Line #31 YMMV/LazyTown


1	* AccidentalInnuendo:
2	** The scene during "Master of Disguise" where Robbie sneaks up on Stingy, an 7 year old boy, while singing "You walk right by me, not knowing that I'm slimy!" complete with a [[MemeticMolester creepy predator-esque]] expression on his face.
3	** Ms. Busybody gets a face full of sunscreen in "Sportacus Saves the Toys" when the Mayor angrily slams his fist on the bottle.
4	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdVSLmFJDmc MMM MMMM Creamy!]]
5	** "What's wrong, kids?! [[ItMakesSenseInContext Never seen a giant banana before?!]]"
6	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5J3c6MlTOM This scene with Stingy]] was creepy enough as is without the line "I'll watch you for a '''long time.'''"
7	** In "New Kid in Town", Ziggy tells Robbie about a rock [[note]]as in stone, not music[[/note]] festival where he'll get to lift heavy rocks, and asks if he's coming too. Robbie responds that he already lifted some -- Ziggy takes at look at him and wonders how he'd be capable of such strength. However, the angle makes it look like Ziggy is staring at [[RagingStiffie Robbie's crotch]], which is not helped by his shocked expression, Robbie's embarassed expression nor the "boing" sound audible on the background.
8	* AdaptationDisplacement: While some people know that ''[=LazyTown=]'' was based on a play and its sequel, very few people have heard of the original children's book the first play was based on, released in ''1991''.
9	* {{Adorkable}}: While Sportacus is conventionally attractive, well-muscled and very fitness-oriented, many fans consider him adorkable due to his constant optimism, boyish over-excitement, hopeless naiveté and awkward English. His baby-blue eyes and cheesy grin only help the matter.
10	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
11	** An insane amount of these center around Robbie Rotten.
12	*** A popular trope in fanfiction is that Robbie is ObfuscatingStupidity to some degree and is much more dangerous than the show usually implies, usually involving his implied [[TheFairFolk magic talents]] and how it wouldn't be ''fun'' to get rid of Sportacus too easily, or is just too lazy to properly finish things.
13	*** According to [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.55409#404534 this thread]], Robbie Rotten is a TragicHero, as the series actually takes place AfterTheEnd and his goal to keep the kids inside is actually to protect them from radiation. Sort of Jossed in "Sportacus Saves The Toys" when Sportacus visits France and China. Both countries seem to be fine.
14	*** The fandom is known for its interpretations of character backstories. Fanfiction writers often give Robbie Rotten a tragic past. A few diehards have created interpretations of the mythical "Number Nine", mentioned only in one episode. A lot of fan theories revolve around Nine being Sportacus' father, or being evil and glamouring the whole town.
15	*** [[http://worldofcrap.weebly.com/lazy-town---defending-freedom-and-cake.html This article]] argues that Robbie Rotten is the OnlySaneMan and that trying to let children play and eat sweets is actually preferable to Sportacus' enforcement of brutal physical torture and diet of seeds.
16	*** [[https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/5epio4/lazytown_robbie_rotten_could_have_been_once/ Another fan theory]] suggests that Robbie Rotten was one of the former superheroes of [=LazyTown=], who gave up because he was frustrated with the kids reverting back to their old ways every time (that is, until Sportacus came along), so he just gave up and encouraged them to be lazy out of spite whilst being the town's villain for his own amusement. A theory similar to this one poses that Robbie was one of the original heroes, before Sportacus (ten) and the mysterious Number Nine; after all, the first of the heroes would be Number One. A third theory suggests that Robbie successfully defeated all the previous Sportacuses given how [=LazyTown=] used to be a good place to live, but in the first episode it's barely hanging on. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/5epio4/lazytown_robbie_rotten_could_have_been_once/daf9k6v/ The show's head writer]] commented on the theories and liked them, suggesting joke theories that the series was all just a dream of Stingy's and the Mayor was on drugs.
