Adventures in Animation: Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?

When most people think of Carmen Sandiego, they think of the game show. And, you know, why wouldn't you? It was a lot of fun, and it made a cappella music a thing. That's a really tough theme song to compete with.

Well, does anyone remember the cartoon series based on the educational game? Cuz that one had a pretty fun theme, too, although a bit more dramatic and operatic than the finger-snapping fun of the Rockapella jam. I'd almost forgotten that this show existed until I found it on the shelf at the local FYE for only $10. So I thought I'd pick it up and see if I could justify why I watched it so much as a kid.

Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego hasn't aged particularly well - the animation's a bit shoddy (especially the framing CG sequences), and the writing, at times, is downright awful. Oh, and then there's the chief, whose Max Headroom-style antics can be pretty entertaining for the minute or two before they get real old.

But, you know, I still found myself enjoying this show, mainly on the strength of its other characters. Sibling detectives Zach and Ivy lead the hunt for the master criminal, mostly known for pilfering high-profile artifacts from antiquity simply because she can. Ivy kicks a lot of butt - a strong female lead in a time period not really known for having good female characters. Zach's got a lot of early 90s "radness" in his speech, but he's not overly grating. Ultimately, the duo has to solve most of their problems with their brains rather than their brawn - a refreshing approach to action stories in children's entertainment.

The real draw, of course, is Carmen Sandiego herself. She's barely in most of the episodes, but that's not a bad thing. She's a real mystery, and that's a lot of her appeal. She's cool, confident, and always manages to be a step ahead of just about everyone. Best of all, when she does lose, she tends to lose with a bit of grace and dignity. She's a noble thief - she steals what she can, because she can, and she's in it for the sport. Plus, she's voiced by Rita Moreno. That's pretty cool. We don't get a lot of prominent Latina characters in fiction, and few have the poise and stature of Carmen Sandiego.

I'm actually surprised there's not more Carmen Sandiego nowadays. She's a childhood relic, good only for punchlines in jokes also involving Where's Waldo, and that's just not fair. She got saddled with a children's edutainment show, which maybe leaves a sour taste in some people's mouths, but it's not a bad show at all. And, I'll admit, I always liked the Carmen Sandiego experiences. They proved that education could be fun, if couched in a sufficiently fun narrative. And a cool character like Carmen Sandiego deserves to come back more than a lot of old franchises that keep getting revisited over and over and over.

Just, you know, leave the time-traveling game show out of it. Man, that was not very good.