SUNSET HILLS, Mo. — A pile of rubble is all that remains of a smiley face that once brightened the days of countless commuters along southbound Interstate 270.
A boulder, painted with a smiley face and affectionately named "Rocky" by drivers who frequented the area, was recently destroyed by the Missouri Department of Transportation, a department spokesperson told 5 On Your Side. The large rock fell off a nearby bluff several months ago and came to rest near the roadway, being labeled as a hazard by the department. It was put on a list to be removed, but broken equipment delayed its destruction.
"(The rock) was in what we would call the 'clear zone,' which is a technical term that basically means an area around the highway where, if a vehicle is pulling off the highway it may hit something, so things have to be removed," MoDOT spokesperson Andrew Gates told 5 On Your Side. "The rock was always on the schedule to be removed, but unfortunately, our equipment had broken, so they couldn't get to it for some time."
Between the months-long period of the rock falling and being jackhammered, it had become a source of joy and the subject of an "art war," according to St. Louis-based Art Monster Tattoo Studio artist Chris Sabatino.
Over the past few months, "Rocky's" faces have alternated between that of a smiley face and that of a tusked orc, the logo of the tattoo studio. Sabatino said the back-and-forth was part of a guerilla marketing campaign for the studio.
"I hear about it all the time," Sabatino said. "Throughout this city, countless people pass that rock every day and so many eyes are laid on it to where it's become such a great public piece of art."
The light-hearted "art war" went back and forth with Sabatino and an unknown artist painting different pictures on the boulder up until its destruction.
"People were definitely saddened about its demolition," Sabatino said. "It was such a simple idea, and it struck so many eyes and minds to the point of it affecting them daily."
The sadness was shared by over a hundred people on a local Nextdoor post, with many mourning the innocent smile.
