Find Waldo at 21 Tucson businesses and possibly win a cool prize

A tiny Waldo is hiding in nearly two dozen Tucson businesses, waiting for you to find him.

It’s part of a real-life “Where’s Waldo?” scavenger hunt, hosted locally by Antigone Books to help support local businesses.

“It’s something that independent bookstores do all over the country,” says Antigone’s co-owner Kate Stern. “Candlewick Press put on the event and invites local bookstores to stimulate local business in their hometowns. Antigone’s been doing it for a number of years — long before I worked at the store.”

Here’s how it works:

Drop by Antigone Books and ask for a passport — they’re free, with no purchase necessary. On it, you’ll see a list of 21 participating businesses. In past years, the challenge stuck to Fourth Avenue and the downtown area, but this year it’s expanded to also include the MSA Annex, the University of Arizona area and spots in midtown.

Once you have the passport in hand, head to the listed businesses, where a six-inch cardboard Waldo will be hidden somewhere. Find Waldo and an employee will stamp your passport.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

When you’ve gotten a stamp from at least 18 of the businesses, turn your passport in to Antigone by 4 p.m. July 31 and you’ll be entered into a raffle. The prizes — donated by many of the participating businesses — will be sorted out by early August.

And let us just say — this isn’t just for kids. There are a lot of prizes for both kids and adults to get excited about.

To name a few: an $80 tune-up at Transit Cycles, gift certificates to Rustic Candle Company, family passes to Children’s Museum Tucson and, of course, books.

“I’m pretty excited about the prizes this year,” Stern says.

Antigone hasn’t participated in the “Where’s Waldo?” challenge in the last two years due to the pandemic, but Stern says it was previously a hit along Fourth Avenue, getting people into local businesses and helping kids be excited about something that's not in front of a screen. 

“It’s something independent bookstores do and it’s a cool thing to be part of as part of the American Booksellers Association and it’s the pride of being a local bookstore in our hometown,” Stern says. “It’s celebrating that tradition, but more importantly, I think it’s getting people out in the summertime when (business) is slower.”