josh brolin tag toronto

Josh Brolin's name keeps appearing all over Toronto

If you have noticed actor Josh Brolin's name written on the side of a bridge or building in Toronto and wondered why, you are not alone.

The Avengers actor's name has been spotted scrawled in spray paint around the city.

In a recent post, one person seemed to appreciate the tribute.

"Thank you to the artist writing "Josh BROLIN" in Toronto public spaces," they said.

Another Toronto resident joked about the possible meaning of the tag.

"uh oh... that tag means we're in the territory of the notorious Josh Brolin Boys," one person posted.

There doesn't seem to be a clear answer as to why the tags are appearing but the phenomenon is strikingly similar to a Val Kilmer graffiti spree back in 2006.

Suddenly black-and-white images of the smiling actor's head started to appear on buildings and doorways in downtown New York, according to a story in the New York Post.

The images, usually in series of five or six, were often complemented by random spray-painted scrawls, or tags, reading simply "Val Kilmer," the story noted.

The Post linked the New York Val Kilmer graffiti back to a 2005 Toronto art exhibit called Mr. Brown vs. Val Kilmer, which featured many, many floating Kilmer heads, and may have spread to New York.

The Val Kilmer floating heads appeared around the city particularly on College Street and Queen Street West, and in 2005, the artists from the exhibit told blogTO "they are two rad dudes just looking to make Toronto more beautiful with inventive work in places where people can see and enjoy it."

So perhaps Josh Brolin is the new Val Kilmer — we may never know for sure — but it is fun to speculate.

Lead photo by

Karen Longwell


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