“Welcome to LazyTown, a place where you’ll want to stay” … sings the warm and inviting children’s show to its viewers in the “LazyTown” theme song.

When my son first started watching the show, I was not sure what to make of the puppets and the girl with the pink hair. But now, I find “LazyTown” a great place to be … and for my child to watch.

Nico as Sportacus - ‘LazyTown’

The premise is that “slightly-more-than-average” hero Sportacus motivates the kids of “LazyTown” to be active and eat healthy. He refers to fruit and veggies as “sports candy,” and shows the kids how much energy they will have when they eat an apple, carrot, etc. And on the flip-side, he shows kids how sugar and candy bring energy levels down.

My husband and I thought it was a great message for kids. Our son, Nico, who is almost 4, is very active, plays soccer and tennis, and eats healthy; however, having a TV show with a superhero reinforcing the importance of healthy foods and exercise is a major bonus. We now have a fridge full of red apples, and they have to be completely, super red, “Just like Sportacus,” as Nico would say.

We’ll even hear Nico yell out as he runs to the kitchen, “I need an apple. I need energy.”

And the excellence doesn’t stop there. The whole “LazyTown” crew behind the show, which is filmed in Iceland by the way, is as warm and inviting as the show itself.  I sent several messages to Magnus Scheving, the man who plays Sportacus and is the creator behind the show, via Twitter. He answered every single message, and even offered me great tips for my son’s upcoming “LazyTown”-themed birthday party. When I asked if he could send my son an autograph, he happily obliged and sent me the e-mail address for public relations.  Suzanne at “LazyTown,” answered my e-mail instantly. She took my address and information to give to Magnus, and wrote me back a few times thanking me for the support of the show. I was the one who had to do the thanking, though, as the whole “LazyTown” enterprise has been great to my son and family.

We even planned a mini family vacation this past weekend to “Sesame Place” in Langhorne, PA.  A “LazyTown” show was playing over the weekend, so we made our reservations and packed up the family to drive 10 hours to the theme park for a fun day of rides and of course, “LazyTown.” The U.S. actors were not the main actors from the TV show, but they did an incredible job and got the whole audience up on their feet dancing. I happily sang along to every motivational song, all of which have been imbedded in my head since we watch “LazyTown” every day.  We even found the soundtrack online (right now, the only source for me to order merchandise), which we listen to in our mini-van.

The weekend was topped off nicely with a surprise waiting for us in the mail when we returned home. There was a letter from Iceland addressed to my son.  He eagerly opened it up to find an autographed photo of Sportacus, signed by Magnus Scheving. It was so great to know that even with his busy schedule creating a new season of the show, he still takes time out for his fans. He made my son’s day, and it was a great early birthday present.

“Bing, bang, diggiriggidong” … thank you, Sportacus!

Nico, an apple, and Sportacus on TV – ‘LazyTown’ on Sprout

I’ve also heard from Magnus (via Twitter) and public relations (e-mail and Facebook) that the show is now filming a third season, with new episodes expected in 2013. The show has been off the air for several years (it aired in the U.S. in 2004-2007 with new episodes, and has since been airing re-runs, most currently on the Sprout cable network.)  Sportacus and his nemesis, the lazy Robbie Rotten, will be back, along with the puppet residents of “LazyTown.” The only big change I am aware of is that main character Stephanie, the girl with the pink hair, will now be played by actress Chloe Lang.  Julianna Rose Mauriello, who previously played Stephanie on the TV show, has grown up, so the new actress will have to fill in her bright, pink wig and perky attitude.

So now we are looking forward to celebrating our son’s 4th birthday with a “LazyTown” theme at an indoor playplace (with mini rock wall, zipline, slides), in which we’ll have plenty of sports candy on-hand, as well as a few treats, and even some “LazyTown” balloons (I love the Internet).  I’ll be sure to write about that and post pictures of the event. Hopefully I can convince my son to wear his Sportacus costume for at least a few minutes!

(I did manage to get him to wear it for some photos and videos a few weeks ago. I’ve included them in this post so everyone can see just how much of an impact Sportacus has on my son.)

We are so excited to share the “LazyTown” fun and message with all of my son’s friends and cousins at his birthday party. As well, as looking forward to the new episodes, which are currently in production.

As Stephanie would say, “Having fun is what it’s all about.”

For more on “LazyTown,” visit the show’s web site or Facebook page.