Where's Waldo? And Who's Wally? | Mental Floss Where's Waldo? And Who's Wally? Image credit: Like us on Facebook Since I moved to London, I've gotten used to things being just a bit different: Sure, there's the whole accent thing and the driving on the other side of the road and the insertion of u's where they hadn't been before, but I mean the much more subtle differences "“ like Waldo. With his trademark red-and-white striped shirt, his knit cap topped with a pom-pom, glasses and walking stick, Waldo has wended his way through virtually every country on every continent, through time and space and imagination, the sets of Hollywood movies and the pages of beloved books. And Where's Waldo? you ask? Everywhere. His books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 25 languages, and as a character, Waldo has become an icon, appearing on TV shows such as The Simpsons, Friends and Frasier. Waldo even made it onto the cover of Rolling Stone. But here in the UK, Waldo is Wally.

And, shockingly enough, Waldo was actually Wally first "“ and he's British. Wally was the brainchild of Martin Handford, an illustrator born in the Greater London neighborhood of Hampstead. Handford said that growing up, his earliest influences were large-scale cinema epics, the kinds of movies with large crowd scenes, which he would then try to recreate with pen and paper. Already a known illustrator who specialized in crowd scenes, Handford was asked to put together a book of his work "“ and voila! Wally was born, a visual tie-in that kept continuity from scene to scene. Eventually, after publishers bought the book, Wally evolved into the bespectacled bumbling traveler we now know: In a typical book, Wally/Waldo carries his trademark walking stick, in addition to 11 other items that are designed to help him on his travels: kettle, mallet, cup, backpack, sleeping bag, binoculars, camera, snorkel, belt, bag and a shovel. Waldo, however, isn't particularly good at keeping track of his items and so, on each page, he loses one, requiring the reader to help him find it.

To find him and his lost item, readers are tasked with visually sorting through vast scenes, often rife with visual puns and humor (sometimes a bit risquÃ© humor at that). The book series launched in 1987 in the UK, with Wally as its titular character; later that same year, the series was launched in the US, where Wally was introduced as Waldo. The series took off, becoming a sensation within only a few years and eventually morphing into a TV series in both the US and the UK, a comic strip, several video games (including one due out this September from Ubisoft), and even a few magazines (in the UK and Australia, Wally went on weekly adventures to new countries, which he reported on his children's geographical and cultural magazine, Wally's World). By 1997, when the publishers of the books came out with Where's Waldo?

The Wonder Book, the Waldo world also had several new characters to find: Woof, Waldo/Wally's faithful canine companion; Wenda, Waldo's girlfriend and the "one who takes pictures," according to the introduction to The Wonder Book; Wizard Whitebeard, whose magic allows the apparently jobless Waldo to travel as much as he does; and Odlaw, whose mean disposition, black-and-yellow striped clothing and slick mustache make him the villain in the Waldo-verse. The intrepid traveler had even by then sparked some controversy "“ Waldo was spotted on the American Library Association's list of 100 most frequently challenged books, after wandering through a beach scene containing a nearly topless sunbather. But not only has this international man of mystery gotten lost in scenes across the world, but so has his original identity. Continuing the pattern started with its introduction to the US, Wally got a new name and it seems, a new attitude with every country he was introduced.

In some countries, Waldo retained the whimsical "˜w' in his name: For example, in Germany, he's Walter ("Wo ist Walter?") and in Norway, he's Willy ("Der hvor er Willy?"). But in France, he became Charlie ("Ou est Charlie?"), in Denmark, Holger and in Israel, Effi. According to Wikipedia (and therefore not entirely to be believed), American Waldo is a hipper, more "tech-savvy" traveler, while British Wally is a bit of a dork. These days, Waldo and Wally (and Walter, Willy, Charlie, Holger and Effy) have been popping up in some pretty interesting places "“ and in some cases, in incredibly large numbers. This April, students at Rutgers University earned a Guinness Book of World Records distinction for the most number of people dressed as Waldo in one place. In 2006, Waldo met with a bit of misadventure: According to Internet lore, he appeared in a field of corpses, with an arrow through his head, in a single frame of the theatrical release of the film Apocalypto.

And that's not all: Now that Google Streetview has canvassed more of the earth, Waldo/Wally was recently seen at 77 Putney High Street in London; in 2008, Google Earth made a 55-foot tall version of Wally on top of a building visible; he's been found in some pretty atrocious fanfiction on the Internet; and he even made an appearance at this year's ComicCon, flanked by two scantily clad Waldettes. Word also has it that we might be seeing more of Waldo in the near future "“ Universal has recently acquired the rights to the Where's Waldo? franchise and plans to make the beloved if plot-less books into a live action family film. So, who do you think should play Waldo in the movie? Do you have any Waldo memories that stand out (say, the nearly topless lady in the beach scene)? Waldo/Wally turns 22 on September 21 "“ any plans to celebrate the worldwide wanderer's birthday? August 3, 2009 - 11:25am Why is 'Where's Wally' called 'Where's Waldo' in the USA?

