Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)

American children's television game show

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? is an American half hour children's television game show based on the Carmen Sandiego computer game series created by Broderbund. The show was hosted by Greg Lee, who was joined by Lynne Thigpen and the a cappella vocal group Rockapella, who served as the show's house band and comedy troupe. The series was videotaped in New York City at Chelsea Studios and Kaufman Astoria Studios (the latter of which also housed the set of Sesame Street) and co produced by WQED and WGBH TV, and aired on PBS stations from September 30, 1991, to December 22, 1995, with reruns continuing to air until May 31, 1996. A total of 295 episodes over five seasons were recorded. The show won seven Daytime Emmys and a 1992 Peabody Award. In 2001, TV Guide ranked the show at No. 47 on its list of 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time. The show was created partially in response to the results of a National Geographic survey indicating little knowledge of geography among some of the American populace, with one in four being unable to locate the Soviet Union or the Pacific Ocean. The show's questions were verified by National Geographic World, who also provided prizes to the contestants in the form of subscriptions to their magazine.

Each episode consisted of three contestants (10–14 years of age) competing against one another answering geography related trivia questions to determine the location of one of Carmen Sandiego's cronies and eventually Carmen herself. Throughout the program the contestants are referred to as "gumshoes", in reference to fledgling detectives just starting out in the profession.

The two higher scoring gumshoes continued on to Round Two, following the crook to their next destination (the same destination described in the Final Clue from Round One). The Chief briefed the two on their destination, using a "Photo Recon" to describe different landmarks and venues in the location from the final question of the first round. Fifteen trilons were then displayed on a large game board, each one labeled with the name of a different landmark, including those shown during the Chief's briefing. Hidden behind three of the trilons were the day's stolen loot, an arrest warrant, and the crook him/herself, and behind the other twelve were shoe prints, which indicated nothing was there. The higher of the two scoring gumshoes from round one chose first. If the two gumshoes were tied for first place, a coin toss determined who started. The gumshoes then alternated taking turns until one of them found all three of the key items in the required order:

First, the loot, the evidence required for the warrant. Second, the warrant to arrest the crook. Third, only after finding the loot and then the warrant, the crook him/herself. Finding either the loot, warrant, or crook at any time allowed the gumshoe to take another turn, but if one of these was found in the incorrect order (such as if the crook was uncovered before either the loot or warrant were), Lee would remind the gumshoe that the items needed to be found in the correct order and the gumshoe therefore would have to choose a space that was blank and pass control. At round's end, the winning gumshoe pulled a ring on a chain rope, activating a foghorn and incarcerating the crook. A consolation prize was announced by the Chief to the losing and departing gumshoe, after which Lee reminded the winning gumshoe of the grand prize.

At the end of the second round, Lee then handed a portfolio to the winning gumshoe for them to secretly write down their chosen destination if they were to win the grand prize in the Bonus Round, after which the gumshoe received a phone call from the apprehended crook, who instructed them to look for Carmen on a certain continent: Asia, Africa, Europe, South America or the United States (the latter of which expanded to include the rest of North America beginning in season 3), and the Chief then gave a list of thirteen locations on the chosen continent. Lee and the gumshoe then moved to a giant map that covered the entire floor in front of the studio audience. The map showed small red circles denoting cities of countries or states, and later added red arrows marking bodies of water and red squares for national parks and monuments. To capture Carmen, the gumshoe had to identify seven different locations on the map (eight beginning in season 2) in 45 seconds or less, each time grabbing one of a set of large markers with police beacons mounted on top, and quickly placing the marker on one of the red spots on the map. If they correctly identified a location, the beacon on the marker flashed and a police siren sounded briefly, while incorrect guesses were marked by a two note "uh oh" buzzer; one incorrect guess per location was allowed, but a second incorrect guess forced the gumshoe to leave the marker behind and go on to the next location. What made the round especially challenging was that the map was upside down from the gumshoe's perspective. If the gumshoe succeeded, they won the grand prize of the trip; Lee then revealed the location the gumshoe wrote down in the portfolio and promote the gumshoe to "sleuth". If the gumshoe failed to capture Carmen, she will get away and the gumshoe received a consolation prize but the trip destination was not revealed. The Chief will then promote the gumshoe to "sleuth" with her congratulations.

