Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

If you're like me, and are of a certain generation, when you saw that title, you probably started singing one of two versions: either the PBS game show version by Rockapella (are they still a thing? I hope so), or the cartoon version. Either way, I salute you, comrade. Please enjoy this tribute to Carmen Sandiego, my like-minded friend.

I do wonder if my love of detectives and spies can be traced back to my formative years watching Carmen. I watched the shows, I had the board game. I was, in short, a Carmen junkie. She was this cool chick who was beyond clever. She was athletic and wore a hat like nobody's business (seriously, how did that hat not fly off her head during her many escapes?!). She made that life look glamorous. She traveled the world. In short, she was everything I wanted to be.

I mean, yeah, she was a thief, but she wasn't a bad thief. She just liked the challenge. In the cartoon, she was always pulling her rivals Zack and Ivy out of trouble. Would a true fiend do that? I think not. The woman had a moral code. She was even repatriating art before it was thing.

My love of Ms. Sandiego has not abated. I recently read the kids book (it's very good!), and if I wasn't so cheap and outdated, I'd join the 21st century and get Netflix so I could watch the new series. As an adult, Carmen Sandiego even made it into my Halloween costuming:

Just imagine my delight when a fellow Old saw me and shouted out, "I love your Carmen costume!"

So, cheers, Carmen, you delightful rogue, you.