- The Student Room Why is 'Where's Wally' called 'Where's Waldo' in the USA? 1 24-02-2013 15:44 I was watching the promo for the next Black Mirror The Waldo Moment programme and somehow got onto thinking about Where's Wally/ Waldo now it's bugging me why there are two different titles XD Does anyone know? I can think of three possible reasons, but they may all be wrong: "Wally" is an insult, so they changed it Wally isn't a common name in the US (not that it is here either) They couldn't get permission to license the name "Where's Wally?", so they picked a slightly different, but original, name But those are all guesses. It's something that's bugged me too. My money's on number 3 if I had to pick any of them. 3 24-02-2013 15:52 Continuing the pattern started with its introduction to the US, Wally got a new name (Waldo) and it seems, a new attitude with every country he was introduced.

In some countries, Waldo retained the whimsical "˜w' in his name: For example, in Germany, he's Walter ("Wo ist Walter?") and in Norway, he's Willy ("Der hvor er Willy?"). But in France, he became Charlie ("Ou est Charlie?"), in Denmark, Holger and in Israel, Effi. According to Wikipedia (and therefore not entirely to be believed), American Waldo is a hipper, more "tech-savvy" traveler, while British Wally is a bit of a dork. I can think of three possible reasons, but they may all be wrong: "Wally" is an insult, so they changed it Wally isn't a common name in the US (not that it is here either) They couldn't get permission to license the name "Where's Wally?", so they picked a slightly different, but original, name But those are all guesses. It's something that's bugged me too. My money's on number 3 if I had to pick any of them.

I was thinking along those lines as well but I think a wally is more of an insult in this country than USA plus they also named that pixar movie Wall-e Like you said I think it's more than third one if anything but it's still a bit confusing as to why and have been for ages, apparently when I was 4 and in America I kept asking the shop workers why Wally was called Waldo and they got really confused and thought I was just a crazy little English girl XD ( Original post by CarryOn123) Like Harry Potter's name didn't change but the title of the philosopher's stone changed to the sorcerer's stone O.o I know with that one, it's because the publisher thought readers would mistake it for being a book about philosophy. At the time JK Rowling was desperate for it to be published so she reluctantly went along with the change. Not sure about Wally/Waldo though. I'd imagine in general they'd change names like this because a name might say something about a character in a certain culture, but in another culture/language they'd need a different name to get the same effect.

( Original post by CarryOn123) I remember how pissed off my cousins were at that, I had to send them a British copy cos of how offended they were XD I'm glad I'm not the only one! I had so much trouble with learning how to pronounce Hermione before the films My dad had a problem pronouncing it even after he'd seen about half of the films. I regret to say that I hadn't read most of the first book by the time I saw the first film. I started reading it about a day or two before we went to the cinema. IIRC there was some technical issue and we ended up watching the start twice ( Original post by ttoby) I know with that one, it's because the publisher thought readers would mistake it for being a book about philosophy. At the time JK Rowling was desperate for it to be published so she reluctantly went along with the change. Not sure about Wally/Waldo though. I'd imagine in general they'd change names like this because a name might say something about a character in a certain culture, but in another culture/language they'd need a different name to get the same effect.

The majority of Americans really aren't that thick though XD Ahhh fair enough to her for trying to prevent it though, I still remember seeing the American version of philosopher's stone and how pissed off the cast all looked at having to say 'sorcerer's stone' instead of 'philosopher's stone' That makes more sense to me now, I asked my mumma as well (she only just came in from work) and she said the same thing as when we were out in America my aunt said it was cos Wally is an insult in some states but also Waldo is a more common abbreviation for Walter than Wally. I think the answer has been discovered! ( Original post by Manitude) My dad had a problem pronouncing it even after he'd seen about half of the films. I regret to say that I hadn't read most of the first book by the time I saw the first film. I started reading it about a day or two before we went to the cinema.

IIRC there was some technical issue and we ended up watching the start twice Hahah oh dear, in all fairness it's not really an easy name to say so he can be let off with that I hadn't read any of the books until I was in year 7/8, my teacher read them to us during our reading times plus I couldn't actually read that well at that point (I was a slow learner at a ****e school) but my teachers all had their own versions of her name my year 4 teacher called her 'Helen' year 5 called her 'Minie' and year 6 teacher was the only one that actually called her 'Hermione' as the film had just come out around then Where’s Wally 25th Anniversary:A History and Character List in Retrospect | Exclusive Books Blog Where’s Wally 25th Anniversary: A History and Character List in Retrospect From Waldo.wikia.com : Where’s Waldo?, also known as Where’s Wally?, is a successful media franchise created by British illustrator Martin Handford . The series debuted in 1987 with the release of Where’s Waldo?.