17	*** Stefan Karl did a Website/{{Reddit}} [=AMA=] in 2016. One question was "Way deep down inside, what does Robbie '''really''' think about the residents of [=LazyTown=]?" Stefan's response? [[IJustWantToHaveFriends "I wish I could be their friend."]] He later clarified that Robbie thought about it in a selfish manner, but the implication deepens his character significantly. Stefán had previously stated in [[https://stefankarlfanblog.tumblr.com/post/179260602895/photos-taken-by-haraldur-gu%C3%B0j%C3%B3nsson-used-for-this an Icelandic-language interview]] seven years earlier that he didn't see Robbie as a villain, believing Sportacus would be long dead if this was the case.
18	** Why does Sportacus become lethargic when he eats sugar? Is it because he's not human (whether an elf like in the plays or something else entirely) and his species always reacts that way to sugar? Is it because his body doesn't recognise sugar due to how infrequently he eats it? Or is he diabetic?
19	* AngstWhatAngst:
20	** The citizens of [=LazyTown=] are pretty unconcerned by the closed businesses, parental neglect, and bumbling mayor manning the helm.
21	** Sportacus seems awfully cheerful for someone who protects an entire town alone, and various episodes establish that he deals with everything from cats stuck in trees to natural disasters. Robbie Rotten's constant schemes don't help. Possibly justified if his implied elven nature gives him enhanced physical and psychological capabilities.
22	* {{Anvilicious}}: The show is very in-your-face about its message on health, with the villain portrayed as lazy and the hero portrayed as active (and sugar making him lethargic) and fruit and vegetables being referred to as "sports candy" and Robbie Rotten having an irrational hatred for them.
23	* DelusionConclusion: As a way to explain why Stephanie, Sportacus and Robbie Rotten were the only characters to be played by live actors while the rest were puppets, some people theorized that the show was just the invention of a bed-ridden Stephanie's head who was suffering from Anemia, with Robbie and Sportacus actually being her older brothers acting out both their roles and the puppets as a way to cheer her up and distract her from her pain.
24	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing:
25	** Obviously, we shouldn't overindulge on junk food, but the junk food that Robbie (and Ziggy) eats looks so darn appetizing.
26	** Pixel's love for technology is portrayed as a vice. However, not only do his games look fun to play and his inventions look fun and/or useful, his technology actually ''saves the day'' in "Sportacus Who?" (where Sportacus only [[AmnesiaEpisode gets his memories back]] due to Pixel's digital files).
27	* DracoInLeatherPants: While Robbie Rotten is a fairly harmless villain who's a FriendlyEnemy at times and sometimes can feel guilty for his actions, many fanfics play up his softer side, discount his more malicious moments, have him be NotEvilJustMisunderstood, or TrappedInVillainy to some degree, when by all accounts he's a CardCarryingVillain in canon who can be nice in one episode and nasty the next.
28	* EnsembleDarkHorse:
29	** The mysterious [[TheGhost Number]] [[TheUnseen Nine]] who protected the town before Sportacus came along. The only time his existence is even acknowledged is in three [[CrypticBackgroundReference lines of dialogue]] in the pilot, but as seen below in FanFicFuel, the character has ''exploded'' in popularity among fans of the series who are fascinated by the entire implied mythology that the reference seems to represent. Many fans love crafting their own theories and explanations for who Number Nine was and why he left.
30	** Rottenella was a ballerina toy brought to life in one episode and didn't get any speaking lines, but she's a popular character in fan art and fanfiction, sometimes acting as Robbie or Glanni's daughter.
31	** Chef Pablo Fantastico was another one-shot character who gained a large following, helped by his LargeHam performance and the inherent subtext of his passion and love-filled cooking style and vowing to cook for Sportacus when he helps save the day.
32	* EvenBetterSequel: While both of the original ''Latibær'' plays are well-received, the latter, ''Glanni Glæpur Í Latabæ'', is generally seen as an improvement over ''Áfram Latibær'', due to it having more of a plot, having more stylized sets and costumes, and being the introduction of fan-favorite character Glanni Glæpur/Robbie Rotten.
