Train? What Train?
- Why does Stephanie say "I like riding in trains" in 'Welcome to Lazytown' when asked how her trip was, even though none of the multiple aerial town shots per episode have ever shown a train line, and the show is probably set in Iceland, which has no train lines anyway?
- It was a nonsequiter caused by the same brain damage which makes her see most of the people around her as puppets.
- Oh, (blows raspberry). The puppet thing was a creative decision, and the only reason Stephanie, Sportacus and Robbie aren't puppets is because they're too physical to portray easily that way.
- She didn't take the train all the way to LazyTown and completed the last part of the trip some other way?
- If you notice the town layout in the opening, there's a road going in effect southwest, that just ends in a field. What if that's one opening of an underground tunnel, not unlike the ones on the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel complex. We don't know much about the surrounding area of LazyTown, it could be near the coast or mountains, which would explain the use of a train tunnel for transport.
- Or it could be a runway. The train ended at the next town (island?) over, and Stephanie just took a puddle-jumper flight into Lazytown.
- The show is not set in Iceland. The mix of races, use of American English and slang shows that it's probably set in a loose approximation of Fantasyland. They also got raided by pirates despite being nowhere near an ocean, what do you expect? Like Springfield, LazyTown is wherever the plot requires it to be. (Maybe Stephanie was just trying to hint to her uncle to buy her a train. Or maybe she mispronounced "plane".)
- Translation Convention could explain the Americanised speech, and everybody sleeps with a duvet, which is, as I understand it, much more common in Scandinavia. Plus, there's the whole being adapted from a work explicitly set in Iceland.
- I'm more confused as to why Stephanie, an energetic person by any standards, would notably enjoy a mode of transportation that involves sitting around for hours and hours.
- Pretty much EVERY form of long distance travel involves sitting around for several hours, and trains offer a better view of the scenery than most other modes or travel. Also, you are better able to move around in a train (such as to the dining car).
- What were you expecting her to do? Run the whole way to LazyTown?
- It was a nonsequiter caused by the same brain damage which makes her see most of the people around her as puppets.
Same Old Song
- Given they only have time for two songs an episode, why is the second one always "Bing Bang"? There is such a thing as playing a song too much.
- It's a theme song. And in season one, when Stephanie's wardrobe hardly varied, it was an excuse for reused footage.
- Even with reusing songs, both from previous episodes and the Icelandic plays, there would still be extra composing for Mani Svavarsson and singing for the human and vocal casts, which would raise the per-episode cost of what is already the most expensive children's program on the market.
- Any six-year-old will tell you there is no such thing as playing a song too much.
- And everyone over six will correct that sadly mistaken belief.
- Everyone over six is outside LazyTown's demographics. So shush.
- This is standard format for shows like this, the same way a show like Blue's Clues will have Steve or Joe singing "We Are Going to Play Blue's Clues" in each episode, or The Pajanimals being sung "La La Lullaby" by their mom.
- Isn't the only reason people care about this show in the song they play over and over?
Robbie Rotten's References?
- Is it just me, or does Robbie look like a bizarre genetic hybrid of Bruce Campbell, Elvis, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, and Pee-Wee Herman? With the fashion sense of a Time Lord, no less.
- No, it isn't just you, and I also suggest that he's the grumpy, loser brother of Kooza's Trickster
◊. Either way, I dig the stripes and give Robbie props for pulling off a robe like that with such aplomb.
- No, it isn't just you, and I also suggest that he's the grumpy, loser brother of Kooza's Trickster
Sportacus's Actor is Bad
- Am I the only one bothered by the guy playing Sportacus being such a bad actor? How can that man possibly inspire anyone to do anything, let alone exercise and eat right? If I had seen this as a kid I would have been with Robbie Rotten all the way. Evil Is Cool after all.
