Waldo: I hardly knew ye.

Growing up, I had a vast collection of "Where's Waldo" books. This was my home school version of Geography class. It would later lead to problems in school when my teacher asked me to find the state of Wisconsin on a map. After exhausting my search I gave up, citing the fact that although one state looked like it had the red and white colored hat, it lacked the glasses. Another day, another F on the report card. That teacher just didn't understand the cultural phenomenon that is Waldo. I couldn't recognize my own country on a map, but man was I good at picking out an odd looking man in a crowd of people.

Waldo really was an odd looking individual. Close your eyes and it doesn't take long to picture a slightly homosexual looking Jeff Goldblum decked out in red/white stripes and sporting a pair of glasses. What kind of fashion sense does this guy have? But it wasn't just Waldo. On every page there were crowds of people wearing eerily similar outfits. Waldo "impersonators" if you will. They were solely responsible for throwing you off the trail, making you think you found Waldo, only to make you look foolish when it was revealed that you still had searching to do. In other words, these guys were dicks. Some would wear larger hats with the same colored stripes. Others would wear striped overcoats. And others still wore glasses with square rims instead of the traditional circular optics. Waldo must have had a lot of sway in this society to be able to influence that many people. (Coming soon: Queer Eye for the Waldo Guy) And am I the only one who's concerned about the cane? Why is he handicapped at such a young age? Is it a bone deficiency? Does he walk with a limp? Dear Waldo creator, please write an origin story. Thanks.

In each and every Waldo book, the objective was simple: find Waldo. Perhaps I'm in the minority of people who desperately wanted to know why. Why should I find Waldo? What the hell did he do to merit this kind of investigation? To me, it always felt like Waldo was just trying to get away for a while. We all need a vacation, don't we? Instead, no matter where he went, there were thousands of probing eyes waiting to shout out his name. "Ooh let's go to a medieval castle" -FOUND. "How about a middle eastern marketplace" -FOUND. "A glacier in the south pole?" -FOUND. Poor Waldo just couldn't catch a break. You don't need to ask a celebrity what it's like being constantly bombarded by the paparazzi day in and day out; just ask Waldo. Angelina Jolie ain't got nothing on him.

Still, I kept looking for Waldo and pondering these sorts of questions. What did Waldo do for a career? He must have been massively successful in order to afford all of the trips he took. I like to assume he was a playboy billionaire. His parents made their fortune as oil tycoons, but due to a fatal car accident, he was left with their fortune. Now, in order to grieve with his loss, Waldo travels the globe in search of solidarity. I think that would make a good movie.

There could also be a deeper meaning to these books, aside from just killing time and enteraining your children with A.D.D.. Perhaps the Waldo books serve as a cautionary tale for the future. Something every setting has in common is that they are all severely overcrowded. Just take a look at this picture:

See? There are wayyyyyy too many people in one area. Where the hell are they? Every place can't be Disney World on the fourth of July. It appears in this image they're selling vacuum cleaners in one area and boots in another.... WHAT!?!? This many people for boots??!! As you can see, not many people are even buying these items. There's no identifiable line anywere. Everybody is just standing in the way. If only they would move, I could warn Waldo: "WALDO, GET OUT! THEY'RE REALLY SHITTY LOOKING VACUUM CLEANERS. YOU'RE WASTING YOUR ENTIRE SATURDAY! NOOO!"

Another movie idea: A wacky school teacher named Waldo has just killed one of his students who always spoke out in class. Scared and on the run, he seeks refuge across the globe. Due to his increasingly growing popularity and influence, he convinces droves of people to wear disguises to throw off the cops. Will they find him and bring him to justice? It's up to you, dear viewer, to ask yourself this question, "Will you find Waldo?".

Hollywood, I'll be in touch.

These are just things I ponder sometimes...