By Tatsuya King
Throughout history, one question has dominated human existence: Where? Where do we come from? Where is God? Where do we find happiness? And from 1987 on, the question has been, Where is Waldo? Created by Martin Handford, Where’s Wally? (known as Where’s Waldo in the US) was intended to be a lighthearted illustrated book for children, in which the goal is for readers to find Waldo in the midst of a variety of unorthodox situations. Whether this be in a crowd of cultists, crusaders, or any other odd little group, Waldo is always hiding, and always present. Although the series may seem to be boring and frustrating, the quaint illustrative style and charm has since made it undeniably one of the most popular children’s books in the world- selling over 43 million copies. But numbers aren’t everything, and to really understand the influence and power of Waldo, we have to look deeper…
“When did I first hear about him? Well, I was probably like seven or eight years old, I don’t exactly remember but I was definitely a kid. Honestly, I was a little creeped out by Waldo, like why does he wear that bizarre red and white outfit. That is so freaking lame,” says Jonathan Segal when asked about his experience with Waldo. But aside from Segal’s personal opinion about Waldo as a person, he had very interesting opinions about the nature of the Where’s Waldo game as well: “I see him, and then he’s gone again, I hate that. Every time I think of him I’m mildly frustrated.”
While Segal only thinks of Waldo as a small annoyance, to Joshua Garrison, a junior, Waldo represents something far more sinister. “When I was a kid I thought he was fine, but then as I grew older and matured I realized that he is not fine […] Most days I don’t really think of him that much but sometimes the image of his little smile will creep into my mind. That makes me feel cold and alone. I don’t like Waldo because of his round glasses and his lack of 20/20 vision,” Garrison said. If Waldo represents such painful and lonely emotions to people like Joshua, what about the little guy is appealing to so much of the world?
To Noelle Raffo, Joshua’s views about Waldo are evil and bigoted. “I disagree with everything Joshua said. I have no problem with people that have glasses and I think his smile is charming. I think about him everyday,” Raffo said. While it’s easy to understand how Joshua’s views might be controversial, Noelle gives further reason to why she, and others like her, might actually enjoy being around Waldo: “I have never not been able to find Waldo. Although he has eluded me a few times, and I respect his skill for hiding, he’s never been able to get away fully. This makes me feel accomplished.” Ava Jackman also noted the sensation of success connected to finding Waldo. “I love Waldo, I don’t find him frustrating. When I find him, it gives me joy and bliss. Ooh ah sweet sweet victory,” Jackman said. In a society where one constantly feels battered and oppressed by the elite and powerful of the world, perhaps finding Waldo can provide a much needed sense of control in one’s life. Joshua objects, saying, “I disagree with that. It goes against my fundamental beliefs about Waldo.” Clearly, the topic of Waldo is a heated one. But what does Waldo mean to somebody who has never read the stories?
“I have heard of Waldo, and the whole finding him thing,” says Oona Obaditch, visually indifferent to the argument surrounding the character. After the interview, however, Oona played a Waldo page and the look of pride on her face as she found Waldo for the first time was unmistakable. From this moment it is clear that everyone who encounters Waldo has some type of visceral reaction to his presence. But every emotion dampens over time, and not everybody feels so strongly about Waldo. “I have never thought thoroughly enough about Waldo to have any opinions on him,” said Jeanette Ng when asked about Waldo’s influence on her life. Perhaps a certain intimacy with the Waldo books is needed for an emotional connection to the character, one that many might never experience. On the surface, finding Waldo really is just a silly kids activity. Underneath this simple understanding of the character, however, is a deeper social commentary and message for more engaged readers of the franchise.
After taking some time to gather his thoughts after the initial interview, Jonathan Segal approached me with more ideas about Waldo. “My experience with Waldo is overall positive, he seems to get lost in really fun locations, packed with people, but… why are we always looking for him? NO WAY is he inherently kind as a person. He is definitely hiding something,” said Segal. The idea that the character Waldo was hiding something scandalous behind his famous smile was a popular theory among the people interviewed. “I despise Waldo, it is obvious that he is hiding something and that he is evil. There are secrets behind those spectacled eyes,” added Garrison. Whether they loved him or hated him, nobody truly trusted Waldo.
“I like his hat. You’d think he’d be easy to find because of his unique outfit. Nobody looks like him, yet he looks like everybody else,” said Charlie Cloud in the dimly lit hallways of our school. How does someone with such a unique outfit hide so effectively without ever seeming to try? Is Waldo’s ability to remain unseen a result of his own devious actions, or is it a result of the world he finds himself in. When looking at a Where’s Waldo page, Timothy Hyun noticed a few things, saying, “You know, in all these pages, he never interacts with those around him. They all live their lives without ever noticing him. Is he a ghost? A sociopath? Why don’t they notice him?” While some believe that Waldo may be the secret enemy of the franchise, Timothy finds solace in Waldo’s struggles. Hyun says, “Sometimes in the dark days, I feel like Waldo. Alone. By myself. Everyone is just moving past me like I’m in the background. That’s me. Waldo is me.” Perhaps we are all Waldo. And maybe, just maybe, in the act of searching for Waldo, we end up finding a little bit of ourselves.