History YMMV / CarmenSandiego

* CrackPairing: Carmen and [[WheresWaldo Waldo]].[[http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/waldo-carmen.jpg]] Less often but Carmen and a younger [[TheMagicSchoolbus Ms. Valerie Frizzle]]. [[http://zennore.deviantart.com/art/For-you-pg3-101921815]]. Carmen versus [[TombRaider Lara Croft]] works nicely if you're into FoeYay.

* ThatOneBoss: Pure-E-Bot and Cynic-Bot in ''Thinkquick Challenge'' to any non-American players, as in the higher difficulties their questions consist almost ''entirely'' of exclusively American history and geography, making it a GuideDangIt for people who didn't grow up there.

* MemeticMutation: Circa 1990s or so, everyone knew that Carmen Sandiego could steal ''anything'', even if they had no familiarity with the games themselves. As a result, she's also likely the TropeCodifier for ImpossibleThief.

* NightmareFuel: When you find a key in ''Word Detective'', the game points you in a certain direction and makes you watch as a villain walks in and comes toward you, intent on catching you… or worse, given where some of those hideouts are. You're in no danger as the game transports you away, but it's pretty damn freaky.

* FoeYay: Carmen and Chase in ''Word Detective''. At least [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswDquSoW68 one Let's Player]] has suggested that they had a relationship while partners.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: One potential explanation for the Good Guides' apparent IdiotBall in "Great Chase through Time" is that sometimes they know just where the thieves are at, but they want ''you'' to figure it out. Especially prevalent in 1808, since Renee Sance should have spotted the sousaphone ''right off the bat'', Course, this doesn't excuse the IdiotBall of the people in said-timeframe ''not spotting the thieves themselves''. (Honestly Edison? Dee Cryption was ''RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU''.)

** [[MeaningfulName Jacqueline Hyde]] in ''Great Chase Through Time''. Given who she was named after, it's not a surprise to find that she has another personality, but it ''is'' kind of a shock when her other personality expresses itself in a harsh, distorted, ''loud'' voice that comes out of nowhere.

* ThatOneLevel: 1492 in ''Great Chase Through Time''. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean ''tile by tile'' and ''repeatedly'' click on it. Think that's annoying enough? Well Rock Solid announces what direction you're heading in ''every time you move'', and you hear that annoying ship bell ''every time''.
--> "We're now aiming toward the wild, wild west!"
** 1776 also deserves a mention. It's one of the longest cases in the game, is filled with GuideDangIt moments (what do you mean, [[spoiler: you can use the Minuteman's fishing pole]]?) and putting the Declaration of Independance back in order can easily be ThatOnePuzzle, ''especially'' if you're not American.
** If you are tone deaf -- Hollywood or otherwise, Beethoven's era is a pain in the ear. Music pun totally intended.
*** But if you remember ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'', the Pastoral part will at least be a bit easier.
*** The era is flat-out {{Unwinnable}} if you're ''actually'' deaf. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything Good thing the game actually has a special "deaf-friendly" version of the puzzle]], [[GuideDangIt if you know how to activate the feature.]]
** The ending. You chase her through all the places you've been before. Good luck figuring out where to go next.
*** Although it's actually fixed, not randomized, and you can TakeYourTime all you want - and they usually give you some good clues about where she went. If anything, this was a FinalExamBoss.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For some reason Polly Tix gets ''radically'' less screentime that any of the other Good Guides in ''Great Chase'', with only 2 cases. Granted, one of them was ThatOneLevel, but still...
* WhatAnIdiot: In ''Great Chase Through Time/Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego?'', Carmen tells her minions to tear up the note she gives them so the ACME agents can't track them. None of them were smart enough to actually ''destroy'' the freaking thing, and it's really obvious- for example, in the first level, you find a scrap of note near Hatshepsut's feet. ''And she's standing next to a pair of flaming torches.'' Nice one, Sir Vile.

** [[MeaningfulName Jacqueline Hyde]] in ''Great Chase Through Time'' when you catch her in the Marco Polo level. She starts out speaking in a schoolgirl's voice, and then suddenly switches to a deep, distorted voice- quite the shock if you're not expecting it.

* CrackPairing: Carmen and [[WheresWaldo Waldo]].[[http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/waldo-carmen.jpg]] Less often but Carmen and a younger [[TheMagicSchoolbus Ms. Valerie Frizzle]] [[http://zennore.deviantart.com/art/For-you-pg3-101921815]].

* EvilIsSexy: Don't deny it, we ALL know Carmen is a babe.
* ItWasHisSled: Carmen Sandiego was once an ACME detective.

* EvilIsSexy: Let's face it, Carmen is ''hot''.

** 1776 also deserves a mention.

*** But if you remember ''{{Fantasia}}'', the Pastoral part will at least be a bit easier.

*** Although it's actually fixed, not randomized, and you can TakeYourTime all you want - and they usually give you some good clues about where she went. If anything, this was a FinalExamBoss

** Only in later games. One of these days, I'll pull out the 1980s manual...
*** YMMV. I think she was the hottest of all.

* ItWasHisSled: Something that was initially intended to be unknown to players is that Carmen was an ACME detective. This normally isn't revealed until the end of the game or so. However, a few games pretty much decided since everyone knew from the TV show (or other games) that there's no point hiding it. :B