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Comment by TamDenholm | Hacker News Reader

Something unrelated but perhaps interesting to some people, "Waldo" is actually a localised name for the USA and Canada, his original name is Wally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where%27s_Wally%3F

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It brings me an almost indescribable joy to find that Wally is the original name. Yet I have no idea why.

Waldo always seemed a bit of a strange name, and it still confuses me why it would be changed for the US market. Anyone know why (Wiki doesn't say).

Me too. Probably some committee or executive idea.

at a guess its for market differentiation. like how I get the "international" version of US textbooks, which are exactly the same but with a different cover on the front. Or how Harry Potters and the Philosophers Stone needed a title change to sell to US. Or how you can get adult and child versions of the Harry Potter books.

Gone with Where is Waldo?! The all new meta-existential gamebook Why is Waldo? is out now in your nearest bookshop!

I felt dirty with all the exclamation marks.

Then you may cry when I tell you that his name is Holger in Denmark.

In Norway it's Willy. Kind of strange with all the different names for the same character.

Why is it strange? "Wally" (pronounced in "correct" Norwegian) sounds really weird.

I should have written fascinating, not strange.

I'm surprised, would have expected that in Germany.

> I'm surprised, would have expected that in Germany.

Wo ist Walter?

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