'Weed Head' enjoying fame

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NEW YORK, July 29 (UPI) -- A New York City panhandler says he makes about $200 a day taking pictures with fans as his alter-ego, "Weed Head."

"So many people come up to me for my autograph -- and I'm not even Justin Bieber!" said the Jamaican-born Antonio Laird, 29.

Laird's fans line up to take pictures with him as he is dressed in a cardboard box with pictures of marijuana on his head, the New York Post reported Sunday.

"People come up to me all the time and call me a star," Laird said.

The creative panhandler's fame came after an N.Y. Post featured a profile on him. Now, Laird said he had an offer for a reality-TV show about him, had an interview posted on YouTube and is about to start selling "Weed Head" T-shirts through his own Web site.

"My slogan is: 'Smoking weed makes the world a better place,'" Laird said.

Laid, an out-of-work chef, said he makes about $200 a day taking pictures with fans.

"Some people put weed in my hand -- but I'd rather it be cash," he said.