The iconic X mascot, fondly known as ‘Larry the Bird,’ met an explosive end in the Nevada desert recently, transforming a $34,375 auction purchase into an audacious publicity stunt. This wasn’t merely an act of destruction, but a carefully orchestrated event designed to draw eyes to an emerging online marketplace. The 12-foot-tall, 560-pound Twitter bird sign, which once proudly adorned X’s San Francisco headquarters as a symbol of its influential era, was first put up for auction in March 2025.
The sign, a relic from the social media giant’s pre-Elon Musk rebranding, was sold by RR Auction for $34,375, a sum that included the buyer’s premium. Multiple reports identify DitchIt, an online marketplace startup, as the successful bidder, acquiring the piece of internet history during an auction focused on tech artifacts.
However, DitchIt had no intention of preserving the beloved emblem. On June 17, 2025, near Las Vegas, the startup orchestrated a spectacular demolition of the sign at an outdoor adventure park. This elaborate spectacle involved renting four Tesla Cybertrucks, employing a 15-person production team, and even hiring a pyrotechnics expert to ensure a dramatic, multi-angle explosion. The event was explicitly designed to be “all about the publicity, baby,” as stated by the company itself.
DitchIt aimed to promote its app and drew a clear parallel to Elon Musk’s bold rebranding of X, signaling their own disruptive mission in the marketplace space. The decision to blow up the sign, initially conceived from nostalgia after the purchase, swiftly evolved into a high-investment promotional endeavor.
In the aftermath of the explosion, pieces of the broken sign are now being sold through a sealed-bid auction on DitchIt’s platform. The startup has publicly pledged that 100 percent of the proceeds from these sales will be donated to the Center for American Entrepreneurship, adding a charitable aspect to their bold marketing strategy. This daring approach generated significant buzz across social media and news outlets, highlighting DitchIt’s success in capturing widespread attention.
The dramatic destruction of “Larry the Bird” by DitchIt highlights the innovative and unconventional tactics used in modern startup promotion. By turning an iconic piece of digital history into a fiery spectacle, DitchIt has made a significant impact, demonstrating that sometimes a bold display is the best way to gain attention.
