About The Waldos

The Waldos are UNLIKE anything that has been presented in movies. The Waldos smoked cannabis, but they were not archetypal stoners. They were not Spicoli and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. They were not Cheech and Chong. They were not the commonly portrayed gangs of lame and stupid stoner goofballs or loser misfits. Most depictions are of weed tokers being stupid, lethargic, slow, unmotivated, unfit and out of shape, slow talking, confused, and forgetful.

The Waldos – True People

Primarily different than any of the previous—The Waldos are not fictional, but true people. The Waldos were motivated, creative, active, driven, involved, aware, intelligent, fit, and educated. They were athletes—football, track, high diving, mountain-cross country running. One was a double-honors Accounting student in high school. Others were award-winning animation film makers and painters. Ironically, one was the son of the head NARC (narcotics enforcement) in the San Francisco Police Department which gave the Waldos a special knowledge of drug search and seizure laws – valuable knowledge in the 70’s era.

The Waldos were huge fans of clean cut Johnny Carson. And they associated with the Gratetful Dead (but were never Deadheads).

The Waldo Persona

MOST OF ALL The Waldos were uniquely creative and hilarious Northern California hippies–who secretly entertained themselves by doing impersonations and making observational humor of everyone, including the hippies. The Waldos were social satirists and never mean spirited with their humor, and anti-bully. They were in their own world and were always kind to everyone, especially outcasts. They were not into any politics at all — their only agenda was to make each other laugh with their outrageous humor. Waldo members were quite likable, got along with and infiltrated other cliques in the school like chameleons, only to return to the Waldo gang with impersonations, distorted perceptions, and funny catch phrases that were repeated and thoroughly enjoyed ad nauseam (amongst themselves). The Waldo humor filter did not stop with schoolmates. Teachers, roommates, brothers, landlords, girlfriends, coaches, parents, bosses and co-workers, shopkeepers, and Waldo members themselves —virtually everybody turned into an impersonation or catch phrase.

The Waldos were most amusing in public: They loved to mess with strangers, subtly testing the limits of what you could say to people in the way of weirdness, and (as comedic spies) always laughing at a stranger’s response. Waldos never played blue or vulgar verbally. Unusual comedic vocalizations/sounds were created and dropped on unsuspecting strangers just to trip them out. Read More About Noises & Vocalizations The Waldos would talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime, and amazingly would make instant friends at every possible level/segment of society, often during the least expected of circumstances (and leading to even more interesting adventures.)

The Waldo Weekly Challenge

The Waldo weekly challenge of dreaming up out-of-the ordinary field trips called ‘WALDO SAFARIS’™ and the tales of safari execution are all part of the story. Sometimes exceptional things happened—
a Waldo True story from the book Pot Stories for the Soul, compiled by Paul Krassner.
NEW- Another Waldo True Story from Pot Stories for the Soul

Although the Waldos are still friends and still together as a group today, the backstory of The Waldos and ‘420’ beginnings is a golden era we will never see the likes of again—the 1970’s in Marin County, CA— San Francisco Bay Area. These were Northern California hippified tales and times set in Marin County’s beautiful-redwood forested mountains and coastal scenery. The Waldos all had long hair and fros. They wore bell bottom blue jeans with leather patches, hiking boots, bandanas, custom made leather vests, some army jackets, unique custom-made Western shirts, agate rock belt buckles and even a Safari hat. Everybody in Marin shook hands with the angled-hand soul shake–not a traditional handshake. Long-haired hippie hitchhikers appeared everywhere, and people readily shared drugs (weed, mushrooms and acid) and lodging. Arts and crafts were flourishing, and the Marin/Bay Area music recording/ live music scene was bursting at the seams.

Much More about The Waldos

The Waldos have been dubbed “The Beatles of 420”, however, they still remain under the radar in much of society. The Waldos never purposely tried to insert 420 into culture, yet despite all the modern hoopla about it, it was never anything more than a private Waldo joke.