The book introduced readers to Waldo, a distinctively dressed man, as he sets off on “a world-wide hike”. The book was soon followed by the release of Where’s Waldo Now (1988) and The Great Waldo Search (1989). Waldo Waldo is the star of the “Where’s Waldo?” series. The character is known for his distinct wardrobe of a red and white striped shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, red and white striped socks, glasses, and his red and white bobbled hat. He has traveled all over the world, through time, and to distant magical lands. Waldo is more commonly known as Wally since his name was changed in the 21st century. Waldo isn’t the only one like him; he comes from the Land of Waldos, which is a land filled with Waldos just like him. Waldo is always ready for an adventure with his walking stick in hand, and trusty dog Woof by his side. His favorite hobbies are reading and collecting things from his many travels. The character’s age is unknown and his height is described as “tallish” and weight as “lightish”.

Waldo has a happy-go-lucky attitude and is often seen with a smile on his face. Waldo first appeared in 1987 in the book Where’s Waldo?. Over the years Waldo’s appearance changed only slightly. He is called Waldo only in the USA but in the UK and South Africa, he’s called Wally. As more books were released the cast of characters grew as well – including Wizard Whitebeard, Wilma, Wenda, Woof, Odlaw and the Waldo Watchers. More Waldo books followed – such as Where’s Waldo in Hollywood , The Wonder Book and The Great Picture Hunt! . Waldo soon became a huge pop-culture sensation in the early 1990s. The world was swept with “Waldo-mania”. The franchise grew to include video games, books, magazines, toys, comics, and even an animated television series. Wizard Whitebeard The magical Wizard Whitebeard often visits Waldo with one of his many magical scrolls (something he always ends up losing). The Wizard is recognizable by his red robe, blue hat, long white beard, and his striped staff.

Whitebeard is the one with the magic that allows Waldo and his friends to travel to all the magical and far off lands. While there are rumors stating that he is the father of Wenda, these have not been confirmed and are not considered canon. Wizard Whitebeard first appeared in 1989 in the book The Great Waldo Search. Wilma Wilma was Waldo’s girlfriend. She was a short-lived Waldo character, only appearing in two books (The Ultimate Fun Book and The Magnificent Poster Book). She was the original owner of Woof the dog. Wilma is the twin sister of Wenda (who later replaced her as Where’s Waldo’s female character). The two appeared together in The Magnificent Poster Book. Wilma’s wardrobe includes a red and white striped shirt, blue skirt, red and white striped stockings, glasses, and her red and white bobbled hat. Like Waldo, Wilma wrote postcards. They were often to the reader or Waldo, and were sent with her own photo-stamp (similar to Waldo). She introduced herself in The Ultimate Fun book saying: …My name is Wilma and from now on I’m going to going wherever you go.

Just for fun, of course! Have you noticed me yet, have you spotted me in the crowd?…And have you met my dog Woof? Oh wow, actually where is he?… Wilma first appeared in 1990 in Where’s Waldo: The Ultimate Fun Book. Wenda Wenda is Waldo’s current girlfriend. The character is the “one who takes the pictures” according to the intro of The Wonder Book, but she always loses her camera. Wenda was featured in the Where’s Waldo? television series, in the episode The Living Exhibits. She first appeared in 1991 in Where’s Waldo: The Magnificent Poster Book along with her twin sister, Wilma. Wilma, however, has not been seen since. Wenda’s wardrobes include a red and white striped shirt, blue skirt, red and white striped stockings, glasses, and red and white bobbled hat. Woof Woof is Waldo’s dog and good friend. Woof originally belonged to Wilma, but over the years became Waldo’s dog. Woof comes from the Land of Woofs, which is a land full of dogs like him.

Like his owner, Woof sports a red and white bobbled hat, glasses, and a red and white striped suit. Woof sets off with Waldo on his travels with his bone, but always seems to lose it. Woof is shy and easily scared. He gets so scared at many of the places he travels to that he hides, leaving only his tail showing. In the classic Waldo Books, only Woof’s tail can be spotted. Woof first appeared in 1990 in Where’s Waldo: The Ultimate Fun Book. Oldaw Odlaw is a character of the “Where’s Waldo?” series. He is “mean, nasty, loathsome, and disgusting.” His number of good deeds are few and all he cares about is getting his hands on Waldo’s magic walking stick. His wardrobe includes a black and yellow striped shirt, black jeans, boots, dark glasses, yellow and black bobbled hat, and a slick moustache.

Odlaw seems to be something of an evil twin to Waldo, and it is later confirmed by the revelation that he comes from Odlaw’s Swamp in remote Maine, where hundreds of other Odlaws live, which is a parallel to the Land of Waldos. Odlaw can be really clumsy, so he always ends up getting hurt. His friends also tell him to frequently “Shut Up” and stop writing “Odlaw wuz here” on everything with which he comes in contact–because, seriously, tagging yourself in your own Facebook comments is pretty lame, Odlaw. -> THIS. The trolling is strong with this one. He is reportedly based on a young boy that illustrator Martin Handford met in Portland, Maine during a hunting trip. Odlaw’s name comes from “Waldo” spelled backwards. He first appeared in 1991 in the book Where’s Waldo: The Magnificent Poster Book! where his role was like an “Anti-Waldo”. The Waldo Watchers Waldo Watcher is the term used to describe the followers and fans of Waldo.

