Kathryn Kidd claims she painted the emojis on her house to spread cheer. But neighbors say it was an act of revenge.
Emojis, of all things, are sparking a nasty neighborhood feud in California.
Big yellow faces painted on a bright pink house are causing outrage. An emoji with a tongue sticking out and another with a mouth zipped shut are part of the decor.
The other homes on the block in Manhattan Beach are painted in muted colors, so the home stands out.
The owner, Kathryn Kidd, says she did it to cheer up the neighborhood.
"The emoji house is positive, it is happy, and I think it is great," Kidd told Inside Edition.
But the neighbors say she did it to tick them off.
"She was mad because she got caught cheating," a neighbor said.
The feud erupted after the owner started renting out her house on Airbnb, which is against the law in Manhattan Beach. Her neighbors reported her and she was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. Soon after that, she hired an artist to paint the emojis, prompting many to wonder whether she was seeking revenge.
One neighbor, who lives across the street, says the emojis were painted to look like her due to the long eyelashes on one of the animated characters.
Kidd says she did not paint the house to get back at them.
The neighbors went to the city council to try to force the owner to paint over the emojis, but as it turns out, the paint job is totally legal.
Now the neighbors are appealing to the city planning board, and if that doesn't work, they say they'll sue.
Kidd doesn’t seem to be fazed by it at all. Her message? "Get over it."
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