monuments in the world — but if you take a closer look at the Hollywood sign, there’s a “mistake” you can’t unsee.

If you draw your attention to the letter “W’ you will notice that one gap (that creates a V shape) is not the same size in width as the other.

“I always get a kick out of telling people this when they’re standing in front of it,” Jeff Zarrinman, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust tells news.com.au.

“Even though people just stand and stare at it when they visit it, they never notice.

“When I point it out and tell them one of the ‘V’s in the ‘W’ is wider than the other by a significant margin, they’re always amazed.”

Can you spot the ‘mistake’. Picture: LA Tourism

Mr Zarrinman said when the sign was rebuilt in 1978, it was done to the exact same proportion to 1923 design.

“So the ‘mistake’, if you want to call it that, is still there, but people don’t notice even if they stare at it for hours — and when you notice it, you can’t unsee it.”

The Hollywood sign was first erected in the early 1920s — in fact, this year marks its 100th anniversary — but there was a time when it almost didn’t survive because of its deteriorating condition.

“It was falling into decay,” Mr Zarrinman said.

The sign, which originally read ‘Hollywoodland’, was only intended to be temporary, but it stood the test of time — until it didn’t.

One gap on the right, in between the letter ‘W’, is bigger than the other. Picture: LA Tourism

“It was originally built to promote a development project called ‘Hollywoodland’ and the letters would light up at night to attract people from downtown LA to the Hollywood Hills to purchase a piece of land to build their dream home,” Mr Zarrinman explained.

“They thought they would sell all the lots within a year so they didn’t design it with strong enough material. It was made from telephone poles and cables.

“[But] it stood test of time before it started to decay.

“It continued to stand on hill because they hadn’t sold all the lots.”

By the early 1940s, the Hollywoodland real estate development went bust – a casualty of the Depression.

It was originally called Hollywoodland - but when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took ownership of it, they dropped the ‘land’.

The sign, which hadn’t been maintained in years, quietly became property of the city in 1944.

As the sign was initially intended to be temporary, there were calls to tear it down in 1949. However, by then it had become such a fixture that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to take over maintenance and ownership.

But, when the chamber took it over, it was so delapidated, the letter H had fallen off.

They repaired the sign, but cut the “land”, changing it to just “Hollywood” to remove references to one specific housing development.

Over the years the sign deteriorated, as it was intended to be temporary (to promote real estate) and that’s when the chamber took it over and repaired it with the help of celebrities.

Then, in the late 1970s, the Chamber determined the sign required a complete rebuild. The old sign was scrapped in August 1978, and for three lonely months Hollywood had no sign.

But it wasn’t easy. Celebrities also got involved to help the chamber raise the $US250,000 needed to help save and restore it.

“The sign had fans and the community wanted to help,” Mr Zarrinman said.

“[So] in April of 1978 the Chamber formed a ‘save the sign committee’.

It decided to auction off each letter for $US27,770 and the first person to put their hand up and donate the money was glam-rocker Alice Cooper.

He ‘bought’ the letter ‘O’, while singing cowboy Gene Autry sponsored an ‘L’ and Andy Williams sponsored the ‘W’.

Hugh Hefner also played a big role in helping to save the sign.

“He caught wind of what was happening and said ‘well hey, I need to be in on this too’. So he ran a fundraiser at the Playboy mansion in June of 1978 — and also donated.”

Hugh nabbed the letter ‘Y’.

Hugh Hefner threw a fundraising party in the Playboy mansion in June, 1978 to help auction off each letter (for $US27,770) - he ‘bought’ the letter ‘Y’.

“Off the back of that fundraiser Warner Brothers pitched in as well, but we were still two letters short.”

By August that year Italian movie producer Giovanni Mazza and publisher Les Kelley donated, nabbing the remaining two letters — ‘O’ and ‘L’ respectively.

And that’s when the old sign was scrapped, in August 1978, making way for the one that stands proud and tall today.

Mr Zarrinman said thanks to the help of all the donors, 194 tons of concrete, enamel and steel later, the sign was re-born, poised and polished for a new millennium.

The sign’s 13-metre tall letters undergo deep cleaning and repainting to maintain their photo-ready status — it takes about 250 litres of paints and primer — and this happens once a decade.

The most recent was in 2022, in preparation for the sign’s centenary this year.

“There’s not a place on the planet I’ve travelled to that no one knows what the Hollywood sign is,” Mr Zarrinman said.

“It’s important to many people around the world because of the significance of what it represents — which is basically the entire entertainment industry.”

“It’s one of those bucket list things you have to see — it’s a must-do when you are in LA.”

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sign.

Adam Burke, CEO and president of LA Tourism said for years now, there’s been an incredibly close bond between Aussies and Angelenos, with 230,000 Aussies & Kiwis visiting LA alone last year.

“As a result of shared passions and a desire to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we’re currently projecting that ANZ will be our top overseas market this year,” Mr Burke told newss.com.au.

It continues to attract tourists from around the world - with 230,000 Aussies and Kiwis alone visiting LA last year.

You can get within 30 metres of the sign from behind if hike to the top of Mount Lee, where the sign is located.

“With new and exciting world-class attractions like SoFi Stadium, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, there’s more to do than ever before in what we’re referring to as ‘LA 2.0’.

The 13-metre tall letters undergo a deep cleaning repainting once every 10 years - it takes about 946 litres of paints and primer

“We look forward to rolling out the red carpet for Aussies to our City of Angels.”

Mr Zarrinman said the one question he often gets asked is how much it costs to see the sign.

“It’s a popular question — but it’s free,” he said.

While you can’t walk up to the sign or touch it, you can get near it by hiking from the Bronson Canyon entrance to Griffith Park or from Griffith Observatory.

“You can hike to the top of Mount Lee, where the sign is located, and get within 100ft (30 metres) of the sign from behind. You get panoramic views of all of LA basin,” he added.

So, if you plan on visiting the sign, don’t forget to take a closer look at the ‘W’ — after all, it is a “unique mistake”, as Mr Zarrinman puts it.