They dress like Waldo – red and white striped shirt, blue pants, boots, red and white striped socks, and a red and white bobbled hat. They are usually kids (both boys and girls) and they travel where ever Waldo does. They too, get lost on Waldo’s travels as they try to keep up with their idol. While Waldo has never actually interacted with the watchers in the books, authors of Where’s Waldo fan fiction have gone into the subject in great detail. 3 Ways to Find Waldo - wikiHow Knowing What to Look For 1 Spot Waldo’s clothes. In the beloved “Where’s Waldo” books by Martin Handford, readers are supposed to look for a cartoon man named Waldo. Knowing what to look for is where you must start. [1] Waldo wears a red-striped shirt and a red-striped hat. Be careful, though, because the illustrator has planted other people with red stripes in an attempt to fool you. There should be a picture of Waldo on the cover of the books. Create a picture of Waldo in your “mind’s eye” by studying his picture for a few minutes. This helps your brain seek out similar colors and images in the pages.

[2] Waldo also has round black glasses, and a walking stick/brown wooden cane with a curved top. [3] Waldo wears brown work boots. [4] Waldo wears blue jeans with pockets. He has short brown hair with longer bangs that are swept to the right. He usually has a smile on his face. [5] 2 Focus on landmarks. One technique that can be effective is to focus on landmarks where Waldo might be hiding out, rather than just wildly looking around. Look around landmarks like a castle moat or a blimp or other central elements to the scene. Waldo often carries objects with him. This could be a camera, camping gear, a teacup, or any other relevant accessory. Sometimes, looking for these things on the page will lead you right to Waldo! Handford has said that he didn’t strive to be purely random when choosing where to put Waldo. Instead, he said that he puts “Wally when I come to what I feel is a good place to hide him.” Most of the Waldo books also contain a postcard from Waldo in the top left-hand corner of the left page when you open a two-page spread. Waldo is never hidden here.

3 Know where else Waldo is not. Various studies have found that there are some places Waldo almost never appears on the page. Waldo is almost never spotted in the page’s top left-hand corner. He is rarely located on the edges of pages, and he is never found on the bottom of the right page. Waldo is called different names around the world. He is Ubaldo in Italy, Jonas in Lithuania, Walter in Germany, Wally in the UK and Australia, and Van Lang in Vietnam. [6] Have fun with it! Challenge yourself by scanning the page, and seeing how long it takes you to find Waldo without extra help. [7] Method Using Analysis to Find Waldo 1 Look near the middle area of the page. A graduate student named Randal S. Olson used computer science to create a way to find Waldo in each of the seven books in the “Where’s Waldo” series. Olson charted where Waldo appears in each of the books. He found that Waldo is usually not found in the left corner or around the edges of pages. The bottom part of the right page is somewhere Waldo never appears.

[8] Olson even created a heat map that included a line for you to follow if you want to increase your chances of finding Waldo. It’s rather complex, but you can find it online. [9] Olson claimed he could find Waldo in 10 seconds, and sometimes even less than that. Start at the bottom half of the left page. Then move your way up to the middle and then down the right side of the page. 2 Look in the middle bands of the page. Others have also tried to study Waldo’s hiding spots looking for patterns to help readers. They too have found that Waldo is often found near, although not exactly at, the page's middle. Waldo is not hiding all of the time in any single one corner of a page. He found that Waldo is rarely in the right-hand corner at the top of the right page. In general, Waldo is not found as often near the bottom or top of a page. However, more than half of the time, Waldo is hiding within one of two 1.5-inch tall bands. The first one is located three inches from the page’s bottom. The other one is seven inches from the bottom.

Waldo is also not likely to be found in the middle of the page, but just above or below it in one of these two bands. Both of these bands stretch from one end of the page to the other when the book is open wide. Start by studying these areas to increase your chances of finding Waldo quickly. He is not always located there; he is just located there more often. 3 Find other characters. Initially, Waldo was the only character to find in each scene, but as more books have been created, other characters were added. Wally or Waldo has a friend named Wilma who appeared in the Ultimate Fun Book. Her twin sister replaced her in Where’s Wally: The Magnificent Poster Book. Odlaw opposes Wally. He looks a lot like Wally, but he wears yellow and black striped clothes. His glasses are blue tinted, and he has a mustache. Wally has a dog named Woof, who shows up in the Ultimate Fun Book. The Wizard Whitebeard is a background character who often goes along on Wally’s travels. You might find Waldo located near these characters. Method Playing Other Waldo Games 1 Look online. Waldo is a cottage industry of his own.

