i remember one with a naked clown on a pogo stick.

For #3, I'm betting Waldo is wishing they could have been fish on the top instead of the bottom.

Did u know, here in the UK, the franchise is called Where's Wally. There was a TV series as well. Did they have this in the US?

The torture museum looks like a Monty Python reference, particularly with the upside-down guy.

I've always suspected that most children's book authors are total perverts.

In the mueseum one the kids captured the security guards and trapped them there so they would stop them from causing mischief.

Wow...I remember every single one of these. I must have loved Waldo.

Who's driving? Bear is driving..how can that be?

Who is driving? Bear is driving? How can that be!?

In #5, I'm not sure the torture is the worst thing in that pic. Does anyone else see the kid being squashed to death by the falling dinosaur bone?

More than the little things you'd find, it was sometimes the entire damn map that would freak me out. I remember one that was apparently an enormous four team rugby game of some sort, where they tried to push the other teams into a bottomless pit in the center of the field. That was a little disturbing.

seeing this list one has to wonder if Martin true intention was to also use the search for Waldo as a way to take the hunting to a whole new experiance. ala David Lynch doing children books.

Did I get it right? The title says:
"9 Strange Things Found While Searching for Waldo"
but the last sentence in the introductory text says: "Of all the things found while searching for Waldo, here are the 10 strangest."

So is it 9 or 10?

I remember finding some pretty strange stuff in those books when I was a kid. There was always some violence or sexual reference in each map. Still loved the books though

Bearing in mind it has spots, isn't that far more likely to be a leopard than a mountain lion?

I remember one of the last Waldo books had one called "The Great Ball Game" where hordes of people were playing a mysterious ball game. In the middle was a giant bottomless pit that had people falling into it. That freaked me out when I was a kid.

What I want to know is, what are those Indians smoking in the bottom right of the picture for #4? It looks to me like those two are having a good old time indeed.

Is it just me or does Waldo look like the new Dr. Who?

I honestly never noticed any of this or if I did, I didn't think much of it when I was a kid. I just remember how when I was in 3rd grade, the Waldo books at the school library had a long waiting list, and it made it seem really special when it was your turn to bring home one.

I'm having massive waves of nostalgia right now. I spent hours upon hours looking at these pictures. Never got old. The lions waiting for the urinal? Genius to a five year old!

The beach page had some great stuff...I can remember a bunch of men wearing shirts with hearts cut out....one of them had taken off his shirt to show his plethora of heart-shaped sunburns...another where there are a few bodybuilders that have no muscles on their legs at all, and one guy with hugely muscled legs and nothing else. Good times!

Anyone remember that God-awful, but fun at the time, Sega Where's Waldo game?

I "read" all the Waldo books as a kid and made it a point to look for the perverted shit. I actually have a puzzle of the beach scene and it included the offending sideboob shot and even as a kid thought that was risqué to include that in a mass-marketed product. These books were a real influence onto my artwork as an "adult". I try to include all the dirty, filthy smut I can into small details of my drawings. Thx waldork, thx for everything.

OM MY GOSH! WOW I WOULD HAVE NOT NOTICED THAT STUFF. I KNEW THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN JUST FINDING WALDO! LOL

I like the Lion-Cub Scouts and the Mermaid in the canal.

Errr, thats a leopard in #1 not a mountain lion. they are native to north america, and the romans would not have had access to them. Leopards tho. easy enough. Ohhh great list by the way. Not being a Wheres Waldo fan to begin with.

What's with the fake NDNs in #4, lower right corner? So now we're not only teaching sick sexual constructs to kids, but cultural imperialism as well? Icky.

Oh, these are so great.

I can't remember the book, but the map was a department store and one thing I remember pretty vividly is a kid pulling open a dressing-room curtain, totally freaking out a woman wearing just panties. She managed to cover her top half, but...wow. I think that might mark the time when my imagination began to wander...differently than it had before.

And again, these are so great.

This is easily one of the best lists I've ever seen on this site!!!

I totally remember all of these! As a kid, I thought they were just funny. Now the images are kinda disturbing.

Now this is a fantastic list!

the jaguar has tits, I'd say its a mother who is about to get pissed off.

I wouldn't mind seeing a part two to this, I'm sure there's more weird things in Waldo, and seeing them is just too amusing.

I can't believe I didn't notice these things when I read the books.

My girls loved Waldo and they discovered the naked lady and we laughed! We kept the books in the car and they entertained them during the endless car trip. They always found the weird stuff and showed it to us, giggling, we were so happy they GOT it. We also loved PeeWee's Playhouse and other parents banned their kids from him...but we are so proud our girls have a healthy sense of humor and can't wait for the grandchildren to enjoy Waldo pix and PeeWee and Monty Python!

I think Handford should publish atleast one Where's Waldo book with a couple of pages where Waldo cannot be found...because he isn't in the picture at all!

Why is the only tiger in the lion picture wearing a turban? Wonder if it plans on hijacking that portapotty.

love the Aztecs laughing at the motherfuckers on deck to be sacrificed. this dude was pretty sadistic.

am I the only one to notice the URL that says "10 strange things..." and the post has only 9? =p

I don't see whats wrong with showing a topless woman to kids. It's breasts! Kids suck on them for months! Why would you want to hide them from them afterwards for some years?! Thats more than prudish, it's confusing, actually.
Also, the trans-person? What is wrong with that? And if the kid starts asking questions about it? Good! Go and tell it, that it's okay for a boy to wear dresses, because everybody should wear what s/he likes.
I could go on ranting, but, oh well.
I always liked the books, as a kid and I still do as an adult.

