Many childhood evenings have been spent seeking out the man in the red and white striped shirt and whether he’s on a beach, in a shop or at a circus, you always know they’ll be a crowd wherever Wally decides to go.
The cartoon explorer celebrates his 25th birthday today and the London Eye will sparkle tonight in red and white to honour the fabulous hider.
A special birthday wish was sent to Wally across the London sky last night and will feature on screens throughout Piccadilly Circus today.
Wally has been published in more than 30 countries
Since its creation in 1987, Wally has sold more than 58 million books.
The books have been published in 30 languages and sold 38 different countries.
Although he is Wally in Ireland and the UK the traveller changes his name depending on the country he’s in and is known as Wali in Wales, Charlie in France, Valda in the Czech Republic, Vallu in Finland, Holger in Denmark, Valli in Iceland, Walter in Germany, Hugo in Sweden, Waldo in the USA and Willy in Norway.
The man in the red and white stripes was honoured in London today
Surprisingly, Waldo ranks among the top 25 public figures on Facebook and has a whopping four million fans.
The current Guinness World Record for the most Wallys in one place is 3,872 and was achieved in Dublin last year.
Wally’s birthday is bringing up all sorts of nostalgia for us this afternoon. Did you spend many childhood days searching for Wally?