33	* EvilIsCool: Well, "evil" is maybe [[HarmlessVillain too strong a word]], but Robbie Rotten is far and away the most popular of the main cast.
34	* FanficFuel:
35	** Character backstories are popular candidates, as mentioned above.
36	** The mysterious Number Nine that's mentioned in the first episode, along with the implied One through Eight. It's a common [[EpilepticTrees theory]] among many writers that Robbie was [[MemeticMutation Number One]].
37	** The island in the North Sea (customs, technology, inhabitants, etc.) that Number Nine - and possibly [[AmbiguouslyHuman Sportacus]] - is said to come from.
38	** Who are Stephanie’s parents and why hasn’t she returned to them?
39	* FandomSpecificPlot: Many, many fics give Robbie Rotten a bad history with a villainous Number Nine. Other common plots revolve around the implied magic Robbie and Sportacus have, deriving from their original play selves. Stories set after the show ends usually have [[PassingTheTorch Stephanie or Ziggy]] as Sportacus 11, with [[WeUsedToBeFriends Trixie or Stingy]] as the town villain.
40	* {{Fanon}}:
41	** It's popular in fanfiction to give Robbie some sort of magical heritage to go with Sportacus's (implied) elven heritage. Making Robbie at least part [[TheFairFolk fae]] is usually the go-to suggestion.
42	** It's also fairly common to make the original incarnations of Sportacus and Robbie--Íþróttaálfurinn and Glanni Glæpur respectively--some sort of relative to the more well known incarnations-father, brother, cousin, what have you.
43	*** Others see them as living in an AlternateUniverse a la ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension'', especially considering the similarities between Robbie and Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
44	** Fanartists, meanwhile, have collectively decided that Sportacus has blond, curly/wavy hair (not too unlike Scheving's natural hair) under that hat of his-''despite'' the fact that what little hair that's seen ''and'' the fact that his second actor is a natural brunette.
45	** The existence of Number Nine and potential backstory for the show is often explored. Four common plots that turn up are him being Sportacus's father, that Number Nine [[WellIntentionedExtremist went too far]] in making sure kids stayed active, that he was downright evil and dangerous, or that he was nice but [[TeamRocketWins Robbie successfully drove him out of town]] before the series began.
46	** Since Stephanie has no spoken last name, some have decided that she shares her uncle's last name, "Meanswell", since he is her only known relative. WordOfGod claims that they were trying to give her the surname, "Sparkles" during the development of the show.
47	** Fanfics where Sportacus, Robbie or another character (usually Trixie or Stingy) is transgender have become increasingly popular, with many citing it as a personal headcanon.
48	* FanonDiscontinuity:
49	** Some fans like to ignore the third and fourth seasons, which had a huge gap in between ''[=LazyTown=] Extra'' and the second season and saw some drastic changes in the show; “Robbie’s Dream Team”[[note]]the episode with “We Are Number One”[[/note]] and "The First Day of Summer"[[note]]Robbie's ADayInTheLimelight episode and the one with the ice cream meme[[/note]] being exceptions.
50	** Many fans have brushed the episode "The Baby Troll" under the rug due to its bizarre (even by ''[=LazyTown=]'' standards) plot, and the unintentionally creepy design of the troll.
51	* FountainOfMemes: Everything that Robbie touches spreads like wildfire across the internet. Stingy too, to a lesser extent.
52	* FoeYayShipping: Sportacus/Robbie as a pairing is ''the'' most popular type of fanfic out there. And doesn't really count as a CrackPairing, either. Given that Robbie canonically is actually a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold pretty nice guy]] [[IJustWantToHaveFriends who just wants to be friends with the other townspeople]], with Sportacus being [[FriendlyEnemy rarely, if ever mean to him]], it does make the idea of them dating a possibility.
53	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Its home country of Iceland saw the show as entertaining enough, but ''[=LazyTown=]'''s sheer zaniness and positive reinforcement helped it to become a worldwide hit amongst kids; especially in America. The love from American audiences furthered following the show's MemeticMutation around 2016, and even more so following Stefan Karl's passing.
