All spoilers will be unmarked. Proceed with caution.
As the show is about a thief who steals to protect from other thieves, many of these episodes revolve around a particular item both the titular protagonist Carmen Sandiego and/or the criminal syndicate VILE are targeting. The following list of macguffins are as follows:
Season 1
Becoming Carmen Sandiego- A gem called "The Eye of Vishnu" which was discovered in Casablanca, Morocco.
- VILE's hard drive loaded with classified information.
The Sticky Rice Caper
- Fireworks filled with dangerous super spores genetically designed to feed on rice which can destroy entire rice crops in Indonesia.
The Fishy Doubloon Caper
- A doubloon called The Ecuador 8 escudos also known as the "Moby Dick coin" which is merely of tremendous cultural value and is a symbol of Ecuador's independence.
The Duke of Vermeer Caper
- The 34 paintings made by Johannes Vermeer particularly Woman in Blue Reading a Letter which is valued at over 30 million euros and the total 34 paintings are valued at over 1 billion dollars.
The Opera in the Outback Caper
- A private Australian spaceflight company called Helio Gem.
- A head rocket scientist and opera enthusiast named Dr. Jeanine Dennam.
The Chasing Paper Caper
- The foundation of law and order in the Western world, the Magna Carta.
The Lucky Cat Caper
- A rare postage stamp called "The One-Cent Black on Magenta" donated by an anonymous private collector that is valued at $10,000,000.
The French Connection Caper
- Chase Devineaux, a former Interpol inspector who once got into close contact with Carmen Sandiego.
Season 2
The Hot Rocks of Rio Caper- Alexandrite gemstones mined from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in an illegal mining operation.
The Daisho Caper
- The DaishoDefinition specifically the small sword that matches Shadowsan's long sword.
The Fashionista Caper
- Four vintage Medici gowns that are valued at over 9 million euros combined.
The Boston Tea Party Caper
- A set printing plates stolen from the U.S Treasury used to counterfeit money.
The Need For Speed Caper
- An electric prototype supercar that's the fastest one in the world made by Ibrahim Al Sibaq, the owner of Al Sibaq Motors.
The Stockholm Syndrome Caper
- A data crystal containing nuclear launch codes that is embedded in an ice statue of a tomte.
The African Ice Caper
- Diamonds mined from Botswana in an illegal mining operation.
Season 3
The Luchadora Tango Caper- A locket that once belongs to Carmen's father Dexter Wolfe with a picture of a baby Carmen and Dexter Wolfe in Veracruz, Mexico found in an Argentinian bank.
The Day of the Dead Caper
- A small black book that is client list of stolen paintings.
The Haunted Bayou Caper
- A rich celebrity chef called "The Crawfish King" who donates to charity.
- C.K's great grandmama's secret recipe that makes crawfish.
The Masks of Venice Caper
- The wide variety of masks located in Venice originating from many countries such as the Mask of Agamenon from Greece and a Mengu Mask worn by samurai from Japan.
The Jolly Good Show Caper
- The Crown Jewel of all Crown Jewels of London, England. St. Edward's Crown.
Season 4
The Beijing Bullion Caper- A manager of China's largest gold reserve of its national bank, Huang Li
- China's gold reserve from a national bank.
The Big Bad Ivy Caper
- 24 karat gold bullion encased in Barvarian chcolate.
The Robo Caper and The Himalayan Rescue Caper
- A crown that was once worn by a Himalayan oracle, lined with precious gems and 24-karat gold.
- A former student of VILE, Graham Calloway.
The VILE History Caper
- V.I.L.E's original crest dating back to the medieval ages which is the first of three relics containing markings which leads to the second, an eye with Sanskrit text containing riddles that will soon lead to the third. See below.
The Egyptian Decryption Caper
- The third of three relics, the tooth of an alligator statue containing two different Egyptian writing systems which contains a riddle which leads to the great vault of VILE's founders located within one of The Great Pyramids of Giza.
The Viennese Waltz Caper
- An original Stradivarius violin made by the famous Italian violin maker, Antonio Stradivari who built one in the early 1700s.
The Dark Red Caper
- The Eye of Vishnu all over again.
