Meet The Waldos
In the fall of '71 Waldo Steve was given a treasure map to a patch of weed on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The map was given to him by a friend whose brother was in the U.S. Coast Guard and was growing cannabis. The coastguardsman was paranoid he would get busted so he granted permission to harvest. The Waldos™ all agreed to meet at 4:20 p.m. at the statue of chemist Louis Pasteur on the campus of San Rafael High. They met, got high, and drove out to search for the patch.
In the ensuing school days the Waldos would use the term ‘420 Louie™’ to remind each other of their after school quest. They eventually dropped the 'Louie' part and just said ‘420’ to refer to cannabis. Originally '420' was nothing more than the Waldos' secret slang--their own private joke--, however, it was picked up by others and spread from generation to generation, city to city, country to country, across decades, and throughout all media around the globe.
See Us Under ‘420’ In
Documented Founders of 420
There have been many misconceptions, fallacies, falsehoods, and media inaccuracies about the beginnings of '420', and even about The Waldos. Rogues and fogged burnouts turn up across the internet claiming they started '420', fictionally making up dates that precede The Waldos' creation date with their revisionist history. Unfortunately, as things grow in popularity, sometimes people "crawl out of the woodwork" to claim they were part of it. The Waldos are the only true account, supported by years of mainstream media scrutiny and historical evidence.
The Waldos are the only ones with multiple pieces of physical-evidence proof of the very earliest usage of the term '420'. In fact, The Waldos are the only ones in the world with any proof at all. The Waldos story/proof of '420' origination has been investigated, and verified, by numerous credible journalistic news organizations. The Waldos are the real creators of the term 420.
Still Friends Today
As teens, The Waldos were a unique group hell-bent on unusual adventures known as Waldo Safaris™-- all resulting in a continuous flow of slang, catch phrases, impersonations, and distinct vocal noises. The story of the beginning of '420' was only the tip of the iceberg of Waldo adventures and antics. Sometimes compared to the 1960's Merry Pranksters, The Waldos are still together as a group, still friends, living in Marin/Sonoma Counties and carrying on with their adventures and inside Waldo humor.
2024 Brand New Pages and Updates
- It’s the Waldos! VIDEO—Waldos Live in the Clubhouse
- USA Today - National Story
- Jim Belushi pays tribute to the Waldos
- Jimmy Kimmel Honors the Waldos
- Los Angeles Times Feature Story
- To Boldly Go! — Where No Waldo Has Gone Before
- Waldos in New Penguin Book
NFTs & Limited Edition Prints Signed by Stanley Mouse- 420 Origins on Jeopardy
- More Waldo Catchphrases—READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE
- Cannthropology Interview
- CA Culture in the Early 70’s
- Lagunitas-Heineken Renews Waldos Beer
- Waldo’s 420-Force to End Prohibition
- Forbes 420 Waldos Mini Documentary
- Colbert Late Show 420 Waldos Coverage
- Waldos Movie Locations Video
- Weedhorn Facebook Interview
Buy Cool Glow-Tech Waldos Watch- 420 in Recent Feature Films
- AI --Artificial Intelligence Touts the Waldos