No. 88: Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford. (No, I am not kidding).

Hello gentle readers. Welcome to another issue of The Daily Banning. Today, we’re going to talk about pornography. ...and really, you can’t talk about porn without talking about Where’s Waldo?.

The Where’s Waldo? books are the brainchild of British children's author and illustrator Martin Handford. The series debuted in 1987 and introduced readers to Waldo, a nattily dressed man, as he set off to explore the world. Waldo has a knack for ending up in crowded places with people (or objects) dressed almost exactly like him. (Incidentally ladies, this is a nightmare, yes? Going to a party and seeing someone else in my dress? Not good.) The point for the readers is to pick Waldo out of the crowd. Handford has sent Waldo all over the world and even off the world where it appears that instead of little green men, Mars is populated by aliens who look a lot like Waldo. Who knew?

Wait, where was I? Oh yes, porn. The original edition of Where’s Waldo? has been banned because a sunbather in an intricate beach scene has a partially exposed breast. I’ll wait a moment for your horror and outrage to wear off.

OK. I thought this must surely be an urban legend but have confirmed that it’s true. In the picture, a woman lying on her stomach has removed her bikini top to tan her back. In reaction to being dowsed with water, she's partially lifted up in surprise. As viewers we only see the woman from the back but under one of her arms, you can see half a boobie and possibly even (gasp!) a nipple.

The sunbather appears in a 1987 edition only and was removed in subsequent releases due to the controversy. (I'm posting the before and after photos at the bottom of this because if I were you, I'd want to see them. This may possibly make me a porn peddler. Please visit me in jail.) We fine, moral, Americans can rest easily knowing that our children are safe from nipples everywhere.



BTW... I think you should all check to see if you own that 1987 edition. It’s probably worth some money.