Odlaw is a classic example of the "evil twin" archetype and resembles the titular Waldo, but has a black and yellow patterned shirt, and a mustache - what makes Odlaw most different from Waldo, however, is not his physical differences but his behavior. Odlaw's first appearance was in 1991 in the story "Where's Waldo: The Magnificient Poster Book!" where he was given the more generic role of an "anti-Waldo" - the idea of him being the opposite of Waldo goes as far as his name: which is Waldo spelt backwards.