54	** It also became very popular in Latin America, especially in Mexico, so much so that Magnus Scheving and Julianna Rose Mauriell appeared as their respective characters, along with Stingy and Ziggy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohU_bQ1drCY&t=255s in the 2008 Mexican Teletón]]. In fact, most of the videos talking about the show are from people in the region.
55	* HarsherInHindsight: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gw1w7qMY8w LazyTown Forever]] passion project samples a line from Robbie Rotten in "The First Day of Summer", where despite initially being chipper about being in solitary, he laments on how much he misses the [=LazyTown=] gang. An already bittersweet line takes a more poignant and retrospective meaning following the death of his actor, Stefan Karl.
56	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Stefan Karl Stefansson claimed that part of the reason his cancer went into remission is due to taking time to exercise. Considering that Robbie's whole schtick is trying to convince kids to be lazy...
57	* HilariousInHindsight:
58	** "Cooking by the Book" is hilariously similar to the later "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOVDu7etQlc Cupcakes]]" song from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Even funnier is that Pinkie Pie is piling on the candy!
59	** And then, in a season 6 episode of MLP, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARBo-tp1JoM this]]'' happened.
60	** Near the beginning of "We Are Number One", Robbie Rotten says "this is going down in history". [[MemeticMutation Yes, it is, Robbie.]]
61	** In "Little Sportacus", Robbie ages Sportacus back into a boy to raise him to be lazy. In 2023, ''Manga/OneOperationJoker'' started publication, and it has a similar yet opposite premise: Batman falls into a vat that ages him back into a baby, and the Joker tries to raise him to become a superhero again so they can go back to being enemies.
62	* HoYay: Sportacus and Robbie are more this than foes, as the latter is really just a FriendlyEnemy and HarmlessVillain. These kind of moments usually involve Robbie touching Sportacus and [[SecurityCling jumping into his arms]]. It doesn’t help that Robbie has a few AmbiguouslyGay traits to go on with. No wonder the Sportacus/Robbie Rotten pairing consists of so many shippers.
63	** One episode had Robbie falling asleep and happily murmur "Hello, Sportacus."
64	* JerkassWoobie: Robbie is a pretty big jerk, but still a very lovable one that displays occasional hints of loneliness. In an AMA, his actor revealed what he really thinks of the other characters, underneath it all: [[IJustWantToHaveFriends "I wish I could be their friend."]] In "The First Day Of Summer", everyone but Robbie goes to the beach and Robbie says "I never thought I'd say it, but I really, really miss those guys" when he thinks he made them disappear forever.
65	* JustHereForGodzilla:
66	** A lot of people watch the show just for Robbie Rotten and his schemes.
67	** A good portion of the older PeripheryDemographic watches it just for Stingy out of the belief that he gets some of the funniest lines.
68	** It’s not uncommon to hear people who hate ''[=LazyTown=] Extra'' admit to watching it only for the segments with Robbie or Stingy and Mayor Meanswell.
69	* MemeticBadass: Robbie Rotten has developed this reputation online, with many people declaring that he is the WorldsStrongestMan and one of the greatest TV villains of all time (most of the time incorporating variations of the phrase [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "He is Number One"]]). It helps that [[https://www.reddit.com/r/respectthreads/comments/9akbw5/respect_robbie_rotten_lazy_town/ his feats in the show]] are very impressive, ranging from superhuman durability and strength to implied magic, inventiveness and picking up on others' technology quickly. His original incarnation, Glanni Glaepur, also gets this treatment, with his sillier and ToiletHumour moments from the plays downplayed or ignored completely.
70	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/LazyTown This show absolutely reeks of this trope.]]
71	* MemeticPsychopath: [[TokenEvilTeammate Stingy]] is starting to develop this reputation online, after the infamous line "All your feelings are mine" from the "Mine" song and him running over Sportacus with his car, ''twice''. Of special note is the scene where he asks the mayor some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5J3c6MlTOM questions about sports]] and the conversation takes a rather [[MoodWhiplash unexpected turn.]]
