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Longtime Portlanders will remember waking up on the morning of June 9, 1993, to the news that all 52 original Benson Bubblers mysteriously vanished overnight. The crime shook the city. The Benson Bubblers were not only a truly unique historical treasure, they were also a crucial source of drinking water for the city's homeless population and birds.
For weeks, the case went nowhere. That is, until ACME Crimenet agents recovered the bubblers and pinned the daring heist on none other than the notorious Carmen Sandiego. We recently caught up with Carmen, who is retired and married to a man from this area.
Dr. Millar: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Carmen.
Carmen Lakeoswego: It's no problem. I love visiting Portland. James and I have a couple of properties here that we rent as Airbnbs. It's nice. I love the sharing economy.
DM: Take me back to the crime. How did you set your sights on sleepy little Portland?
CL: That was a very busy time in my life. It was one caper after another, and each one had to top the one before it. It was stressful! In the months leading up to the Benson Bubblers, I had taken the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Easter Island moai, and all of the sushi in Japan. People were always asking me, "What's next for Carmen Sandiego?" I finally said, "Enough is enough!" I decided I wanted to go somewhere relatively quiet and steal something that people didn't really care about.
DM: Talk to me about what you remember from that era of Portland.
CL: Portland was such a hip city back then. You walked around and there was a kinetic energy in the air. I remember doing a lot of shopping at the mall—what's the mall called? The Lloyd Center? I think that's it—and people would just walk up to me and start talking about the weirdest shit. Just whatever was on their minds. I did a lot of traveling back then, and that didn't happen anywhere else.
DM: In what ways have you noticed Portland has changed since then?
CL: Portland is still a cool city, but in a much different way. I'm not sure I can explain it, except to say that back then, I was quite comfortable walking around in my crimson trench coat and floppy crimson wide-brimmed hat. I didn't feel out of place. Now, though? I feel like people are more likely to stare or snicker. It's like you get in a line at Disneyland and then you see a sign that says, "You must be at least this cool to ride." To answer your question, even though there are lots of new buildings and so many of the neighborhoods have changed, the biggest change is probably the attitude and culture of the people.
DM: Unfortunate, isn't it? One thing I've always wondered, just what did you do with the Benson Bubblers after you stole them?
CL: The same thing I did with everything else I stole. I had a giant warehouse, and I pretty much just kept them there. I had them cleaned, and I hooked them up to some water pipes, and I drank out of them a few times, but I didn't really get it. Honestly, I never really did anything with any of the crap I stole. (Laughs)
DM: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me, Carmen.
CL: Thanks for having me.
Willamette Week