For 35 years, children and those young at heart have been trying to find out “Where’s Waldo?” Well, in the United States and Canada that is. In the UK, fans have been trying to find out “Where’s Wally?”
Created by Martin Handford, “Where’s Waldo?” began as a series of picture books where the reader is instructed to located the titular character of Waldo amidst a cluttered image filled with other people and objects. But if the madcap insanity isn’t enough for you, now you can assemble a 3,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a picture and THEN find Waldo!
This puzzle by Aquarius is officially licensed by “Where’s Waldo” rights holders, NBC Universal. Something that’s good to know in case you’ve ever been swindled on bootleg Waldo merchandise before. Be sure to clear off some desk or table space too, since this 3,000 piece jigsaw measures in at 32″ up by 45″ across. That’s a lot of puzzle to be had and likely to keep you going for a good while.
There are other “Where’s Waldo” puzzles as well with different themes, but most of them come in at a lower piece count; which depending on how you like your jigsaws could be a good or bad thing. Being an experienced jigsaw enthusiast myself, I would issue this warning: If you haven’t done a jigsaw puzzle in a long time, or are easily frustrated, you may not want to tackle something on the scale of 3,000 pieces.
While you’ll likely be able to get it pieced together eventually, it may become more of a task and less of a fun activity. On the other hand, if you do a lot of puzzles, by all means, go for broke and get a higher piece count.
On a side-note, this is not nearly the first foray into alternative forms of media for the Where’s Waldo franchise. The striped nomad has also found himself in several activity books, video games, and two animated television series. The games are pretty horrible though, for the love of all that is holy, do not spend your hard earned money on them; the puzzle is far more enjoyable.
Or you can listen to the theme song for the original cartoon, which will just further exemplify how much better this jigsaw puzzle is.