The Chief (Lynne Thigpen) is head of the fictional "ACME Crimenet". As the de facto announcer for the show, the Chief eloquently uses dialogue with wordplay. The Chief became so popular that Thigpen reprised the role in later editions of the PC games, and also in the subsequent TV series Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?

V. I. L. E. is Carmen's gang of crooks and the rogues' gallery of ne'er do wells comprises the following:
Carmen Sandiego: Master thief, criminal mastermind and the leader of V. I. L. E. During the show's "Phone Tap" segments, she was heard talking to the episode's crook, giving them advice to evade detection. The Contessa (Appearing in seasons 1, 4 & 5): A so called criminal of style who fancies herself to be near royalty. Top Grunge: A burly and unkempt biker who was always riding his chopper motorcycle. Dirty and surrounded by flies, he continually sneezed, snorted, and coughed during conversations. Eartha Brute: A muscular, dimwitted woman. RoboCrook (Unit 059): A cyborg spoof of RoboCop. Double Trouble: A pair of Yin and Yang party boy twins with quarter moon shaped heads. They speak in a voice similar to Jack Nicholson. Kneemoi: A shape shifting alien from the planet Roddenberry who is introduced in season 2. Her name is a reference to Leonard Nimoy best known for playing Spock of Star Trek and her home planet to the franchise's creator Gene Roddenberry. Wonder Rat: A superhero parody in a makeshift rat costume who is introduced in season 2. He also possesses his own helicopter. Sarah Nade: A loud, obnoxious teenage punk rocker with rainbow colored hair who is introduced in season 3. Her name is a pun on the word "serenade".

A staff of 150 worked to produce the show. Each season was produced in six weeks. Typically three to four episodes were taped each shooting day in a New York studio. All the animated characters were created on the Mac.

Following the completion of taping for the first season, massive geopolitical changes in the world—including the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the breakup of Yugoslavia—rendered the entire season geographically inaccurate. Starting in the second season, a disclaimer aired in the closing stating "All geographic information was accurate as of the date this program was recorded."

NerdHQ deemed the series the "crown jewel" of the Carmen Sandiego franchise.

Aside from the aforementioned Emmy and Peabody wins, the show was nominated for several other awards. Year Award Title Recipient Result 1992Young Artist Award Outstanding New Animation SeriesWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? 1992Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic DesignJim Fenhagen 1992Daytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesJay Rayvid (executive producer) et al. 1992Peabody AwardRecipient, 53rd Annual Peabody AwardsWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? 1993Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic DesignJim Fenhagen (set designer) & Laura Brock (art director) 1993Daytime EmmyOutstanding Directing in a Children's SeriesDana Calderwood 1993Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Graphics and Title DesignGene Mackles & Chris Pullman 1993Daytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesJay Rayvid (executive producer) et al. 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesLynne Thigpen for playing "The Chief" 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic DesignJim Fenhagen (scenic designer) & Laura Brock (art director) 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesJay Rayvid (executive producer) et al. 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Directing in a Children's SeriesDana Calderwood 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Costume DesignDanajean Cicerchi 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video ControlRichard Wirth (technical director) et al. 1994Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound EffectsTodd Miller (production mixer) et al. 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic DesignLaura Brock & Jim Fenhagen 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesLynne Thigpen for playing "The Chief" 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Directing in a Children's SeriesHugh Martin 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesKate Taylor (executive producer) & Jay Rayvid (executive producer) et al. 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Costume DesignDanajean Cicerchi 1995Daytime EmmyOutstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound EffectsFritz Lang (production mixer) et al. 1996Image AwardOutstanding Performance in an Educational/Informational Youth or Children's Series/SpecialLynne Thigpen 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Art Direction/Set Direction/Scenic DesignJim Fenhagen, Laura Brock, Eric Cheripka, Hank Liebeskind 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Live and Tape Sound MixingTim Lester, Robert Agnello, John Converting, Ronnie Lantz, Billy Straus 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Children's SeriesJay Rayvid (executive producer) & Kate Taylor (executive producer) et al. 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesLynne Thigpen for playing "The Chief" 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Directing in a Children's SeriesHugh Martin 1996Daytime EmmyOutstanding Costume Design or CostumingMaria E. Kenny 1997Image AwardOutstanding Youth or Children's Series/SpecialWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? 1997Daytime EmmyOutstanding Art Direction/Set Direction/Scenic DesignJim Fenhagen, Erik Ulfers, Laura Brock