'LazyTown' star says show 'will always be loved' 10 years after ending
It has been ten years since popular children's television show LazyTown (2004) came to an end.
With its catchy theme song, and mix of live action and puppets, fans will remember, the show, created by Magnús Scheving, follows Stephanie (played by Julianna Rose Mauriello in the first two seasons and Chloe Lang in the final two seasons), an eight-year-old girl, who moves to LazyTown to live with her uncle, Mayor Meanswell (puppeteered by David Matthew Feldman), and soon finds herself teaming up with Sportacus, the town's hero (played by Scheving), to encourage all residents to live a healthier more active lifestyle, despite the consistent attempts by villain Robbie Rottens (played by Stefán Karl Stefánsson) to keep the residents lazy.
Despite its 2004 debut being Nick Jr.'s highest rated premiere week in three years, landing it in second after Dora the Explorer on the network's preschool lineup, LazyTown came to an end in October 2014, after just four seasons, leaving a significant void in children's educational programming and in the hearts of millennials everywhere.
Lang, who was just 10 years old when she joined the cast, says the show ending was "bittersweet".
"At the time, I remember being very excited to get back to school, friends, family and other hobbies in the States," she says. "Looking back, I wish I took more time to soak it all up and wish I was able to process it was really the end of an era."
Now 23, Lang fully recognizes the impact LazyTown has had over the last decade, especially for older millennials.
"Part of me wants to say it will always be popular, it will always be loved, because if the show was reinvented in some sort of way today, it would do really well," she says. "But when I say it out loud, I can't tell if it's only because a lot of people have that nostalgic attachment to it or truly enjoyed the show for the entertainment and just found comfort in it. I feel like that is what would really carry it."
When asked if the show would do well with today's generation, Lang says, "Yes."
"If we're talking clean slate, a new generation of kids in 10, 20 years from now, would that still reach? Yes."
She adds, "I think one thing that was super special about LazyTown is Magnús was always committed to everything being perfection and the best of the best. And one of the reasons it was a big hit was because of all the bright colors and good music. And it had that same kind of setup every episode. Something would happen with Robbie Rotten, he tries to change his form, he gets caught, we persevere.
"I feel like it would do well with the kids just because of how high quality it is. CGI, even the puppets. How could it not be entertaining to the young mind? But as far as the storyline, I feel like it's hard to tell how it would resonate."
It is precisely a show like LazyTown that Scheving, an Icelandic former aerobics athlete, created as a way to encourage children to get active and healthy in a fun and educational way, that is needed even more today than before in a world where children and adults are staring at screens more than they are breaking a sweat.
In fact, it cannot be a coincidence that two months after LazyTown's premiere, Nickelodeon launched its "Worldwide Day of Play", an annual event where the network shuts off all television and online programming towards the end of September, between 12pm and 3pm, to encourage kids and parents to move away from the TV and go outside and play. It's had such a huge impact over the last two decades, in fact, that it even made it all the way to the White House in 2011 when then-First Lady Michelle Obama joined in the festivities.
And even though LazyTown was Scheving's way of spreading this message to viewers, Lang says it was his innate passion and personality that inspired her in real life.
"As far as health and fitness, it was talked about on set a lot and when I look at what I learned in that regard, it mostly came from just Magnús being an inspiration to me because he was the epitome of Sporticus, like, he really did the aerobics," she says.
"He was such a high-energy personality. He loved to help people. He loved to be around people and educate kids. And he really was so passionate about eating healthy and staying fit. And he still is to this day. So, I feel it's a really big eye-opener as well and he was such a source of inspiration for a lot of us on set."
The same, however, could not be said for fellow Nickelodeon child actors, such as Drake Bell of Drake & Josh (2004) and Alexa Nikolas of Zoey 101 (2005) who, among others, through the 2024 documentary, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, revealed that showrunner Dan Schneider was alleged to have cultivated a hostile work environment - a circumstance which Lang is "blessed" to not have had to endure.
"I do want to emphasize how it was such a positive experience unlike many other stories of child actors," Lang says. "I feel so lucky and blessed and didn't even realize it until I was much older."
In fact, it was Scheving's professionalism and duty in making sure the LazyTown set was comfortable and safe for everyone, especially Lang, as the only child, that also made being far away from home a positive experience.
"It was just me and my mom," says the Connecticut native. "I would sometimes have friends or siblings visit. But looking back, it was so special how I was treated. Everyone was in one building: HR, marketing, hair and makeup, all the other actors."
She adds, "What I loved to do was, I had a little razor scooter on set and we had multiple floors and I would scooter all around the hallways and up and down the elevator and through the cafeteria and pop into everyone's office just saying, hey, chatting with them, and everyone always made time for me, always ready to chat and have fun."
Lang also spoke of having a tutor and getting to carry out science experiments such as building a volcano and doing an egg drop around the set which the cast always seemed excited to help her with.
"Looking back, they really didn't have to feed into those fun little games," she says. "But everyone really cared for me and I knew how important keeping in touch with my child side was."
Nowadays, the former child actor, who has been living in New York for the past six years, has her eyes set on more dramatic roles.
"I make content regularly, so that includes blogs and Instagram content, photos and reels and some TikToks, and I like to do a lot of brand ambassadorships. But I'm still focusing on my acting and taking lessons. And I audition," she says.
"I am open to a lot of different things, but my main goal is drama. I auditioned for all the Law & Order [shows], General Hospital, FBI [shows]. And I feel really lucky when I get the opportunity to do some bigger roles like the lead in an A24 film, or remakes, or even to co-star or guest star in a TV drama."
And while she does not get to see Scheving as much as she'd like, due to both their busy schedules and Scheving residing in his hometown of Iceland with his wife and children, Lang is all in for a LazyTown reunion.
"I would LOVE a LazyTown reunion in any capacity," she says. "This show still means so much to so many people, including myself, and I'd love to get to work with all those guys again in any way possible!"