In addition to puzzles and the books, you can find online Waldo riddles and games. [10] It works the same way; you are given a complicated photo that includes a sea of people and you're tasked with spotting Waldo. Sometimes you will be given a multiple sentence riddle containing clues as to his location. Waldo is often harder to spot because the illustrator uses colors to fool you. For example, don’t assume he’s in the seas of red you see. 2 Download a Waldo app. There are Waldo apps you can download on the Android and iOS smartphones. The newest apps are free. [11] The plot involves a twister that has torn through the countryside, and you must locate Waldo and other hidden objects that the twister has scattered about, or they will be lost in the sea. Unusual stories accompany each new land. You will use a map to visit each of the lands, and will earn coins as you find the objects in them. The coins are used to unlock new lands. The game is called Waldo & Friends. One downside of it is that it contains ads.

The positive is that if you are done with all of the Waldo books, there are plenty of other places you can find Waldo! 3 Use tricks to find Waldo in the app. You can increase your chances of finding Waldo in the app with a few quick strategies. [12] Try playing the same scene again and again so you figure out where objects are placed, and you will be able to find them when you play again. When you find an object, don’t tap it right away. If you find more objects nearby and tap them to get combos, you will end up with a higher final score. Save bones for really tough scenarios because you can use them to instantly find an item. Wait until the final star of the game because they’re hard to get. 4 Look at the scenery in which Waldo appears. Look for the colors that stand out in Waldo's clothes, or look for the hat. These items will either be differently colored from the surrounding scenery or will stand out as something out of context. Watch out for Waldo lookalikes! Often, there will be Waldo impostors in red-and-white striped shirts or glasses, there to trick you into thinking you've found Waldo.

Be sure to look closely at the image you find to make sure it's the true Waldo. Look for "extras." Often, scanning for the bonus items on each page, you'll uncover Waldo along the way! It's a two-for-one that can save many valuable minutes in your day. Community Q&A Do Waldo's clothes ever change? wikiHow Contributor Is his name Waldo or Wally? wikiHow Contributor Depends on the country you're in. He's Waldo in the U.S., and Wally in the U.K., the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and some other countries. Where's Wally? (Literature) - TV Tropes Where's Wally? You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share "There he is." — Last line from the cartoon show's Theme Song . Where's Wally? (titled Where's Waldo? when exported to North America) is a series of picture books where each page is a complex scene filled with hundreds of tiny people. The goal is to find Wally/Waldo, a man in glasses, a bobble hat and a red-and-white striped shirt, carrying a cane.

Each page has a short flavor text where Wally/Waldo describes his adventures, pointing the reader to other, usually humorous, things to look for. The Where's Wally/Waldo? books include: Where's Wally/Waldo? Where's Wally/Waldo Now? (retitled Find Waldo Now in North America) (featuring various historical scenes) Where's Wally?: The Fantastic Journey (retitled The Great Waldo Search in North America, though an updated re-release went back to the former subtitle) (featuring fantasy scenes) Where's Wally/Waldo? The Ultimate Fun Book Where's Wally/Waldo? In Hollywood Where's Wally/Waldo? The Wonder Book (more fantasy scenes) Where's Wally/Waldo? The Great Picture Hunt (A balance between the normal books, and The Ultimate Fun Book) Aside from Wally/Waldo, recurring characters include his friend Wenda, his nemesis Odlaw, his dog Woof (who is usually hidden except for his tail) and the Wizard Whitebeard. Spawned a short-lived Saturday Morning cartoon show that aired on CBS which justified its connection to the books by having a "find Waldo" puzzle before each act break.

These were often much harder than the ones in the books, not because they were particularly complex, but because the low resolution on TV's at the time made finding small details (like Waldo) a trying tasknote if only they had waited until the HD era of TV.... Also had an NES game which had even worse resolution (Everything was 8-bit) These books contain examples of: Adaptation Expansion : The animated series. Among other things, it gave Odlaw a reason to antagonize Waldo (he wanted to steal his magical cane ). Anachronism Stew : Too many times to count. A Pirate 400 Years Too Late : A crew of stereotypical pirates, led by a Blackbeard clone, are shown boarding a cruise ship at the marina. One of the pirates is chasing a woman in a bikini, while another is pursuing men wearing nothing but swim trunks! The Artifact : Odlaw was invented for the American animated adaptation and was given a Sdrawkcab Name as Waldo's opposite. This name is still kept when the cartoon was redubbed back into British English for a British audience and 'Waldo' is Wally again, so the reference is lost.

Admittedly 'Yllaw' would be unpronounceable unless you're Welsh. Barefoot Sage : Wizard Whitebeard tends to go barefoot. Cat-apult : In Find Waldo Now, "The End of the Crusades" has a cat loaded onto the rightmost catapult. Celebrity Paradox : Tarzan, Paul Bunyan, and Count Dracula make cameo appearances in the "realistic" first book. Clothes Make the Legend : That red and white striped shirt, hat and glasses. Distaff Counterpart : Wenda to Waldo. Dub Name Change : Wally is called Walter in German, Charlie in French, Willy in Norwegian, Holger in Danish, Valli in Icelandic, Efi in Israel (a Punny Name , since the Hebrew word for "where" is eyfo) and Waldo in America and Canada. Additionally, when the cartoon was aired in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Waldo was changed back to Wally. Early Installment Weirdness : The first book is entirely mundane contemporary scenes. Quite the contrast to its successors, which used time travel to historical settings, completely fantastic settings, and some combination of the two respectively.

