A viral graffiti trend featuring a cartoon bird known as ‘Pam’ by Melburnians has reached new heights as a hotel becomes the latest landmark to be targeted.
‘Pam the Bird’, as the character is known by locals, was painted on the top of the Novotel Hotel on Collins Street in Melbourne‘s CBD on Sunday.
A clip shared to social media this week showed Pam the Bird coloured in black underneath the sprawling Novotel logo.
The words ‘He He Meow’ was written below the beak of the bird.
The graffiti has divided Melburnians, with some welcoming the public artwork akin to that in the city’s famed alleyways, while others regard it as vandalism.
‘This is disgraceful,’ one person wrote.
‘Sick of seeing this c**p all over Melbourne!’ another said.
‘It’s not art, why is everyone liking this? It’s property damage for the sake of it,’ a third added.
Others struggled to understand why someone would go to such great lengths to paint the cartoon on the side of the hotel.
‘Imagine risking your life and or probably jail to graffiti a really s**t looking bird like creature on buildings’, one wrote online.
‘Seen this today, what the actual f**k,’ a second said.
‘This is just dumb,’ a third agreed.
But others praised the anonymous graffiti artist as ‘the urban God of Melbourne’.
‘Everyday I go to work and see Pam the bird on a street sign… it makes me happy,’ one person wrote.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia officers are investigating.
The Accor Group declined to comment when contacted.
Pam the Bird has gained notoriety across Melbourne, where the image has popped up on road signs and railway lines.
The graffiti even appeared on heritage-listed buildings including the Flinders Street Station clock and the Uncle Toby’s factory last year.
The bird has also developed a strong following across social media with people tagging the bird whenever they spot the graffiti.
The artist responsible for the creation of the bird, which has gained a cult like status, remains a mystery.
