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LazyTown is a children's television program that originated in Iceland (where it is known as Latibær) that features a cast and crew from both the United States and Iceland, and airs in a number of countries: on Playhouse Disney in Italy, Nick Jr and Noggin (both owned by Viacom) in the United States, YTV in Canada, RÚV in Iceland, Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Nick Jr and CBeebies in the UK (a BBC free to air digital tv channel). It was created by Magnús Scheving, an aerobics champion and CEO of LazyTown Entertainment, who also stars in the show.

The main character is Stephanie (Julianna Rose Mauriello), who arrives in town and urges her new friends Ziggy, Trixie, Stingy, and Pixel to go outside and be active instead of staying inside and playing video games. Her uncle, the bumbling Mayor Milford Meanswell, enlists the help of Scheving in the guise of a self-described "slightly-above-average hero" Sportacus (a pun on Spartacus) to inspire the kids to play outside and help solve low-key emergencies that occur from time to time. However, this does not sit well with Robbie Rotten, a Grinch-like character who lives underground and prefers not to hear the children playing above. Many of the episodes involve Robbie Rotten trying to ruin the kids' fun so that he can get some peace and quiet.

LazyTown is part live action, part puppetry, and part CGI animation. Stephanie, Sportacus, and Robbie Rotten are the only "humans" on the show. The rest of the characters are depicted as puppets. The show's puppets are made by the Neal Scanlan Studio and Wit Puppets. The show is produced in a 5067 m studio in Garðabær, Iceland, which contains one of the most advanced HDTV facilities in Europe. The budget for each episode is approximately USD $600,000.

Characters

• Sportacus - played by Magnús Scheving: The hero of the show. He speaks English and Icelandic and is from "an island in the North Sea". Sportacus encourages the kids of LazyTown to eat fruit (which he calls Sports Candy) and play outside instead of sitting around indoors. He wants to make sure LazyTown is happy, and knows that they have to be healthy and fit if they want to be happy. Sportacus is so engaged in his life of physical activity that he does gymnastics just to get from place to place, and the children have to instruct him how to relax. On his chest, he has a crystal that illuminates when someone nearby is in trouble--once it was jarred loose by Stingy driving his mini-car over Sportacus's back, and in "Lazytown's New Superhero" he surrendered it to Stephanie when she coerced him into taking a day off. The crystal shows him who's in trouble when it goes off. Sporticus's crystal might be more than just a signal for trouble. In "Sporticus Who?" When his crystal beeped when he remembered who he was. In the original Icelandic play that the TV series is based on, Sportacus was an elf and was called Ithrotta Alfurinn (Athletic Elf). According to the first episode, Lazy Town had at least one superhero before him. Sportacus is superhero number 10. His superhero vulnerability is sugar.
• Stephanie - played by Julianna Rose Mauriello: The character who inspired the citizens (most importantly, the children) of LazyTown to get up and go. She came to town to visit her uncle, the mayor of LazyTown. At first, no matter how much Stephanie tried, she couldn't get the others to play along, so she asked for Sportacus' help. When Sportacus finally arrived, the whole town worked together to make LazyTown the best place to live. She also holds the secret recipe to a really great cake, which is "a piece of cake to bake."
• Robbie Rotten - played by Stefán Karl Stefánsson: The antagonist of the show. He tries to get the kids to eat junk food and is forever trying to banish Sportacus from LazyTown. He wants to make sure LazyTown stays quiet and lazy like it was before Sportacus's arrival. Robbie creates all sorts of plans, and sometimes comes very close to winning, but Sportacus always manages to save the day with the help of Stephanie and her friends. The amount of effort that this champion of inactivity puts into his plots is ironic; he may be the MOST active person in LazyTown. In real life, Stefán Karl Stefánsson is not close to being lazy-minded like his character, having trained in both guarded and unguarded fencing. Although many think he's an evil villain, he refers to himself as "a simple, rotten guy who's just misunderstood."
• Ziggy - voice by Gudmundur Thor The character who loves to eat candy and sweets - particularly taffy. When Stephanie came along, he now finds that there is more to childhood than sugary treats. He is now active and participates in any sport the gang plays.
• Stingy - voice by Jodi Eichelberger As his name implies, he is greedy and usually never shares. He still plays with the gang, but he will always care about his stuff, his car and, lastly, his prized piggy bank that he almost never lets go of. He often says "It's Mine!" and even has his own song by that name.
• Trixie - voice by Sarah Burgess Though quite the trouble-maker, she does like to play with everyone else and is a real team player. Trixie will refer to Stephanie as "Pinky" when trying to get her attention. She also likes to draw moustaches on the mayor's posters.
• Pixel - voice by Kobie Powell A boy who plays too much on the computer. He was taught not to do it so much by Stephanie, whom he has a crush on. He always fixes up all sorts of gadgets to help him avoid doing something himself, such as a machine to tie his shoes, or a remote that "does everything for you."
• Mayor Milford Meanswell - voice by David Matthew Feldman A nervous wreck who has a crush on Ms. Busybody. He loves Stephanie very much and calls Sportacus if she feels sad or depressed and doesn't want to express her feelings.
• Bessie Busybody - voice by Julie Westwood Although, patronizing and condescending, she tries her best to be motherly to the children. She is aware of every new trend, and is pompous but fashionable.
• #9 A superhero from the north sea who served as Lazytown's protector and resident role model in times past. He is different from Sportacus, as he had a big number 9 on his chest, whereas Sportacus is number 10. When Stephanie is trying to think how to get the kids to play outside, Mayor Meanswell tells her about #9 and how they could send messages to him through a tube Robbie plugged up. Stephanie tries it, and Sportacus 10 gets her letter asking for help. He then comes to protect to LazyTown. #9's identity and the nature of succession have been left unclear.

Merchandising

In the US, Fisher-Price made a line of toys including an activity mat, and Stephanie and Sportacus action figures. There is also a soundtrack, along with books and videos.

Popularity outside the preschooler demographic

Online and offline, LazyTown has grown to have a following beyond its target audience. Many teenagers and adults enjoy LazyTown due to its high energy presentation, high production value, as well as the infectious, eurobeat-like songs (e.g. Twenty Times Time) and lighthearted songs (e.g. Lazy Scouts). The show has spawned fanclubs all over the world, and numerous song clips can be found at popular videosharing sites such as YouTube and Google Video. YTMND also has a large number of pages dedicated to characters from the show; Stephanie in particular has grown into an immensely popular internet meme on it and sites such as 4chan, where her "Cooking By the Book" song is often referenced, sampled, and parodied for its childish nature.

References

1. LazyTown Fan Club

External links

• Official LazyTown Website
• LazyTown at Nick Jr.
• LazyTown at BBC
• LazyTown at IMDb
• LazyTown at TV.com
• LazyTown Links - Links to Articles, Official sites and Fan sites
• Get Lazy, a LazyTown fansite

• Children's television series
• Nickelodeon shows