Where’s Waldo was a series of detailed illustration books by Martin Handford, a British illustrator, and they were very popular in the 1990s. Each book page has a different scene with lots of people and things happening and you have to find the character, Waldo, who always has a red and white striped shirt, a puffy hat, and glasses. Seems innocent, no? Some schools and public libraries have banned the books, though.
The series is also on the ALA’s Top 100 Banned Books list. They claim that the books contain inappropriate and seditious hidden imagery. They refer to characters posing with rocker hands, which they claim is the “Hail Satan” sign, topless sunbathers, gay couples, and other images found to be inappropriate. The book series has become a classic to many who grew up with it.
Many of the images said to be inappropriate are the same ones that kids find hilarious, because of how outrageous they are. One image complained about was a campsite scene where kids open a tent to find a naked man covering his privates with his hands looking shocked. Another image was of a woman suntanning without a top on and a dot in the sand is said to be an erect nipple. The scene is so small, that a child wouldn’t even pick up on the reference or realize it is inappropriate. It is funny, because it is outrageous to them.