In the 1990s, the rising affordability of home computers brought about the “edutainment” trend, where companies tried to use computer games to teach kids—and to convince their parents—that technology wasn’t evil. One of the most successful of those attempts was Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, a game where the player was a detective for the ACME Agency, chasing a rogue agent-turned-red-fedora-wearing criminal named Carmen Sandiego. Carmen and her henchmen from V.I.L.E. (Villains’ International League of Evil) hopped around the world, trying to steal landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
As kids followed Carmen and V.I.L.E. with clues like “she’s learning Portuguese” (head to Brazil!) or “she changed her money to rubles” (next stop: Russia!), they also learned about geography and history. The games resulted in several spinoffs, including Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego? and a PBS kids’ TV game show where real-life middle schoolers won prizes for successfully answering questions about geography. But here’s what you may not know about Carmen and all her incarnations.
1. THE SHOW WAS INSPIRED BY A STUDY SHOWING HOW LITTLE MOST AMERICANS KNEW ABOUT GEOGRAPHY.
Following the success of the Carmen Sandiego computer game, two PBS affiliates decided to make a trivia show based on the game. Part of their decision came from a recent National Geographic study showing that one in four Americans couldn’t locate the Pacific Ocean on a map.
2. CONTESTANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM NEW YORK AREA MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
Mark Trinidad appeared on an episode of Carmen Sandiego in 1992, when he was 12 years old. The show worked with a teacher at his middle school in Teaneck, New Jersey, who selected a group of the school’s top geography students. Those kids were quizzed and interviewed by producers, and then some—like Mark—were picked to be on the show, which taped on a lot in Queens, New York.
3. WINNERS RECEIVED GLOBALLY-INSPIRED PRIZES.
Although Mark won his episode of Carmen Sandiego and made it to the final round, he didn’t win the grand prize: a trip. He did go home with some other swag though, including a basketball designed to look like a globe, a portable CD player, and some world music CDs. He also got to keep his contestant nametag.
4. THERE WAS ONCE A CARMEN SANDIEGO GAME SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA.
There have been multiple Carmen Sandiego games, including Where in Time… and Where in Space…, as well as editions focusing specifically on Europe and the United States. But the state of North Dakota got special permission to make a Carmen Sandiego game in honor of its 100th anniversary in 1989.
5. THE CHIEF HAS A TONY AWARD.
Actress Lynne Thigpen, who passed away in 2003, was beloved by middle-schoolers, thanks to her role as The Chief in both the Carmen Sandiego games and TV series. But her acting career had numerous other highlights,…
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