'Spocking' Money Legal but 'Inappropriate,' Bank of Canada Says
"Spocked" bills won't live long and prosper, Bank of Canada warns.
— -- Canadian “Star Trek” fans have been paying tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy through "Spocking," or drawing in the character’s sharp eyebrows, bowl-shaped hair and pointy ears on look-a-like former Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier, who’s featured on the $5 bill.
There's now good news and bad news for these "Spockers."
The good news? "Spocking" isn't illegal, the Bank of Canada confirmed in a statement emailed to ABC News today.
The bad news? Your "Spocked" bills won't live long and prosper. Those drawn-in Spock features could prevent your money from being accepted in a transaction, interfere with security features and reduce a bill's lifespan, the Bank of Canada said.
"It is not illegal to write or make other markings on bank notes because neither the Bank of Canada Act nor the Criminal Code deals with mutilation or defacement of bank notes," the bank said.
But "the Bank of Canada feels that writing and markings on bank notes are inappropriate as they are a symbol of our country and a source of national pride," the bank said.
“Spocking” has apparently been going on for years, though now more than ever after Nimoy's recent death. The Canadian Design Resource (CDR) took to Twitter to spur users to "Spock" their $5 bills to honor actor Nimoy, who was born in Boston. The $5 Canadian note converts to about four U.S. dollars.
In response to the Bank of Canada's statement, the CDR told ABC News they have the following message for the bank.
"Hey Bank of Canada, this is OK," CDR spokesman Todd Falkowsky said. "Don't be scared. I am sure that Sir Wilfrid Laurier [who died in 1919] would get it."
The origins of "Spocking" are "mysterious" and "shrouded in secrecy, although it is widely believed to be totally awesome," Facebook group Spock Your Fives wrote on its page.
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