Hello Meltingpot Community,
I have a confession to make. I have fallen in love with a cartoon. Yes, it’s true. Babygirl has gotten me addicted to Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego reboot. Yes, I love the show because Carmen Sandiego is a smart, strong, globe-trotting Latina superhero who wears high-top sneakers. Diversity? Check. Representation? Check.
Also, like the original versions of this show, there is an educational component of the Netflix Carmen Sandiego, that teaches children (ahem, and their parents) about history, geography and world cultures. The information is baked into the show that makes it seem totally natural and not like a pause for a boring school lesson. But that’s not the reason why I love this show so much. I love this new Netflix version of Carmen Sandiego, because it’s just really good storytelling. I mean it is seriously binge-worthy, riveting drama. Truth be told, I think I like it even more than my daughter and I might just finish watching Season 2 without her because she’s not allowed to watch TV during the week. But I am. It’s seriously that good. If you haven’t watched it, you should definitely check it out. With or without your kids.
Also, according to my sources, wait for it, there’s going to be a live-action Carmen Sandiego feature film starring Gina Rodriguez coming out this year! And for the record, my source for the Carmen Sandiego movie intel is Publisher’s Weekly magazine. So, I’m pretty sure it’s accurate. Yay!
Carmen’s Backstory
I love a good superhero origin story and what makes the new Netflix Carmen Sandiego series so good, is that they finally give Carmen a dramatic backstory. Believe it or not, Carmen Sandiego started as a video game character in the 1980s and has seen many incarnations since then, including a PBS game show. Does anybody remember that? Rather than me telling you all about Carmen Sandiego’s many lives, check out this amazing video from NowThis that recaps her entire life, including the part that legendary actress Rita Moreno played.
In the meantime, tell me, Meltingpot community. Are you a Carmen Sandiego fan? Since when? I’m listening.
Peace!
