Where's Wally?

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Lore & Background

In 1986, illustrator Martin Handford, a graduate of the University for the Creative Arts in Kent, was asked by art director David Bennett, at Walker Books in London, to develop a book of detailed crowd scenes. Bennett was inspired by the book series Busy Places by Philippe Dupasquier. While the book was being prepared for Bologna Children's Book Fair, someone at Walker Books suggested Handford hide a distinctive-looking character in crowd scenes for readers to search for. Handford came up with the idea of 'Wally', a world and time traveller dressed in red and white stripes. The first Where's Wally? book was published on 25 June 1987. First published in the United Kingdom by Walker Books, the series was introduced in the United States under the title Where's Waldo? because an executive at the book's initial American publisher, Little, Brown and Company, disliked the name 'Wally' because it reminded him of Wallis Simpson. American publishing rights were later taken on by Candlewick Press, the American subsidiary of Walker Books. The books became extremely popular internationally and the character name was localised in a variety of regions, where Wally was known as Walter in Germany, Charlie in France, Van Lang in Vietnam, Jonas in Lithuania, and Ubaldo in Italy, among others. The franchise also spawned other media in a more storyline-based form, including a 1991 television series, Where's Wally?, a comic strip Where's Wally? and a series of video games. In the early 1990s, a topless beachgoer in a Where's Waldo puzzle caused controversy in the US and caused BJ's Wholesale Club and certain school libraries to pull the book from shelves, leading to its appearance in the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 1990s. Handford continued to publish books in the series, and sometimes it took him up to eight weeks to draw two-page illustrations of the elusive 'Wally' and the many characters surrounding him. He made Wally progressively harder to find by reducing his size on the page and surrounding him by more characters. In the first book, Wally was on average 0.99 square centimetres (0.153 square inches) big. This was reduced to 0.80 cm2 (0.124 sq in) in the second book, 0.33 cm2 (0.051 sq in) in the third, and between 0.20 and 0.17 cm2 (0.031 and 0.026 sq in) in the fourth through seventh books. He has also been surrounded by more characters, from 225 on the first book's first page to about 850 on the last book's first page. In January 2007, Entertainment Rights purchased the Where's Wally? franchise. On 1 April 2009, Entertainment Rights went into voluntary administration. On the same day, Boomerang Media acquired all of Entertainment Rights' subsidiaries including Entertainment Rights itself, Big Idea and Classic Media. The following month, Boomerang Media began preparations to unify former British and US subsidiaries of Entertainment Rights under the name 'Classic Media', while Big Idea would operate under its own name. The Entertainment Rights PLC company was folded in December 2010. In 2012, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks Animation was then acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016, thus Universal Pictures gaining the rights to most of Entertainment Rights' catalogue of works.

Reader's Guide

Where's Wally? is a landmark series in children's puzzle books, notable for its intricate, densely populated illustrations that engage readers in a global scavenger hunt. Created by Martin Handford, the series debuted on 25 June 1987 and quickly became an international success, with over 73 million books sold by 2007 and translations into 26 languages across more than 50 countries. The core appeal lies in the challenge of finding Wally—a character defined by his red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses—amidst hundreds of other figures, with later books adding additional targets and red herrings. The series' cultural impact is evident in its adaptations into two animated television series (the 1991 Where's Wally? animated series and the 2019 Where's Waldo? animated series), a comic strip, and video games, as well as its localization with different character names worldwide. The controversy over a topless beachgoer in the early 1990s also highlights its place in discussions about censorship and challenged books. The franchise's ownership history, passing from Entertainment Rights to Boomerang Media, then DreamWorks Animation, and finally NBCUniversal, reflects its enduring commercial value. Handford's meticulous process, sometimes taking eight weeks per double-page spread, and his deliberate reduction of Wally's size over successive books, demonstrate a commitment to increasing difficulty and maintaining reader engagement. The series remains a touchstone for interactive visual puzzles and a beloved part of many childhoods.

Did You Know?

