Wally, also known as Waldo, is the star of the "Where's Wally" 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.

Wally isn't the only one like him; he comes from the Land of Wally, which is a land filled with Wally just like him. Wally 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, but the creator had said if he did have an age, he'd be 32. 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 Wally? Over the years Waldo's appearance changed only slightly (see below).

For the 2019 Where's Waldo? animated series, Waldo is portrayed by Joshua Rush and has been reimagined as a 12-year old. The red on his shirt and hat are darker than is typical, but otherwise he largely resembles his most common design. This Waldo, along with a similarly redesigned Wenda, are students of Wizard Whitebeard in the Worldwide Wandering Society, traveling the world and learning about its cultures, while often dealing with the troublesome Odlulu. Waldo is aided in this endeavor by his magical hat, which despite its small size can contain any number of useful objects of various sizes.

Creating Wally

When Martin Handford was asked to create a book showcasing his artistic talent, the character Wally was born to provide a link between each scene. The feeling was that a book full of crowd scenes would have no central theme, but adding a wacky character for the reader to look for adds a purpose to each page. "That's who Wally is -- an afterthought," Handford said, "[but] as it turns out, the fans were more interested in the character than in the crowd scenes."