Here are some little known Waldo facts
Waldo Origin Story
Waldo was created by an artist name Martin Hanford. He was trying to write a book that would showcase his artistic talent. He created the character Waldo to help provide a link between each scene in the book. His earlier editors thought his book filled with only crowd scenes would be lacking a them and direction. Basically Waldo was an afterthought. Handford was mostly looking to showcase his talent for creating busy crowd scenes. However early fans of his work were drawn to the fun and unique character and he has evolved and grown for more than 25 years now.
The story of Waldo is simple, a distinctly dressed man wearing a red and white striped beanie and striped clothing begins a world wide journey around the world and other exotic locales. He visits everyday places like the beach, ski slops, the zoo and even The Land of the Waldos. The books invited the readers to find the uniquely dressed Waldo among the crowded scene. At the start of each page is a postcard from Waldo explaining his travels and some hints about the picture.
This is what happened when Asia got a hold of Waldo
Waldo's Tool's of the Trade
Waldo is not traveling empty handed. Everywhere that he travels he carries with him 12 special items.
- Walking Stick
- Kettle
- Mallet
- Cup
- Backpack
- Sleeping Bag
- Binoculars
- Camera
- Snorkel
- Belt
- Bag
- Shovel
The Where's Waldo Cast of Characters
Waldo Might Be Lost But He is Not Alone
Waldo might have started off his journey alone, but he would not be alone for long. He would later be joined by several new characters. His first female companion would be Wilma but she was soon replaced by her identical twin sister Wenda. Wenda dressed just like Waldo with a striped beanie, and red a white striped shirt and wire framed glasses. He would soon find his nemesis named Odlaw, which you might have noticed is "Waldo" spelled backwards. He wears yellow and black striped clothing and his wire framed glasses have a blue tint to them. Also unlike Waldo Odlaw has a sinister mustache. He is sometimes seen trying to steal Waldo's magical walking stick. Another companion for Waldo in his travels was Woof. Woof is Waldo's dog, he is one of the hardest characters to find in the series. Wally's mentor of sorts, was Wizard Whtebeard. According to the story he was the one to send Waldo on this journey to find himself. He is recognized for his long white beard, blue wizards hat and red cloak. Eventually Wally's popularity grew to the point to where the Wally Watchers were created. They were Waldo's devoted fan-club and actually were featured in the Ultimate Fun Book.
Man of Many Names
Waldo originated in England but is known by different names in all of the countries that he has been introduced to.
- French=Charlie
- Hindi=Hetti
- Norway=Willy
- Croatia=Jura
- Denmark=Holger
- Czech=Valdik
- Estonia=Volli
- German=Walter
- Hungarian=Villi
- Italian=Ubaldo
- Korean=Wolli
- Vietnamese=Van Lang
Taking Waldo Fandom to a whole new level
Lesser Known Waldo Facts
- The book was shortly banned because there was a nude women on the beach in one of the scenes
- There is no formula for finding Waldo, he could be anywhere.
- Scientists have studied people searching for Waldo and have studied the brainwave patterns associated with it
- There are only 7 main books in the series, however many spin off versions have been produced.
- In 2011 3,872 people broke the World Record in Dublin for the most people gathered together dressed like Waldo.
- There was a Google Earth project called "Where on Earth is Waldo" where art students painted Waldo templates and encouraged people to put them on their roofs so that they would show up on Google Earth, and you could find him just like the books. http://whereonearthiswaldo.wordpress.com/
- The original character had round glasses, and a pom pom red and white striped beanie. Waldo's creator Hanford describe him as being like a "trainspotter" which was a phrase used in England in the 1980's describing someone who was a bit daft (Kind of silly or foolish, some might say, lost)
- The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) version of Where's Waldo is considered one of the worst video games of all time.
- Some actually have gotten a Waldo Scene tattoo
He is not a hard man to find
Waldo: From 1987-2014
Waldo has become a huge part of the popular culture of the past 25 years. Anybody under the age of 30 will most likely have fond memories of the garish yet memorable lost traveler. Many people choose to dress up as Waldo every year and decide to don the red and white beanie, the striped shirt and the black wire rim glasses. Waldo has become the kind of character that stands out while blending in. These Waldo costumes can be found online and sometimes in stores. Some people make their costumes but it is better to save your time and buy Waldo Costumes from trusted online retailers. Click here for more great costume ideas including Wenda costume sets and the complete Waldo Costume set including the shirt, glasses and beanie.