- I'm not particularly bothered, though I am aware Stefan is a better actor. However, Magnús only has the role because the intellectual property is his, and the main page says the character might be a mary-sue. In the original stage plays stunts couldn't be produced with camera trickery, and so the role had to go to an athlete like him, and I guess he decided to keep it. Mind you, there's only ever been one Íþróttaálfurinn/Sportacus since the beginning of the property, but there were at least two Solla Stirða/Stephanies before the TV show was even considered.
- And well, in Iceland, he did. Regardless of your opinion of his inspirational qualities.
- I'm guessing you haven't seen the fanbase then? Kids are crazy for Sportacus.
- His acting was pretty good in The Spy Next Door...even if he was playing a sucky character.
- His Big Ham style and stilted action suits the fact that he's an elf (or at least, he was one in the plays and is Ambiguously Human on the show), and it also is justified due to the fact that he's not speaking his native language, and at this point, it's quite deliberate.
Why is Sugar Bad?
- Why is eating, say, a carrot much better for energy than food WITH CARBOHYDRATES in it, in this show? Yet all foods with sugar and carbs in them are portrayed as bad on this show, but vegetables might be healthier but give you next to no energy. For example, in one episode Sportacus ate some chocolate and then after running quickly for 10 seconds he just comes to a standstill.
- Foods where you digest the carbohydrates quickly, like sugar, white bread and rice, and potatoes, can lead to reactive hypoglycaemia, which Sportacus's 'sugar meltdown' is clearly an exaggerated mimic of (despite only ever the result of foods made primarily from sugar, not, say, white rice or bread, even though carbs from those aren't much less empty, and digested quicker).
- Plus, even though energy = calories in a scientific sense, vitamins and minerals are needed for the well-being required to feel up to using that energy constructively instead of storing it, and when he talks about 'energy', he's really does seem to mean 'well-being', not 'calories'. And carrots and apples have some carbs too, they just have more vitamins. You do see him prepare to eat a potato once, but the way the segment is constructed, it doesn't seem like he intends to cook it.
- I hope he reconsidered, since eating raw potatoes is not particularly healthy.
- I hope he reconsidered, since eating raw potatoes is not particularly healthy.
Genetics
- Stephanie looks nothing like her uncle. At all. Even ignoring the puppet-human issue.
- The human/puppet issue is clearly supposed to be ignored as part of the suspension of disbelief, and well, I don't look all that much like my brother, so I don't imagine the theoretical children I'm never having would either.
- That said, Meanswell's gone grey, so his hair could easily have been some reddish/pinkish colour once, and they both have brown eyes. Taking into account the puppet thing, it looks like he's supposed to have a pointy chin and upturned nose like Stephanie/Julianna, so there is facial resemblance. His cheeks are chubbier, but so's the rest of him. Though there is the fact he's Ambiguously Brown, and she's pretty darn white-looking.
- Maybe Stephanie's mother married a man who was adopted by black puppets. Or, he himself is a black man (adopted by black puppets). Sometimes people of mixed race heritage can look as though they only belong to one racial category. Or maybe Stephanie's parents are dead, and she was adopted by black puppets.
- Is it common to look like one's uncle though? I don't look anything like either of my uncles. Maybe if the mayor was Stephanie's dad, this complaint would make more sense. But even then, there are plenty of people who bear little resemblance to their parents.
- Has anyone considered that maybe Stephanie isn't blood related to Maxwell? Perhaps her ACTUAL aunt died or something.
- He could just be a cousin once removed. Maybe a great uncle married an Ambiguously Brown woman
Why is Everyone Vegetarian?
- Ok I have a problem with the nutrition message of this show, I know they try to say candy is not very healthy, good, but it's like they're rabbits, how about telling kids to eat fish, milk, bread, cereal, meat or anything else besides fruits and vegetables.
- Probably because those things aren't that difficult to get most kids to eat. It's pretty cliche to hear a kid complaining about eating his veggies, and/or feeding them to the family pet. Not often does it happen with other food groups. Granted this doesn't apply to all children, but for a majority...
