~~June 30, 2014~~

Where in the world is WALDO?

He separated from himself and became one with the universe.

He has grown, has matured and decided to be his own person.

I’m very happy for you, Waldo. Your travels most likely made you weary. Now you have found peace.

Where’s Wally? (known in the United States and Canada as Where’s Waldo?) is a series of children’s books created by British illustrator Martin Handford.

The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things at a given location. Readers are challenged to find a character named Wally hidden in the group. Wally’s distinctive red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses make him slightly easier to recognize, but many illustrations contain “red herrings” involving deceptive use of red-and-white striped objects. Later entries in the long-running book series added other targets for readers to find in each illustration.

The books have also inspired a TV show, comic strip and a series of video games.

Characters

Wally, whose name was localized for international editions: In the first two books, Wally wandered alone; he was the only person or thing that could be found in every illustration in the books. Over time, more characters were added to find in each scene.
Wilma, Wally’s friend first appeared in the Ultimate Fun Book, and was replaced by her identical twin sister Wenda in the Where’s Wally: The Magnificent Poster Book.
Wenda, A friend of Wally who replaced her twin sister Wilma for In Hollywood (although she previously appeared in The Magnificent Poster Book).
Odlaw, Wally’s nemesis, who made his print debut in The Magnificent Poster Book. He appears nearly the same as Wally, except that his clothes are yellow and black striped instead of red and white; his glasses have a blue tint to them; and he has a moustache. Although we are told “his bad deeds are many,” he is not depicted in the books doing anything particularly nasty. However, in the T.V. series, he is frequently seen to be attempting to steal Wally’s magical walking stick. Note that the name “Odlaw” is simply a reversal of the spelling of “Waldo,” the American name for Wally, although he is called “Odlaw” in the UK as well.

Woof, Wally’s dog, first appeared in The Ultimate Fun Book, where he was identified as Wenda’s dog. Only his tail can be found with the exception of the final page of Where’s Wally: The Wonder Book, which depicts all of Woof, and the six activity books released between 1993 and 1995 (the first book of which is titled The Truly Terrific Activity Book), where Woof shows himself to the reader.
Wizard Whitebeard, first seen in The Fantastic Journey. His signature is his exceptionally long beard, which is often the key to finding him. In his first appearance, he was responsible for sending Wally on a quest to discover the truth about himself, and he has tagged along on Wally’s travels ever since. His appearance in The Ultimate Fun Book, however, is in just one scene (“Old Friends”) and his presence is unmentioned in the book and acts as one of the background characters.
The Wally Watchers are Wally’s devoted fan-club that first appeared in Where’s Wally? The Ultimate Fun Book (1990). They turn up wherever Wally goes, dressed in the same red-and-white striped outfit. 25 appear in most books, though there are 99 of them in the Ultimate Fun Book.