Carmen Sandiego: The Significance of the World’s Most Infamous Art Thief
June 12, 2019
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Everyone who was anyone sometime between 1985 and 2000 remembers her; clad in angular red, booted to the knees, mysterious eyes peering over a crisp collar.
Carmen Sandiego, a singularly beloved villain, has captivated the imaginations of children for 30 years as they read, played, and watched all they could of her world. A world where art, geography, and history are part and parcel of adventure. A world where diverse women play diverse roles. A world where kids are smart, and can stop the machinations of the world's greatest thieves.
Since its inception as a video game in 1985, the Carmen Sandiego franchise has thrived across decades and between mediums. Books, video games, comic series, and T.V shows have depicted the loveable villainess and her minions stealing the world's collective heritage, while teaching their audiences quite a lot about this same heritage in the process.
Carmen Sandiego is not obligatory however. Kids do not resign themselves to sit down and play the game to assuage parental expectations. If this was the case, Carmen Sandiego would not be one of the top longest-running video games in existence. The franchise has met with little else besides acclaim and continues to redefine commercial longevity.
The fact is, kids love Carmen Sandiego.
How can a universe that is so patently informational, even -gasp- educational, capture the attention of generations of children?
Well, the first answer might be that kids actually like learning. They just don't like being condescended to.
Todd Brown in his Stanford paper, "Why in the World is Carmen Sandiego a Success," writes that "by treating children as the intelligent little people they are, the designers had no need to hide from them the fact that they were playing and learning at the same time. Kids knew. The beauty of Carmen Sandiego is that they kept playing anyway."
Besides its unabashed smartness, the franchise also presents an array of diverse characters who demonstrate various qualities separate from their identities. Carmen herself is Latina, though no conflations are made between her thievery and her ethnicity. In the PBS show, the character of the Chief was played by black actress Lynne Thigpen. The role would later rival Carmen herself in terms of popularity and iconic status.
Of the new Netflix animated reboot starring Gina Rodriguez, NBC writes, "[Carmen Sandiego] bridges cultures, something that resonates among the increasingly diverse younger generations."
Whatever the reason, Carmen Sandiego shows no signs of stopping.
If you're feeling nostalgic, are young at heart, or simply want to learn, check out the Museum of World Treasure's "Where in the Museum is Carmen Sandiego" event.
