Waldo is once again hiding in River Market – in plain sight.
Kinder Books is hosting the Where’s Waldo at River Market? event, a community-wide scavenger hunt that’s taking place throughout July. The beloved children’s book character, known for his distinctive red-and-white-striped shirt and black-rimmed specs, is now hiding at 14 local businesses in River Market.
Kinder Books (aka Waldo Headquarters) has Find Waldo at River Market passports listing all of the participating locations where Waldo can be found. Each time the small Waldo cardboard cutout is spotted, participants can collect stamps or signatures from the respective shop.
“It’s a fun thing to do,” said Anne Uebbing, owner of Kinder Books. “You don’t have to finish it all in one day; after all, there are 14 businesses. You have until the end of the month to do it.”
Each participating business has two Waldo figurines for folks to find.
“We had over 200 people last year. That’s why I decided to do it again,” Uebbing told the Record. “People have come in since I announced it: ‘When does it start? When does it start?’ We started it on Monday; we had lots of kids over the weekend.”
Participants of all ages are invited to join in this free, family-friendly activity aimed at supporting the local businesses at River Market.
“Once they have completed the passport, they come back here and they enter their name into a draw,” Uebbing said. “We have weekly prize draws. All the businesses have contributed – so games, ice cream, a circus class, a pottery class. And then we have two grand prizes.”
Big bundles of Waldo books await the winners of the two grand prizes.
But the Where’s Waldo at River Market? campaign isn’t just about finding Waldo; it’s also about exploring what River Market has to offer.
“It’s to support local businesses and bring awareness,” Uebbing said. “They were all really happy that we were doing it again.”
In conjunction with the scavenger hunt, River Market shops are hosting a variety of events and activities throughout July. These include red and white themed origami and knitting classes, Pokémon search-and-find adventures at Rain City Games, a performance at Vancouver Circus School, art workshops at Kinder Books, and a special Where is Waldo kids yoga class at Yoga at the Quay.
A calendar of all the Where’s Waldo at River Market? events can be found outside Kinder Books.
According to Kinder Books, Where’s Waldo? books have sold more than 80 million copies and have been translated into more than 30 languages since making their debut in the late 1980s. Kinder Books is home to an extensive collection of Waldo books, created by Martin Handford.
River Market is located at 810 Quayside Dr.
The Begbie Street crossing to the Westminster Quay is currently closed due to construction, but visitors can access the waterfront in other ways: pedestrians can get to River Market via the pedestrian overpass at Hyack Square; and pedestrians and motorists can access Quayside Drive from the McInnes Street overpass (located on Carnarvon Street between 10th and Eight streets) and the Third Avenue overpass (at Stewardson Way).
