For 25 years, people have poured over Where’s Waldo? books searching for the famous guy in the striped shirt, hat and glasses.

Through the month of July, people can find him right here in Susanville.

Margie’s Book Nook has joined 250 independent bookstores across the nation in celebrating the quarter century birthday by spearheading a local event incorporating participation from both business owners and the community.

Margie’s Book Nook as well as 19 businesses have hidden a six-inch Waldo in their store. See ads in the Lassen County Times for a list of participating locations.

According to Dave Teeter, manager at Margie’s Book Nook, when a participant finds the figure, they will receive a card that says, “I found Waldo.”

After collecting eight cards, participants can bring them to Margie’s Book Nook where the first 100 Waldo spotters will receive a button. If people collect 16 of the possible 20 cards, they will receive a button and be entered into a drawing for prizes, including a six book deluxe set of Waldo books and an iPad 2.

Teeter said all participating merchants are donating prizes.

The drawing will be held at a community celebration at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 31 at Margie’s Book Nook.

An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo and his crew of friends since Martin Handford’s entertaining drawings of crowd scenes captured the world in 1987.

Since then, Where’s Waldo? books have been featured on bookstore shelves around the world. There are now 55 million Waldo books in print worldwide and they’ve been translated into 18 languages.

Teeter said, “Waldo has sold for years, and years and it is an iconic children’s thing. It works for a promotion like this because it is a distinctly local flavor.”

According to store owner Margie Teeter there was already a good response just four days into the event and everybody seemed to be having a great time.

Margie Teeter found the idea on a bookseller association website and said she thought it would be a fun promotion, bringing lots of people to the shops.

She said, “When I first heard about it, I thought it would be a fun event for Susanville and it would be something our customers and other merchants would enjoy.”