The scenes also have less people in them, compared to the later books. While the first book has plenty of people in the pictures, there's still a fair amount of space between them. The others are packed with people. Evil Twin : Odlaw. Funny Background Event : Pretty much everything that isn't Wally himself. Getting Crap Past the Radar : Cartoonist Martin Handford hid his titular hero amongst massive (sometimes absurdly so) crowd scenes in which so many unusual events were taking place that you had to look carefully to make out the guy in the striped shirt and ski cap (which was the point of the book). Many of the events depicted were ridiculous or bizarre, and several of them were controversial inclusions for a book aimed at kids ages 6 to 14: a vacuum cleaner sucking a woman's dress off of her body, a man graphically vomiting, and another guy getting accidentally hit in the nuts.

One of these sneaky scenes was so subtle that you might not even notice it: a boy at the beach teases a bikini-clad beauty by placing the cold end of his ice cream cone on her back, causing her to bolt up from a prone to a semi-prone position; unless you're looking closely, you might not notice that the girl has loosened her bikini top so as not to get tan lines while sunbathing, and she's about to expose her bare breasts to the world. The more fantastical sequels are also worth mentioning. One had a scene of people posing with giant fruits, featuring some very suggestively positioned bananas and oranges. Good Hair, Evil Hair : Wizard Whitebeard with his long white beard (duh) and Odlaw with his small dark mustache. I Have Many Names : Wally has many different names, depending on which country ◊ the book is printed. Limited Wardrobe : Apparently, his entire wardrobe is brown shoes, blue jeans, a red-and-white striped long-sleeve shirt, glasses, and a red and white toque. And his red-and-white striped socks.

Wenda has a similar wardrobe (although swapping a blue dress for the pants), as does Odlaw (though he wears black and yellow exclusively). Lost in Translation : Odlaw's name obviously comes from the reverse of Waldo. In countries where Waldo is named Wally, Odlaw is still Odlaw, somewhat ruining the joke. Mayincatec : in Find Waldo Now. Meganekko : Wenda. Me's a Crowd : There is a land full of Waldos. Finding the "real" one is hell, but finding the characters that have joined him in the previous locations is rather trivial because they a) stand out and b) the Waldos all crowd around them in easily discernible clusters. Monochrome Casting : Thankfully averted, although creator Martin Handford only went so far as to make every tenth person in the crowds black, with occasional "exotic" Asians, Native Americans, and Middle Easterners for Costume Porn . Then again, adding too many non-whites could make the white Waldo stand out, making him easier to find.

Needle in a Stack of Needles : In several of the books, the last challenge is to find Waldo and his companions when they are hidden amongst hundreds of characters dressed exactly like them. Nerd Glasses : Waldo seems to be the "smart guy" type. Nice Hat : His red and white bobble hat. Several sceneries have a lot of copies of it lying around. Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant : Waldo seems almost oblivious to many of the chaotic events happening around him, some of which are illegal or downright dangerous. Nintendo Hard : Where's Wally/Waldo 3: The Fantastic Journey ends with having to pick Wally out of a dimension filled almost entirely with other Wallies (The only way to know he's the real one is that he's missing a shoe). Taken even further in that you then have to find his shoe on the same page. It gets worse. In the books that follow, there are three similar scenes- a dimension filled with others Woofs- ironically, this is the only time you can see all of him as opposed to his tail- a swamp filled with Odlaws, and a movie set filled with actors dressed up as EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE FIVE MAIN CHARACTERS. Good luck.

Offstage Villainy : Whatever Odlaw gets up to in the cartoon series, in the books, he's just there, and not seen doing anything bad. Only Six Faces : Handford's drawing style isn't particularly imaginative, with almost every character having the same basic face with different colors of hair and skin. Even the women simply look like men with long hair and... uh... "equipment." Reference Overdosed : Where's Waldo? The Wonder Book. Silly Reason for War : In Find Waldo Now. Still The Eighties : When Waldo stops by the airport, passengers are shown disembarking from the jets via external movable stairways like they did for most of the twentieth century (and, presumably, during Martin Handford's childhood), rather than by way of the connected tunnels that were common in airports by 1987). Although in Britain, particularly for smaller and budget airlines, the movable stairs remain the norm. Sdrawkcab Name : Odlaw again. Updated Re-release : Several of the books were given an anniversary release in which Waldo was moved in each scene, and the supporting characters were added in to the books they hadn't been in before. Visual Pun : Lots of them.

