anyway, from an adult's point of view, there's sex appeal, sure. i get it, though i don't share the opinion. but that's probably not part of the equation for kids...
as a kid, i loved her because she was smart, and i was taught by my parents (quite explicitly) to pride myself on my intelligence uber alles, but carmen was the extremely rare character who was smart and COOL.
she was adventurous and charming and chic. she was wildly powerful. she wasn't there to be a background character (like the brain from arthur, or d.a. from the magic school bus), nor to be the comic relief or the stock nerd. she was smart, and that gave me someone to project onto for the first time.
Actually, the only thing that wasn't stolen at the Louvre's Apollo Gallery is the Regent Diamond, figure no one would take it because something to do with a curse.