• The first Where's Wally? book was published on 25 June 1987.
• Wally's size was reduced from 0.99 square centimetres in the first book to between 0.20 and 0.17 square centimetres in the fourth through seventh books.
• The number of characters on the first page increased from 225 in the first book to about 850 in the last book's first page.
• In the early 1990s, a topless beachgoer in a Where's Waldo puzzle caused controversy and led to the book being pulled from shelves at BJ's Wholesale Club and some school libraries.
• The character name was localised internationally, with Wally known as Walter in Germany, Charlie in France, Van Lang in Vietnam, Jonas in Lithuania, and Ubaldo in Italy.

From Crowd Scene to Cultural Phenomenon

In 1986, Martin Handford, a graduate of the University for the Creative Arts in Kent, received an assignment that would reshape children's publishing. Art director David Bennett at Walker Books in London tasked him with creating a book built around intricate crowd illustrations. Bennett's own inspiration came from Philippe Dupasquier's Busy Places series, a collection of densely populated scenes. As the project neared completion for the Bologna Children's Book Fair, a colleague at Walker Books proposed a simple but transformative idea: conceal a single, visually distinctive figure within the throng and challenge young readers to locate him. Handford seized on the suggestion and conceived Wally, a wandering world and time traveller clad in a red-and-white striped outfit. The first volume hit shelves on 25 June 1987, published in the United Kingdom by Walker Books. What began as a straightforward commission evolved into a search-and-find format that would captivate millions of children across the globe, establishing a template for interactive picture books that still echoes in the genre today.

The Escalating Challenge

Each double-page spread in a Where's Wally? book is a meticulously crafted landscape of hundreds of figures engaged in whimsical activities at a single location. Wally himself is marked by his iconic red-and-white striped shirt, bobble hat, and round glasses, yet Handford deliberately peppered every scene with red herrings—other striped objects and similarly dressed figures designed to mislead the searching eye. The illustrator reportedly spent as long as eight weeks rendering a single two-page illustration, and he steadily ratcheted up the difficulty across the series. In the debut volume, Wally occupied an average of roughly one square centimetre of page space. By the second book that had shrunk to 0.80 square centimetres, the third to 0.33, and by the fourth through seventh volumes he had been compressed to between 0.20 and 0.17 square centimetres. Simultaneously, the crowd density grew from 225 characters on the opening page of the first book to approximately 850 on the opening page of the final volume, making each successive search a far more demanding exercise in visual patience.

A Name in Every Language

The series achieved extraordinary international penetration, with more than 73 million copies sold worldwide by 2007, translations in 26 languages, and distribution across over 50 countries. The character's name itself became a canvas for localisation. In Germany he is Walter, in France Charlie, in Vietnam Van Lang, in Lithuania Jonas, and in Italy Ubaldo. The North American edition carries the name Waldo, a change prompted not by marketing strategy but by a single executive at Little, Brown and Company who felt "Wally" was too close to Wallis Simpson. American publishing rights later passed to Candlewick Press, the US arm of Walker Books. The franchise's reach also brought scrutiny: in the early 1990s a topless beachgoer hidden in one of the puzzle spreads sparked controversy in the United States. BJ's Wholesale Club and several school libraries removed the book from their shelves, and the title ended up on the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 1990s.

From Franchise to Corporate Odyssey

Beyond the printed page, Wally's world expanded into animation, print serials, and interactive gaming. A 1991 animated television series brought the character to screens, followed by a second animated series in 2019 under the North American title Where's Waldo? A comic strip and a run of video games further extended the brand into storyline-driven territory. The business history behind the franchise, however, has been turbulent. In January 2007, Entertainment Rights acquired the Where's Wally? rights. Just over two years later, on 1 April 2009, Entertainment Rights entered voluntary administration, and Boomerang Media stepped in to absorb its subsidiaries. The following month, Boomerang began consolidating former British and American operations under the banner Classic Media. Entertainment Rights PLC was formally wound up in December 2010. In 2012, Classic Media was purchased by DreamWorks Animation, and when NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks in 2016, Universal Pictures inherited the rights to the bulk of the catalogue, including the Wally franchise.

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