Shepard Fairey created the original “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign in 1989.
Fairey began the project while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. The first stickers used a newspaper image of professional wrestler Andre the Giant and the words “ANDRE THE GIANT HAS A POSSE,” turning a classroom joke into a widely copied street-art intervention.
The campaign later evolved into the “Obey Giant” project. Fairey changed the wording after receiving a legal complaint from Titan Sports, the company connected to the WWF at the time. The replacement “OBEY” design became even more influential in street art, graphic design, and streetwear.
The campaign is often called the Obey campaign from the beginning, but “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” was the original title. Fairey created it; the wrestler did not participate in the project.