History Series / WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego

* FreezeFrameBonus: When Carmen and Wonder Rat express their disgust with the concept of discrimination in university admissions, [[http://youtu.be/zq6w8D-E_pA?t=11m52s a black, female gumshoe can be seen nodding in agreement]].

''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' is an [[EdutainmentShow Educational]] GameShow based on the ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' computer games by Brøderbund, which ran for five seasons (295 episodes; 65 episodes each in Seasons 1-3 and 50 episodes each in Seasons 4-5) on Creator/{{PBS}} from September 30, 1991 to December 22, 1995 (with reruns airing until October 4, 1996). The series was a co-production between WGBH Boston and WQED Pittsburgh. Three children answered multiple-choice geography questions while pursuing a member of Carmen's gang, who had stolen a famous landmark.

* SesameStreetCred: Back when he was a senator, UsefulNotes/JoeBiden [[http://youtu.be/XFNE6lbD_b4 called Greg in a 1993 episode]].

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Due to the show being recorded during a time when maps were changing rapidly thanks to the collapse of the Soviet Union, they ended up adding the following disclaimer to the show: "All geographic information was accurate as of the date this program was recorded."

* BlinkingLightsOfVictory: When a contestant got 8 markers in their proper spots on the map, the studio lights would swing about wildly, with a newspaper graphic popping up on-screen with the headline "[CONTESTANT] CAPTURES CARMEN!"

* BonusRound: Here's a map of a country or continent. Place these markers on seven (later eight) locations within 45 seconds (60 seconds on the Asia map in Season 1) to arrest Carmen and win a trip. If it's correct, The sirens will sound. If it's incorrect, The buzzer will sound. If the contestant places the markers in the incorrect place twice, another location will be read.

** A failure in the last round is indicated by a newspaper graphic with Carmen on the front page and the headline "Carmen Escapes Again!" In Season 4 (1992) and beyond that point, The headline photo will disappear, and leaving with just a white shadow.

* ClusterFBomb: Taken as far as any Creator/PBSKids program was willing to dare at the end of some episodes of season 1--specifically, if the program ran too short, kids could expect to hear the line "I don't give a damn" being sung several times in the span of just two or three minutes. [[{{Bowdlerize}} And then the radar caught it...]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: One of the first taped episodes featured Rockapella singing a song called "Zombie Jamboree" at the end instead of the theme song...complete with the line "I don't give a damn." On a ''PBS kids' show''.
** This was bowdlerized to "dang" in repeats, so apparently the radar caught on.
** When talking about polar night in Antarctica, the Chief said "Yes, Patty's taken the (Van Allen) Belt and hidden it where the sun doesn't shine! So head straight for the world's bottom, gumshoes!"
** There's an episode entitled "Withdrawal Symptoms". Sure, it had to do with a bank heist, but still...

* PrecisionFStrike: In early episodes, Rockapella would sometimes sing "Zombie Jamboree" as filler, which resulted in a rare situation where a Creator/PBSKids program used profanity uncensored for at least some time before the radar caught on and forced bowdlerization in later in-series performances.

* UrbanLegend: For many years, there were rumors among fans that there was an unaired episode 66 from the second season, titled "Auld Lang Gone", in which Patty Larceny stole the New Year's Ball from New York City. The claim had been that a contestant fell and broke her arm while attempting the Europe map, and the runner-up that day was brought back to complete the map. Among the other claims were that Marc Summers was filling in for an ill Greg Lee that day, that Greg was filling the role of the Chief, and that Gene Wilder made a walk-on appearance. [[http://buzzerblog.com/2020/08/23/gone-but-not-forgotten-exploring-the-myth-of-the-lost-carmen-sandiego-part-1/ As told in this story,]] producer Howard Blumenthal said that they only made ''65'' episodes for each season, and Marc Summers himself (who, remember, was said to have been the host for that episode) stated that the episode does not exist, and that his only involvement was to assist in giving the first clue of one episode. The author of the story went on to say that a cursory search of social media did not turn up any potential results.

* UrbanLegend: For many years, there were rumors among fans that there was an unaired episode 66 from the second season, titled "Auld Lang Gone." The claim had been that a contestant fell and broke her arm while attempting the Europe map, and the runner-up that day was brought back to complete the map. Among the other claims were that Marc Summers was filling in for an ill Greg Lee that day, that Greg was filling the role of the Chief, and that Gene Wilder made a walk-on appearance. [[http://buzzerblog.com/2020/08/23/gone-but-not-forgotten-exploring-the-myth-of-the-lost-carmen-sandiego-part-1/ As told in this story,]] producer Howard Blumenthal said that they only made ''65'' episodes for each season, and Marc Summers himself (who, remember, was said to have been the host for that episode) stated that the episode does not exist, and that his only involvement was to assist in giving the first clue of one episode. The author of the story went on to say that a cursory search of social media did not turn up any potential results.