Ah, these are great.

I was sharing my old Waldo books with my 7 year old niece, and when we got to that beach map, she looked at it for a few minutes and then her mouth fell open. I thought "Oh, she's found the topless bit"... and indeed she had, only the topless bit she found was actually of a little girl.

Yeah, that's right. There's a topless five year old on that same map. At least, in the very old versions of the book (first US edition). I convinced her that he must have forgotten to draw her shirt on. *coughs*

For the "pics or it didn't happen" crowd (very large, you've been warned):
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/babyemberlynn/Screen%20Caps/DSC02406.jpg

The commentary on the photos is somewhat "tabloid", making a fuss over very little. If you really think these images are disturbing, try watching TV sometime.

Hahahahah this is too good, Waldo is known as Wally in the Uk strangely! I remember some of these from when I was a kid. It also reminds me of this article I saw on bizarre things left in hotel rooms http://adf.ly/15vz

Wally 666 From hell \,,/

LOL!

I actually remember some these! Classic.

Thanks for the flimsy attempt to apply critical theory to the Waldo books. Your parsing of colonialism and sexuality is just fascinating.

As for #8, the last days of the Aztecs were in fact dominated by a brutal massacre of the upper class, alliances betrayed by the Spaniard, the destruction of their capital city, and a wave of smallpox that decimated 80% of their remaining population.

Europeans were never sacrificed. Many Aztec prisoners were used as sacrifices -- a point of pride for the Aztecs. The heart offering is more BS.

There are far better sources that include both Spanish and Aztec recounting of the 3-year series of events. But y'all could have at least checked wikipedia before spouting the same stupid lies that 4th graders tell younger kids about indians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec#Spanish_conquest

I won't start in about "a man demonstrating his ability to wear women's clothing... confusing kids and prompting them to ask the tougher questions."

Reading this made me decide to once and for all not attend to the reading of American news sites, at least ones as hack-y and poor in quality as this one.

The writer above is an asshole, which ends with his "man about to be raped by an animal" interpretation. F|_|ck off. Just f|_|ck off already. You have the most facile and cheapo mind I can only imagine

My favourite was #3 thanks to Poseidon/Neptune at the bottom of the rock giving the thumbs up to someone out of frame.

don't you know? it's actually fashionable to get raped by a mountain lion in a battlefield in ancient rome. it's their equivalent to our modern day "hey guys, check out my new i-pod!" soldiers gets LOTS of street creds that way.

i love waldo he is my favirota thing eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! crazy zeth

i love waldio he is mi faVIRRaiioea

I remember a Waldo book I had as a child that featured midevil scenes, and the bits of torture you could see were waaaay more graphic and disturbing then these ones.

Anyone offended by a few breasts, or unwilling to have their children see a few breasts, has their priorities insanely wrong.

I remember most of these and even as a kid I was like "wtf, who drew this!?!?"

Sorry to be a stickler, but Napoleon wasn't around in 1870... I don't know if that's the book's fault or yours, it just triggered my OCD.

I had nightmares about that man's bicep popping/melting.

That bicep thing is almost true. A documentary on body-building and steroid abuse featured a guy who had done that to himself. He had been a major user and supplier of steroids and had at one point done something very messed up to his bicep causing a huge, swollen, messy haematoma. He tried to fix it himself by syringing out the fluid. Apparently it almost cost him his arm.

Funny, A little odd perhaps but if anyone is "disturbed" by this (there's a buzzword for the overly concerned), Then their mental state probably isn't the greatest anyway. As for kids, they're not disturbed by much until freaked out adults pass down their own worries. Loads of kids grow up on farms and see animals mating... scarred for life? nah.

The man in a lady's dress actually makes sense in a British context (so does the topless lady, and the narrowboat the bodybuilders are on) - that would be the Dame, a character from pantos - plays put on at Christmas, for children.

You people really worry me (Americans) you have to 'find meaning' in everything and especially if it hints at anything sexual. Then whilst seeming on the public face of it to be puritanical you create more hardcore porn than anyone else. Its a cartoon bit of fun, not a benchmark for life.

Dude! you forgot the naked clown on a pogo stick!!! that one gave me nightmares!

hahah this waldo video is soo SICK!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgMOOwlOsnM

Judging by the canes and hats lying around, I would say that Waldo and the mermaids have a history.

Mermaid #4- "Waldo you forgot your hat!"

Waldo- "I know."

That's a cheetah, not a mountain lion

Wow, this really brings back memories :P

Whoa. I used to (and still do) love the "Where's Waldo" books. I never realized how provocative they were. But now that I think on it, its true. Just take the Lion King's 'sex' and Little Mermaid's 'penis' into account. I guess everyone is a pervert (even if its supposed to be kid appropreate).

I used to love Waldo, you could always find some wicked stuff in there.

I agree with the books for kids writers being whackos and perverts, lol.

Lighten up those of you who are "disturbed" by any of this.

That's sick

I'm pretty sure the guys in #5 are actually museum staff. They're wearing the same green uniforms.

What exactly are those two "Native Americans" smoking with the big grins in the "Campsite" picture, I wonder, hmmmm?

That's not a mountain lion... That's a cheetah...

May I also add that for the lions and the urinal, there's clearly a female lion with a turban on her head?

I think the female lion is a tiger!