Martin Handford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Handford
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| Born | 27 September 1956 (age 68) London, England
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| Occupation | Children's author and illustrator |
| Years active | 1986–present |
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Martin Handford (born September 27, 1956) is a British author and illustrator. He became famous in the mid-1980s for creating the popular Where's Wally? books. In North America, this character is known as Where's Waldo?.
Contents
Early Life and Drawing Fun
Martin Handford was born in London, England. When he was a child, he loved to draw. He started drawing big crowds of people when he was only 4 or 5 years old! Instead of playing outside, he often spent his time drawing stick figures on paper. His ideas for drawings came from old movies and the toy soldiers he played with.
As an adult, Martin studied art at the University for the Creative Arts. After he finished school, he worked as an illustrator. He was really good at drawing busy scenes with lots of people.
Creating Wally: A Worldwide Star
In 1986, a publisher named Walker Books asked Martin Handford for a special idea. They wanted him to draw a unique character that would stand out in his crowd scenes. This way, people would have a fun challenge finding something specific in his detailed drawings.
After thinking hard, Martin came up with "Wally." Wally is a world traveler who loves to explore different times and places. He always wears a red and white striped shirt, a bobble hat, and glasses. On his adventures, Wally is often joined by his friend Wenda, who wears similar clothes. There's also an evil character named Odlaw (which is Waldo spelled backwards!), who dresses in yellow and black.
The Success of Where's Wally?
Where's Wally? quickly became a huge hit around the world. The books were sold in 28 different countries! Martin Handford created seven classic Where's Wally? books. His famous character also appeared on many other products. You could find Wally on notebooks, pillows, posters, and in video games. There were even two animated TV series about Wally's adventures.
Martin Handford is known for being a very careful and hardworking artist. Sometimes, it would take him up to eight weeks to draw just one two-page picture for a book! His drawings are very detailed, with about 300 to 500 figures in each two-page spread. Wally was often the very last character he would draw into the busy scene.
The Where's Wally? books were first published in the UK by Walker Books. In the United States, they were published as Where's Waldo? by Little, Brown and Company and later by Candlewick Press.
Wally's Legacy and Art Style
In 2007, Martin Handford sold the rights to Where's Wally? to a company called Entertainment Rights Group. This company owns many popular children's brands.
The style of art that Martin Handford uses is called "Wimmelbilderbuch" (pronounced Vim-mel-bil-der-book). This German word means "picture book with teeming masses." It's a type of drawing that shows many small details and characters in a busy scene. Famous artists like Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder used a similar style long ago.
See also
In Spanish: Martin Handford para niños
