FARMINGTON — Where’s Waldo?

For the month of July, the elusive character is hiding among the wares of 20 downtown Farmington shops.

The popular character with red-striped shirt, bobble hat and dark-rimmed glasses, is turning 25 this year. In celebration of his longevity and popularity, American publisher Candlewick Press is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and 250 independent booksellers, including Farmington’s Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers, for a hunt for Where’s Waldo?

A Massachusetts bookseller, a friend of DDG’s Kenny Brechner, came up with the idea last year for a search promoting local shopping, Brechner said Friday.

He planned to join her and try a Where’s Waldo? search in Farmington but the publisher liked the idea and asked them to wait for the special 25th anniversary celebration.

Independent bookstores applied and 250 were chosen from across the country, he said. Candlewick Press is supplying materials and prizes.

Starting July 1, each of the 20 stores will hide a small Waldo likeness within their store. Individuals and families interested in hunting for him can either collect a “Find Waldo in Farmington!” search list with the names of all the businesses participating from DDG or print one off their website, www.ddgbooks.com, Brechner said.

If they spot one in a store, they can mark it off and collect a “I Found Waldo at …” card from the store. Those collecting cards in 16 or more businesses and turning them into Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers will win a Waldo button and be eligible for larger prizes.

Everyone is welcome to a Waldo party on July 31 when the prizes are awarded, he said. The grand prize is a complete six-volume set of Waldo books.

A shorter hunt where cards from eight businesses are collected and returned to the Broadway bookstore means a Waldo button for that person.

Created by British illustrator Martin Hannaford, the Waldo books feature illustrations with a crowd of people doing some amusing things. Trying to find Waldo with the striped shirt, dark glasses among the crowd can sometimes be challenging, because many contain the misleading use of red-and-white striped objects.

Since 1987, more than 55 million Waldo books have been printed worldwide and translated into 18 languages.

“An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo and his cast of wandering companions,” Brechner said in a release.

Enlisting 19 other Farmington shops to join him in sponsoring the July game promotes shopping locally. Stores along Main Street, Broadway and Front Street are preparing for Waldo seekers.

“It’s when Waldo comes to life,” Brechner said about the hunt that’s fun for individuals and families to do together. It lasts into Farmington’s Summer Festival on July 27.

For more information about hunting for Waldo in Farmington, call Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers at 778-3454.

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