Geography know-how brings in the outlaw on PBS’s new game show

There are two operative questions here. First, who is Carmen Sandiego? Second, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Here’s the “who” part: Carmen is an imaginary, notorious thief. She and her cronies flit across the globe engaging in dastardly crimes--such as stealing the dome of the Capitol in Washington--then disappear, leaving only a few clues.

As for Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?--that’s where kids come in. It’s the title of a new game show, in which clever young sleuths try to catch Carmen by using their knowledge of geography.

Designed to counter the woeful lack of geography knowledge in America, the show uses animation, wacky characters, props from different places around the world and celebrity appearances to provide clues about Carmen’s whereabouts. The result? Kids learn a lesson and have fun at the same time. Can’t get enough of “Carmen” on TV? It’s patterned after a home computer game by Broderbund Software.

“Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” airs weekdays 4:30-5 p.m. on KVCR and 5-5:30 p.m. on KCET and KPBS. And during its premiere week it also will air at these special times: Monday 8-9 p.m., Thursday 10-11 p.m. and next Sunday 11 a.m.-noon on KCET; Monday 8-9 p.m. and Saturday 8-9 p.m. on KPBS; Monday 10-11 p.m. on KVCR. For 8- to 13-year-olds.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

A double dose of Kermit on KTLA: The Muppet Movie (today 10 a.m.-noon), followed by The Great Muppet Caper (today 3-5 p.m.). For all ages.

Teen stars compete against local students on Ecology Kids Challenge (today 4-4:30 p.m. KCBS), which deals with environmental issues. For 7- to 13-year-olds.

The original animated movie Prince Valiant: The Voyage to Camelot (today 4-6 p.m. Family Channel) tells the tale of the young Medieval hero’s quest to become a Knight of the Round Table. It corresponds with the same-named Family Channel series, which airs Sundays 10:30-11 a.m. and Mondays 8-8:30 p.m. For all ages.

The folks behind Square One TV, which returns this week with new episodes (weekdays 2:30-3 p.m. KVCR, 4:30-5 p.m. KCET and KPBS; Saturdays 7-7:30 a.m. KOCE) call it a cross between “Dragnet “ and MTV. We call it a great way to have fun with math. The season premieres with an hourlong episode, “Mathnet: The Calpurnian Kugle Caper” (Thursday 11 p.m.-midnight KCET; next Sunday 10-11 a.m. KPBS). For 8- to 12-year-olds.

An afternoon’s worth of Danger Mouse episodes (Monday 3-8 p.m. Nickelodeon) is part of Nick’s “More on Mondays” campaign. For 3- to 13-year-olds.

The new syndicated weekly sketch-comedy series Way Cool (today 6:30-7 a.m. KCOP) uses music and humor to tackle issues important to kids. It’s produced by Scholastic Inc. in response to a recent FCC ruling that stations provide more responsible kids’ programs. For 5- to 13-year-olds.

Ben Kingsley narrates We All Have Tales: The Tiger and the Brahmin (Tuesday 7:30-8 p.m. Showtime), an Indian folk tale about a fierce tiger who teaches a lesson about life. For all ages.

An episode of Q.E.D. (Thursday 7:30-8 p.m. KCET) looks at a camp that helps overweight kids build confidence and lose weight. For all ages.

Nickelodeon, NASA and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation join to produce Launch Box (Friday 6:30-7 a.m. Nickelodeon), a 14-part series about outer space designed for use in the classroom. Each episode begins with a 10-minute teacher’s guide/lesson plan. New installments, such as this month’s “Living on the Space Shuttle,” premiere the first Friday of each month and repeat evry Friday thereafter. For teachers, 6- to 12-year-olds.

The 1971 film “Black Beauty” (Friday 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Family Channel) is based on the Anna Sewell Classic about a beautiful horse and his owners. For all ages.