The original 1987 book alone has a "school" of "fish", with the whale in front wearing a professor's mortarboard; an oversized playing card in a World War I-era biplane (a "flying ace," get it?) , and a literal "one-armed bandit" (a cowboy with an amputated hand) on a carnival midway. You ALL Look Familiar : The Land of Waldos. The cartoon contains examples of: Adaptation Distillation : Wenda is pointedly missing from the show, except for one episode, while even the scrolls and cane made it in. Big Ball of Violence : In A Stone Age Story, others. Calvinball : The eponymous Great Ball Game which sees four teams playing two matches on the same pitch, doesn't appear to have any rules other than you get points to getting it across (or over) the goal-line and you lose points by having your ball thrown into a pit.. Throughout the episode we get glimpses of the other games in the kingdom that make just about as much sense (throwing darts blindfolded in an attempt to hit bowling balls while another player uses a baseball bat to knock them away springs to mind).

Captain Colorbeard : Pegbeard the pirate. Son of Pegface, and grandson of Pegspleen. Captain Oblivious : Waldo in the cartoon. He is always blissfully unaware of Odlaw's attempts to destroy him, and in fact, seems to have no idea that Odlaw even exists. He always beats Odlaw through sheer dumb luck, all while never actually seeing him. Chekhov's Gun : The corn Wizard Whitebeard gives Wally in A Stone Age Story. Turns out it was needed to complete the first movie theater...by being used for popcorn! Witch: All I want is someone to turn into a frog(proffers open palm) ...and a tip. Waldo: Okay, here's a great tip; Never hold your nose and sneeze with your mouth closed. Deadpan Snarker : Odlaw, usually. Dissonant Serenity : "Oh boy Woof! Isn't this exciting?" Wally says while falling without a parachute, about to be squashed by a bolder, in the middle of a cave-in, being charged by a singing sword fish and while a village is being pillaged by vikings (to name a few).

Green Aesop : The episode Forest Women, in which Wally saves a forest from evil tree-cutting knights. Hurricane of Puns : Constantly by The Narrator, and occasionally by Wally or Wizard Whitebeard. Odlaw (after a narrator pun): (groan) "I thought you already said your three bad puns for this episode." Identical Grandson : Wally meets his "Great, Great, Great, Great, you get the idea" grandfather when he travels back to the stone-age. Looks exactly like him but wears a stripy loincloth and his hat has horns. Woof also has a prehistoric shaggy dog counterpart. Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain : Odlaw. The poor guy gets beat up almost constantly, and Wally doesn't even know he exists. Laser-Guided Amnesia : In one episode Wally makes friends with a robot but he gets disassembled leaving our hapless hero to rebuild him. Once finished the robot doesn't remember anything but is promptly hit on the head, which apparently jogged the old memory circuits.

Major Injury Underreaction : Odlaw, while you will often hear him screaming, nine times out of ten you'll see him stoically swaddle off after being flattened or twisted into knots with only a deadpan castrating word to the gleeful narrator. Medium Awareness : Odlaw - he directly interacts with the narrator, and he even tries to learn from what happens to him on the show. His only problem is that he doesn't seem to learn that he's the Cosmic Plaything . Odlaw: "That walking stick will soon be mine." Narrator: "Yes, because little does Wally know that's he's being wathed.

By the mean, Nasty, LOATHSOME.." Odlaw: "Errr..I believe he left out disgusting." Narrator: "(Oh yeah, sorry)....AND DISGUSTING....ODLAW!" Odlaw: (beaming) "Thanks Much." Nightmare Fetishist : Wally smiles constantly while watching others get pummeled or is in danger of a pummeling himself (said eagerly: "Who's the menacing fellow who looks as if he'd like to twist me into a knot and throw me off a cliff?"), is excited to be standing in front of an angry stampede, be attacked by monsters, be tied up in chains, be taken prisoner ("Wow, Woof, didjya hear that? We're official prisoners!"), hop into a dangerous pit of doom (shaking bag and smiling: "Well, Woof, apparently I didn't bring my parachute."), and is nothing short of thrilled to be in a cave-in. ("Wow, Woof! It's a real cave-in! And we've only been here just a few minutes! (elated sigh) How lucky can you get?") Seriously, how did Woof survive being around this guy?

Game Added: Where's Waldo - Xbox One, Xbox 360 News At XboxAchievements.com Game Added: Where's Waldo Game Added: Where's Waldo Written Tuesday, December 22, 2009 By X360A.org Where's Waldo is now added. The game has 12 achievements with a total score of 200 points. Thanks to Spinoff90 for giving us the list. Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:30:24 AM (0) This is a PC-exclusive arcade for GFWL. See this thread for more info: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:32:42 AM (0) Isn't it "Where's Wally"? No idea who Waldo is... Forum Posts: 296 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:33:57 AM (0) Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:34:41 AM (0) Ohh yeah, Where is Waldo!

