We all have our favorite campus figures. Some think fondly of their favorite “One Earth” cashiers or PCJ baristas. This year, there’s a new on-campus character taking NC State by force. He’s come straight from the pages of your favorite waiting room magazine: that’s right, it’s Waldo.
Every week, at seemingly random times and locations, a mysterious individual dressed as the titular “Where’s Waldo?” character appears on campus, clad in distinctive red and white stripes.
According to Mary Lynch, a second-year studying human biology who spoke to Waldo, the only thing he wants is for students to answer his icebreakers.
Lynch said the character sat down at her table one day with a bag of questions for her and her friends to answer. The questions included: “Do the ends justify the means?” “What is your biggest pet peeve?” and “What’s your dating life like?”
“I thought it was a joke at first, but I enjoyed it,” Lynch said. “It was really funny.”
It seems Waldo has achieved celebrity status. Even students who have never talked to him — or even seen him — seem to know who he is.
“It’s definitely something for people to talk about,” said Laynie McCall, a third-year studying criminology. “Like, have you seen Waldo?”
McCall said she thought there was a possibility Waldo could be doing what he does as part of a psychology or sociology class. For others, however, Waldo is a harmless character who inspires a bit of fun.
“If there is a hidden agenda, it’s really hidden,” said Will Beeson, a campus pastor for Every Nation NCSU. “I guess he might have some personal reasons, which could be considered an agenda, but I don’t think he’s working for somebody.”
Despite Waldo’s notoriety, there’s still the burning question of his true identity. No one spoken to had an idea of Waldo’s real name, status or purpose. Just like the fictional character, NC State’s Waldo bows to no schedule, has no identifying information and disappears right when you need him the most.
True to the Waldo brand, it was incredibly hard to find the character. I was on red-alert just in case I spotted him, until one fateful day in Talley.
First, I asked what his real name and pronouns were. He responded with: “Waldo, Waldo.”
Waldo was also tight-lipped about his major, giving a relatively vague answer.
“A good question, important for everyone to be able to answer,” Waldo said. “A question that a lot of people ask. I get it all the time. Next question.”
He let me take a gander at the bag. I found that the slips of paper did not just contain icebreakers, but QR codes, quotes, tasks and more. Waldo said that all the questions came from his own mind, fueled by heterogeneity — the concept of dissimilarity.
“If I have questions, I’m just questioning,” Waldo said. “If it’s just questions, it could get boring.”
When asked why he chose to impersonate Waldo out of all characters, Waldo seemed offended.
“Your question seems to imply that I am a person wearing a Waldo costume and I am not actually Waldo,” Waldo said.
After a very eventful hour-and-a-half interview — which included Waldo trying to set me up with a stranger and the offer of a can of Cheerwine he pulled from his left boot — I asked Waldo if he had any final pieces of wisdom to share with NC State students.
Waldo had one thing to say: “Don’t become too comfortable in your way of thinking.”
I left with more questions than I had answers. It seems Waldo is determined to stay as he always has been: just another face in the crowd.