72	* {{Moe}}: Stephanie. Pink clothes, pink hair and perky as hell? Yep.
73	* NarmCharm: This trope is a lot of why the series is fondly remembered by both the people who grew up with it, and the adults who had to watch it with them. It's cheesy and silly and over-the-top, the puppets are pretty hokey (when they're not downright creepy), the songs are goofy, the lessons are {{Anvilicious}}, the hero is too good to be true... and that's exactly how everyone likes it. Rather than being a drawback, the silliness is part of the show's charm, and the human actors (''especially'' Stefán Karl Stefánsson) give it their all and are so darned likable, it's nigh impossible not to enjoy it.
74	* NightmareFuel:
75	** The original plays have Glanni Glaepur effortlessly manipulating the townsfolk into doing as he says by acting charming and flaunting his supposed power. While he has silly moments here and there, the things he does range from standard villainy to more malicious fare like poisoning the whole town, cutting off everyone's food supply, and forcing the children to work for him. What really makes him an effectively scary villain is how he gets everybody to love him through careful wordplay, charisma, and persuasiveness, switching personas at the drop of a hat.
76	*** Even the way Stefán Karl Stefánsson portrayed Glanni Glaepur compared to his later Robbie Rotten was unsettling, particularly his slinking movements and evil grins during [[https://youtu.be/cGmdfwryCMg?t=381 his first appearance]], making his VillainSong that much creepier.
77	** "Records Day" is not a good episode to watch if you're afraid of heights, as Robbie Rotten attempts to murder Sportacus with a catapult to the point where he's dangling off the airship platform by one hand, miles in the air. The episode cuts to his predicament several times before he's rescued, and then the out-of-control airship almost crashes into Town Hall. "Friends Forever" and "Little Pink Riding Hood" have similar scenes, with Robbie and Sportacus both being stuck on the crashing ship, helpless to stop it until the kids help out.
78	** The climax of "Dancing Dreams" involves Sportacus being locked in a small trunk tied off with helium balloons, unable to escape or even see what's going on, while Robbie is stuck on the outside of the trunk hanging on for dear life when it hits airplane level.
79	** A 2014 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_wukztvr8E stage play]] called [=Ævintýri í Latabæ=] hearkens back to the original plays in terms of dark content, as Robbie takes over [=LazyTown=] by force with an army of robots and has a ''giant'' [[https://i.imgur.com/QfoPhRK.png robot dog]] at his command.
80	* PeripheryDemographic:
81	** A lot of moms and teen siblings are as fond of the show as the kids it's aimed at.
82	** Also, [[WatchItStoned stoners]].
83	** Several years ago, a portion of the ''Theatre/StarlightExpress'' fan community became a bit of a periphery demographic for the original ''Latibær'' stage shows.
84	** In late 2016, a new periphery demographic of teens and 20-somethings emerged, being split by people who watched the show as children and were brought back by nostalgia, and those who just WatchItForTheMeme ([[Memes/LazyTown and there are several]]). It's hard to tell which is which.
85	* PortmanteauCoupleName: The fandom has come up with portmanteau names for the show's two most popular pairings: [=SportaSteph=] for Sportacus/Stephanie, and [=SportaRobbie=] for Sportacus/Robbie.
86	* QuirkyWork: Between this and Music/{{Bjork}}, many in the US are convinced that Iceland is an absolute cradle of lunacy.
87	* RonTheDeathEater: Several fanfics have the kids acting cruel to Robbie and sometimes even Sportacus, usually to push the two into a pairing or giving a reason as to why their relationship needs to be secret.
88	* RootingForTheEmpire: Who ''doesn't'' want to see Robbie win for once? And guess what? We got our wish in "The First Day of Summer."