- Actually he has no problems with the kids eating sweets, as long as it's in moderation. He doesn't eat it himself since he reacts badly, but he openly acknowledges that's just *him*
- Sportacus and the people of LazyTown also allow Robbie to live in his lair off of cake and other assortments of junk food. They only seem to be against him when he plots something bad against them, which is almost every episode.
Is Sugarcane Bad for Sportacus?
- If Sportacus were to head down to a tropical island, would he be able to eat sugarcane?
- For that matter, what about sugar beet? Hell, fruit is sweet tasting because it has lots of sugar!
- This troper thinks that since Sportacus is Ambiguously Human, his metabolism only rejects processed sugar. I mean, he eats an awful lot of apples, which are very sugary. I think he'd consider sugar cane and sugar beets to be very edible.
- Alternatively, maybe he's a diabetic.
Why the Speakers?
- Robbie hates the sounds of the kids playing right? So, how come he has those speakers that broadcast the sounds of them?
- Either he liked to listen to the sounds of nature, now drowned out by the busy kids, or he just wants to make sure nobody's doing anything outside.
- I was thinking he was using it to spy on people, in case he thinks they are planning something against him.
- Additionally, why doesn't he just shut off his tannoy system entirely during sleepy time so he doesn't get disturbed by random noises? Then again, if he did that, the plot would crumble faster than a house of decks in a hurricane.
- Probably so that he knows when kids are making trouble. Alternatively, he's something similar to an Adrenaline Junkie and likes the fight, if you will. He probably likes it because most of the time he's bored.
Why is Robbie Skinny?
- Speaking of Robbie, if he's the "laziest person in all of LazyTown", how is he so thin?
- High metabolism, maybe?
- All that running around attempting villainous schemes is surprisingly good exercise.
- Then how did he stay thin even before Sportacus and Stephanie arrived? Those 2 are the only reasons Robbie began doing villainous schemes since the puppet kids only got motivated into doing the exact opposite of what Robbie wants when Sportacus and Stephanie first came into LazyTown.
- Even ignoring that some people get skinny without exercise rather than fat. Admittedly most of those people don't gorge themselves on cake but still.
- Robbie also eats nothing but cake. That probably isn't doing much for his body.
- He's seen eating other foods sometimes.
- If Robbie Rotten is the "anti-Sportacus" then maybe eating unhealthy food gives him a boost. It would explain as to why he loves the same blue cake and other unhealthy foods. Combined with the above entry saying that he constantly runs around, it also explains as to why he doesn't get fat.
In-Show Questions
- Are you a real villain? Like a, like a real superhero?
- Nah.
- Have you ever tried a disguise?
- Nah, nah.
No Net Gain
- What was Robbie's plan with the net that he just found? Maybe it would have tripped Sportacus up a little since he was running, but simply throwing a net over someone doesn't seem very effective. Just look at how easily Robbie was able to take it off when they threw it at him.
- Nets are more crippling than you think, just ask the Chosen One. He needed to rewind time to get out of a net that was only a fraction of the one Robbie tried throwing at Sportacus.
Unhealthy? How?
- They say that the characters' vices serve to prevent them from being healthy (and all descriptions of the show seem to use "healthy" to mean physically healthy), but what about Stingy and Trixie? Surely being a miser or a rule-breaker isn't bad for you physically?
- Too much of anything can be bad for you. As for being a miser and a rule-breaker, being too greedy (stealing something important that could get you hurt, for example) and breaking rules specifically meant to keep you safe can be harmful to your health in many ways.
- But what if you're not a thief, just a miser?
- A few episodes ("My Treehouse" and the one where Robbie pretends he's a prince) showed that, whenever Stingy goes off the deep end regarding his miserly nature, the other kids abandon him. That leaves him all alone, without anyone to play with—you can't exactly do team games with one person. The show seems to be leaning on the message that "If you're a jerk, no one will want to spend any time with you, so forget about playing and being active with friends."