:-) Forum Posts: 2161 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:35:57 AM (0) Not here>.> Will it be free?:D Forum Posts: 21786 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:36:00 AM (0) His name is Waldo in North America. ;) Forum Posts: 562 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:39:07 AM (0) He is named different in every country. Walter on German and Hvalter in Danish :-) but 800msp, hmm a bit much I think. Forum Posts: 1750 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:48:03 AM (0) yay. i bet hes by the big keg of beer and pizza.

oh wait, thats me :P Forum Posts: 178 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:55:32 AM (0) Lol what a game :p when is this out does anyone know? Forum Posts: 772 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:58:03 AM (0) intresting, also intresting that the pc is getting exclusives now too... Forum Posts: 772 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 08:59:54 AM (0) waldo, if you watch the simpsons, im sure there is a eps where they say Where's Waldo?, (look in book) they really arnt tryin anymore... cant mind which eps or if it was there i just have a picture of bart and lisa sayin that in my head...

Forum Posts: 526 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 09:09:06 AM (0) Just as long as it doesnt suck as much as the NES version lol Forum Posts: 20 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 09:11:34 AM (0) this sounds interesting. loved the books as a kid :P will keep an eye out for it Forum Posts: 388 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 09:16:01 AM (0) i found him,he is in my bed Forum Posts: 1178 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 09:19:45 AM (0) @12 Exactly! But I think it's a new version, hopefully. Forum Posts: 1062 Tuesday, December 22, 2009 @ 09:40:02 AM (0) @11 LOL, I remember that. It's one of the Treehouse of Horror episodes.

Lisa wants Bart to do something, and Bart is all "I'm busy with my new Where's Waldo book!" He opens it and it's a picture of Waldo just standing there waiving. "He's just not trying anymore!" I had no idea he had different names in other countries though. Interesting. Forum Posts: 402 What a wally! Man has scene from Where's Wally? tattooed across his back | Daily Mail Online What a wally! Man has scene from Where's Wally? tattooed across his back comments One Where's Wally fan will always be able to find his favourite stripy-shirted children's character - after having him tattooed on his back. Music producer John Mosley , 22, sat patiently for 24 hours while tattooist Rytch Soddy created a scene featuring150 characters and Wally hiding among them. The artwork was created in s studio in Norwich and raised £2,000 for charity.

There's Wally: John Mosley's tattoo features the stripey-jumper wearing explorer from his favourite children's books Mr Mosley decided on the intrepid explorer due to his happy childhood memories of looking at Where's Wally books which feature pictures of the character hidden in unusual settings. The finished tattoo also shows a view of Norwich with the city's castle and two cathedrals in the background. Mr Mosley said: 'It will be a talking point for years to come. People will able to look at my back and have fun searching around for Wally. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share 'I can't think of anyone who doesn't love the Where's Wally books and I am delighted to be a living version of one. Tattooist Mr Soddy, 35, started the tattoo at noon on Friday and worked on it solidly for 24 hours with only a two minute break every hour for him and John to stretch their legs. The finished result features inch-and-a-half high people in normal dress and historic and fantasy figures like Vikings, pirates, a caveman, cowboys and Star Wars characters Can you spot him?

The scene featuring 150 people with Wally hidden among them As well as the distinctive Norwich skyline, it also includes a pair of UFO flying saucers and a rocket blasting into the sky besides a smiling moon wearing a red and white hat. Wally is pictured with his distinctive glasses, red and white striped top, bobble hat and blue trousers standing behind three women in bathing costumes. Mr Mosley said: 'I am 6ft 5ins tall and I have a pretty big back so Rytch did a brilliant job filling it up with so many interesting things. 'It was quite painful having needles going in and out of me for 24 hours - but the hardest part was sitting still for so long. 'I still have not seen the finished result so I don't actually know where Wally is on my back. Everyone says he is not too difficult to find.' Mr Soddy, a tattooist for 13 years, created the picture to raise cash for the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London which saved his life after he suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting at the age of seven.

Painful: Mr Mosley is yet to find Wally hidden on his back He also wanted to thank doctors at the hospital for a heart operation carried out on a friend's nine-year-old daughter last year. He said: 'It is the longest tattoo that I have ever completed in terms of the time taken. It was certainly more fun than the average tattoo and I am really pleased with it. 'We borrowed a couple of Where's Wally book s from the library and looked on the internet for some examples for inspiration. 'I had a basic plan to make it look like Norwich and then the rest got made up as I went along. 'I told John that I would be tattooing Wally last of all, but then I realised he would know where he was so I did him about 20 minutes from the end.' The first of the seven main Where's Wally books was published in 1987 by British illustrator Martin Handford. The books feature double page spreads of the distinctive explorer character hidden in a montage of scenes through the ages. The books have been published in 28 countries and have also been turned into a TV series comic strip and video games. Wally has different names in many countries - but always wears the same outfit.

He is known as Waldo in the USA, Hugo in Sweden, Willy in Norway and Charlie in France.

Question: In the UK these books are called ‘Where’s Wally?’ What is his name in the USA?
Answer: WALDO