89	* SacredCow: Robbie Rotten is not only considered a hilarious villain but also has some of the show's best songs, so it should come as no surprise that his actor, Stefán Karl Stefánsson, would eventually gain a certain level of sanctity on the internet after embracing the show's memes, not to mention became known as a generally nice person. When he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, '''every single meme video of "We Are Number One"''' was updated to include a link to a charity page to pay for his treatment... ''and it worked'', and Stefánsson was vocally grateful to his fans for allowing him to live cancer-free for another year. Needless to say, there was a ''wide'' outpouring of grief when the illness eventually claimed his life in 2018.
90	* SeasonalRot: Seasons 3 and 4 were made years after the second one, so this was inevitable to happen. Interactive dance sequences were added to the musical numbers in season 3, Stephanie got flanderized and her flaws were removed, Robbie and the kids were dumbed down, and overall people felt that while they had their moments, they didn’t have the same charm as the first two. However, everyone agrees that without these seasons, we wouldn’t have had the series' SignatureScene, "We Are Number One," or Robbie's ADayInTheLimelight episode "The First Day of Summer."
91	* SelfFanservice: Oh, the things the fandom does to Sportacus and Robbie Rotten, as well as Stephanie.
92	* SignatureScene: We Are Number One.
93	* SpecialEffectFailure: In many shots, the thick, black sticks used to hold the puppets' arms up can be seen.
94	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
95	** "Bing Bang" sounds like a mashup of the Music/SpiceGirls' "Wannabe" and Music/TheHumanLeague's "Don't You Want Me".
96	** "No One's Lazy in [=LazyTown=]" sounds like an awful lot like Music/RickyMartin's "Livin' La Vida Loca".
97	** The main riff to "Cooking By The Book" sounds similar to the opening riff for Music/{{TLC}}'s "No Scrubs".
98	** "The Lazy Rockets" sounds quite a bit like "Greased Lightning" from Film/{{Grease}}. Stephanie even does one of the same dance moves!
99	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: There were several characters from the plays that didn’t make it into the show. It would’ve been nice to see what they would bring to the table.
100	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: "Dancing Dreams" focuses on Stephanie leaving [=LazyTown=] to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous dancer and the kids struggling to accept the fact that she may leave. The epilogue also briefly features Robbie trying to see the error of his ways. It could’ve been a good way to end the show, but nope! StatusQuoIsGod.
101	* ToyShip
102	** An almost literal case with [[TheSmartGuy Pixel]]/[[GenkiGirl Stephanie]], because of LoveAtFirstSight.
103	** [[HoYay Ziggy/Stingy]] is also not unheard of.
104	** Stephanie gets a lot of ShipTease moments with the [[FountainOfYouth younger Sportacus]].
105	* UglyCute: While the puppet characters fall into the UnintentionalUncannyValley most of the time, their personalities are charming and likeable, making them seem adorable rather than creepy.
106	* UnintentionalUncannyValley:
107	** Robbie's makeup, with his latex chin and eyebrows, makes it look as though he entire face is made of plastic. Robbie seems to have been specifically designed to make viewers unable to tell whether he's one of the human characters or one of the puppets!
108	** The puppets, for some viewers, especially whenever they switch to people in costumes for wide shots, making them [[YourSizeMayVary suddenly the size of Stephanie]].
109	** Robbie's Mayor Meanswell disguise in "Double Trouble," mainly due to the head being too small and realistic for the body, but the hair is plastic since he's imitating one of the puppet characters.
110	* UnintentionallySympathetic: Robbie is a HarmlessVillain who wants kids to be lazy and quiet so he can get some sleep, and as such many ''[=LazyTown=]'' fans found Robbie easy to relate to as they got older, especially parents. A great amount of fanfiction and comments on official ''[=LazyTown=]'' videos are sympathetic to Robbie, especially in instances where everyone was ''really'' being noisy or he really needed sleep.
111	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The show is one of the most expensive children's shows ever created, so there's no doubt that the green screen, puppetry, makeup and CGI would be especially impressive.
112	* WatchItForTheMeme: People who didn't grow up with the series have taken a shine to "We Are Number One" and view Robbie Rotten (and Stefan Karl Stefansson in general even after his death) as a MemeticBadass rather than a kids' show character.

Context YMMV / LazyTown