- Too much of anything can be bad for you. As for being a miser and a rule-breaker, being too greedy (stealing something important that could get you hurt, for example) and breaking rules specifically meant to keep you safe can be harmful to your health in many ways.
Only a C Minus?
- In LazyTown Extra, why did Stingy get a C minus for scribbling on his homework? That's a passing grade in most countries! Shouldn't that only be an F minus?
- His father bribed the school.
- Furthermore, who the heck was the teacher in that scenario? In "School Scam," Mayor Meanswell is shown as the principal, but the kids don't seem to have a teacher, because Robbie is able to slip in and claim to be their substitute without anyone saying anything. Plus the kids seem to have a pretty set learning schedule (they know the order of classes for the day), so where was the real teacher? "Time To Learn" shows that Bessie Busybody is the usual teacher, but she doesn't show up in "School Scam," so who was grading that homework in the first place?
- His father bribed the school.
The Tree Problem
- In the song "Greatest Genie", the Genie says "I can make your nose grow big, or turn into a tree," before turning Robbie into a tree. That is, turning Robbie's entire body into a tree. The way that sentence is structured, you'd think he would mean either A, turning Robbie's nose into a tree, or turning himself into a tree. What's up with that?
No Internet for the Wicked?
- In Pixelspix, why is Robbie the only one not on Pixel's new webpage? Sure he's the villain, yet there could at least be a video compilation of all his schemes to watch how they always fail.
Uninvited Baddie
- Also, they didn't invite Robbie to Ziggy's Birthday in Happy Brush Day for some reason. At the time the episode aired it could be seen as because Robbie is the villain, but then comes the season 3 episode "The Greatest Gift" in which they do invite Robbie to his party then, making that reason moot.
- Maybe they invited him later just so that he wouldn't get mad at not being invited.
Absent Parents
- Where the hell are these kids' parents?! For Stephanie's case, it makes sense as she's only visiting Lazy Town for a short time, but as for the actual town residents (Ziggy, Pixel, Stingy and Trixie). What's their excuse? If the parents don't exist, it means the town's essentially leaving the kids to take of themselves, which is extremely reckless on their part, but if they do exist, they're doing jack shit to discipline their kids or teach them about good health, or screentime limits, or even manners.
- Stingy did mention his father in “Sportafake”.
Bad Villain
- Why is Robbie irritated from being called a bad villain from his Teddicus? He should compliment on that it’s real good. Heck why does he bring it with him?
- He's not being called bad in the sense of being a nasty person, he's being called bad at being a villain. It's insulting him by saying he's terrible at his job; while Robbie operates under Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad logic, he can at least recognize when he's being told that he's a failure.
- But villains are bad. On the contrary, he really shouldn’t take the insults serious because of his villainy. Bad or good, villains are “Good To Be Bad” like in his song.
- As for why he brung Bad Teddicus into his lair?
- He's not being called bad in the sense of being a nasty person, he's being called bad at being a villain. It's insulting him by saying he's terrible at his job; while Robbie operates under Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad logic, he can at least recognize when he's being told that he's a failure.
Stephanie telling Trixie to go
- Why is Stephanie the one to tell Trixie to go and not the other way around if Stingy was more arguing with Trixie.
Ziggy recognizing Robbie
- Why does Ziggy recognize Robbie in his burger suit.
- His voice?
"We don’t like your new rules!"
- Why does Ziggy say that to a Mayor disguised Robbie. He said he liked the candy.
Ziggy follows Stephanie
- Why does Ziggy follow Stephanie after the bickering and not Stingy.
Stephanie the Spoiler
- Do people think it’s wrong for Stephanie to spoil Robbie's cheating plan in "Ziggy's Talking Teddy"?
- Well, he's the villain and he was trying to cheat, so no.
Trixie's icon
- What was showcased under Trixie's icon in "Pixelspix"?