* MonumentalTheft: On the low end, Carmen and her crew took things like the ''Titanic'', the Pyramids of Giza, and the Great Wall of China. Watch the show to see the high-end {{Monumental Theft}}s.

* UrbanLegend: For many years, there were rumors among fans that there was an unaired episode 66 from the second season, titled "Auld Lang Gone." The claim had been that a contestant fell and broke her arm while attempting the Europe map, and the runner-up that day was brought back to complete the map. Among the other claims were that Marc Summers was filling in for an ill Greg Lee that day, that Greg was filling the role of the Chief, and that Gene Wilder made a walk-on appearance. [[http://buzzerblog.com/2020/08/23/gone-but-not-forgotten-exploring-the-myth-of-the-lost-carmen-sandiego-part-1/ As told in this story,]] producer Howard Blumenthal said that they only made ''65'' episodes for each season, and Marc Summers himself (who, remember, was said to have been the host for that episode) stated that the episode does not exist, and that his only involvement was to assist in giving the first clue of one episode. The author of the story went on to say that a cursory search of social media turned up nobody who would have been between 12 and 14 years old in 1992.

* BonusRound: Here's a map of a country or continent. Place these markers on seven (later eight) locations within 45 seconds (60 seconds on the Asia map in Season 1) and win a trip. If it's correct, The sirens will sound. If it's incorrect, The buzzer will sound. If the contestant places the markers in the incorrect place twice, another location will be read.

* DeadpanSnarker: Rockapella would snark in song if Round 2 started dragging.
** "Tension's mounting!"
** "Pressure building!"
** "Any day now!"
** "Nothing!"

* CanonImmigrant: Prior to the game show, the Chief was either never seen or was a white male, but Lynne Thigpen's version of the Chief proved to be so popular that she eventually made it into newer editions of the computer games; this meant the games and game show were no longer separate entities. [[WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego the cartoon]], on the other hand...

* BonusRound: Here's a map of a country or continent. Place these markers on seven (later eight) locations within 45 seconds (60 seconds on the Asia map in Season 1) and win a trip. If it's correct, The sirens will sound. If it's incorrect, The buzzer will sound. If the contestant places the markers in the incorrect place twice, Another location will be read.

* HesOkay:
** A few sketches involved Rockapella or some other informant taking a really nasty hit. Greg would assure the audience that nobody was hurt by saying this.
** Inverted in the unaired "Auld Lang Gone".

* {{Pilot}}: Two pilots were shot in 1991: "The Purloined Pooch" and "The Disoriented Express"). What made these relatively unique was that they were aired during Season 1 (as episodes 58 and 62, respectively) with a disclaimer at the start noting that there were some differences. Among the differences...

* NoBudget: The show was not expensive to make, and it shows at times. Occasionally joked about by Rockapella when there was a board malfunction during the Concentration-style segment.

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: In "Scrolldies but Goodies", Greg needs a password to unlock a trash can (which is protected by the "Garbage Club"). He doesn't know what the password is, but everyone else does...and it's actually "swordfish".

!!''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' provides examples of the following tropes:

!!GameShowTropes in use:

* GoldenSnitch:
** The final clue of each round was sometimes this. Earlier clues and games awarded 5 or 10 Crime Bucks per answer, but in the final round contestants could risk, in increments of 10, up to 50. Often this resulted in the final clue being the sole determiner of the finishing order of the contestants.
** The ''{{Series/Concentration}}''-esque memory game. The points from the trivia rounds no longer mattered. It was just a matter of luck and memory as far as who made it to the BonusRound, making everything leading up to this game ''almost'' meaningless. (All that it did was to determine who was the first to choose in that second round.)
* HomeGame: Inverted; the game show was based off the home computer game.
* HomeParticipationSweepstakes: Viewers were asked to send in lists of what was stolen and where it was stolen from for four successive days. 5 winners were chosen at random each day to get a T-shirt.
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Lynne Thigpen.
** GameShowHost: Greg Lee.
** StudioAudience
** Rockapella
* SuddenDeath: If there is a tie in 2nd place after the final clue of round 1, They would go for it. The correct answer will advance to 2nd Round.
* ThinkMusic: Two songs, both performed by Rockapella - "How much you wanna risk?" during the wagering portion of the game, and "Where do you wanna go?" as the winning contestant wrote down his desired trip destination if he captured Carmen. They're the same melody, though.
* {{Whammy}}: In ''Jailtime Challenge'', there are shoeprints (which means nothing there) and their turn is over. Also, since the rules of ''Jailtime Challenge'' require that the loot, the warrant, and the crook must be found in that order, finding them out of order is just as much a whammy, since that generally meant the gumshoe would have to deliberately pick a location with nothing behind it to avoid revealing another piece of the puzzle for the other player's benefit.
----
!!''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' provides examples of the following tropes:

* AcmeProducts: The sleuths worked for the Acme Detective Agency, [[ContinuityNod the agency the player of the computer games works for.]] PlayedForLaughs during the clue segments, especially when they involved guest stars. Scott Weinger was said to have come from "Acme Voice of Aladdin Net", James Avery came from "Acme [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Shredder]] Net", and Katie Couric from "Acme [[InsistentTerminology 'Don't Call Me Perky']] Net".
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Chief was fond of this. Some episode titles had it, like "The Heinous Hockey Heist."
* AwesomeMcCoolName: The episode "[=ABCee=] You Later" has a gumshoe named Takenya Battle.
* BeyondTheImpossible: In one office sketch, the Chief is using a windmill to power the office. Naturally, once the wind stops, the power goes out. Greg's solution? Just plug in a fan and aim it at the windmill. It works, despite the fact that there was no electricity to start up the fan. Greg explains that fan because he plugged in the fan, the windmill was able to generate electricity, which in turn was able to power the fan. The Chief comments that it sort of makes sense if you don't think about it too much.
* BlackBossLady: Lynne Thigpen as The Chief of course.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Kneemoi. At one point she found the experience of prison so fascinating that she ratted Carmen out so she could experience it as well.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: Later in-series performances of "Zombie Jamboree" were subjected to this on account of profanity.
* BrickJoke: The intro for the "Chase" round often contained an element from another sketch earlier on. Also, during the "Training Exercise" where the contestants had to race to dig a clue card out of a trash can (first to finish got first shot over the question for 10 points), Greg's can often contained either a gag from earlier in the show or a camera (cue cut to the camera in the can).
** In the episode "Rio Rock Wranglers", Greg accidentally overfills a measuring cup with molasses while listening to a clue included in the cookie recipe the Chief wants to make, causing molasses to get all over the desk. It turns out that a little bit of molasses got on the portfolio later on after the Jail time challenge.
* [[CallAHitPointASmeerp Call a Point a Smeerp]]: Acme Crime Bucks.
* [[CallARabbitASmeerp Call a Contestant a Gumshoe]]: Or a Sleuth if they made to the bonus round, regardless of whether or not they won said bonus round.
* CanonImmigrant: Prior to the game show, the Chief was either never seen or was a white male, but Lynne Thigpen's version of the Chief proved to be so popular that she eventually made it into newer editions of the computer games; this meant the games and game show were no longer separate entities. [[WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego the cartoon]], on the other hand...
* CardboardPrison: Done to such an absurd extent, you wonder why the kids even bothered arresting the criminals.
* CarriedByTheHost: The goofy Greg Lee's chemistry with the straight-laced Chief, along with Rockapella's musical accompaniment. Without them, it would've been just another dull edutainment show.
* CatchPhrase:
** "I salute you!"
** "Do it, Rockapella!"
** "Now, the boys down at the ACME Photo Reconsecration Bureau have put together a few slides!"
** "All these people want to know: [[TitleDrop Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?]]"
** "Not bad!"
** "He's / she's / I'm okay!" (Generally followed some sort of [[AmusingInjuries amusing injury]].)
** "Go away!" (used by the Chief to get Greg out of her office)
** "Or it was, until today!" (used by the Chief when she transitions from describing the loot to explaining how it was stolen)
* ClusterFBomb: Taken as far as any Creator/PBSKids program was willing to dare at the end of some episodes of season 1--specifically, if the program ran too short, kids could expect to hear the line "I don't give a damn" being sung several times in the span of just two or three minutes. [[{{Bowdlerize}} And then the radar caught it...]]

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: In "Scrolldies but Goodies", Greg needs a password to unlock a trash can (which is protected by the "Garbage Club"). He doesn't know what the password is, but everyone else does...and it's actually "swordfish".

* CarriedByTheHost: The goofy Greg Lee's chemistry with the straight-faced Chief, along with Rockapella's musical accompaniment. Without them, it would've been just another dull edutainment show.

* BlackBossLady: Lynne Thigpen, of course.

* CanonImmigrant: Prior to the game show, the Chief was either never seen or was a white male, but Lynne Thigpen's version of the Chief proved to be so popular that she eventually made it into newer editions of the computer games. As a result, it also meant the games and game show were no longer separate entities; [[WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego the cartoon]], on the other hand...

[[EvilTwin Evil]] [[ExaggeratedTrope Twins]] : Double Trouble

* BigWinSirens: A standard police siren sounded every time a match was successful. Winning the bonus round resulted in the siren speeding up and various bells and horns accompanying it. Then the newspaper headline covered reads ''(Gumshoe's name) Captures Carmen!'' From Season 4 (1992) And beyond that point, The headline illustration will have Carmen behind bars.

'''The Chief:''' They're not too bright, but full of tricks. [[ImprobablyLowIQ Their [=IQs=], total: 36.]]

[[EvilTwins Evil]] [[ExaggeratedTrope Twins]] : Double Trouble