Sportacus

Not to be confused with Spartacus.
Scheving as Sportacus at the UK Toy Fair 2009

Sportacus is a fictional character from the children's television show LazyTown. His name is a portmanteau of the ancient figure Spartacus and the word sport, which represents his athleticism. Sportacus humbly describes himself as a "slightly above-average hero", though his friends have a higher opinion of him, calling him a "superhero".

Sportacus in the LazyTown episode "Welcome to LazyTown"

In the television show, the role of Sportacus is played by Magnús Scheving, founder and creator of the LazyTown franchise.

Sportacus encourages the children of LazyTown to eat fruits and vegetables (which he calls "sports candy") and play outside instead of sitting around indoors. He wants to make sure LazyTown is happy, and knows that its residents have to be healthy and fit if they want to be happy. He is opposed by the sinister (yet perhaps equally energetic) Robbie Rotten, who seeks to return LazyTown to its former state: a lazy town. Sportacus is so engaged in his life of physical activity that he does parkour just to get from place to place—even doing acrobatic flips just to get from one side of his kitchen table to the other—and the children have to instruct him on how to relax.

Sportacus owns a magical crystal that sits on his costume and glows when the LazyTown children get into trouble. He is patient, kind, always understanding and does not tell the children in LazyTown what not to do. He prefers to lead by example.[1]

The large airship that floats above LazyTown is Sportacus' home. It has Sportacus' bed, food and other equipment.

History of the character

In the original Icelandic play on which the television series was based, Áfram Latibær! (Go LazyTown!) in 1996, Sportacus was an elf called Íþróttaálfurinn (The Athletic Elf) who possessed magical powers. His costume consisted of a navy-blue tunic, baggy green trousers and a large burnt umber hat. He also had a large, thick, blonde moustache and matching goatee beard.

In the second play, Glanni Glæpur í Latabæ (Robbie Rotten in LazyTown), Sportacus' character became more similar to the current version. He traveled around in a hot air balloon (as opposed to his current airship) and wore a brown-and-yellow version of his current outfit, albeit with a larger, looser hat and sculpted chest piece.

References

  1. ↑ LazyTown official site - Characters - Sportacus Lazytown Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
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