Barney, Sesame Street, and even Dora the Explorer would not have been ultimate favorites of children and parents if not for the many values and knowledge that they offer. Surely, your son learned to count with Count Dracula or that they learned to sing and dance with Barney. They also garnered new idea of the world and explored various subjects with Dora. Television shows definitely have profound effect not only on the people’s character but also to their culture. This is especially true if you’re talking about Lazy Town.

Lazy Town is actually a children’s show that starred Sportacus, a hero that urges children to play outside and be active rather than stay at home the entire day playing video games and computer. Of course, there will always be an antagonist by the name of Robbie Rotten. He lives in one of the darkest and hidden lairs of the town, and he doesn’t approve of such move. He will do everything to ensure that Sportacus leaves town for the rest of his life.

How Lazy Town Transforms Ideals in Iceland

In one of the episodes of the show, Sportacus actually encouraged the children to do something about the current state of the country and implanted new sense of hope for the rest of his people. According to Magnus Scheving, the brain and the main character in the story, the people of Iceland should learn how to manage their finances wisely by minimizing spending on housing needs and their personal wants. They may also have to reduce the salary. It may appear like they need to go down to the basics, but then it can be the only way to save their country. It will also lessen the time it will take to recover.

His philosophy is also better expressed by the personality of Sportacus himself who loves to push people to their limits, give them the chance to see their real-worth. However, he may get utterly disappointed if people don’t even want to try something new in his life.

Lazy Town Also Attracts More People

It could be the sense of hope it brings or perhaps the stability of the production itself that drives hundreds of people to Lazy Town—literally. The show, which employs around 50 to 150 people depending if the show is in regular one or setting up a major production, has been receiving a lot of applications. In fact, in the early parts of October, they received more than 200 resumes just for the span of three days.

The global meltdown also didn’t affect much the entertainment company. As the Scheving puts it, the effect of Iceland’s economic problem is very limited. It’s able to retain 90 percent of its work force, both in Iceland and overseas. It’s also earning money in foreign currencies. Right now, the show has been translated to more than 12 languages, and is being shown in different parts of the world, even in Korea.

Iceland, one of the richest countries in Europe, is suffering a major setback, after its banks collapsed. It needs more than $20 billion assistance over the span of many years just to get their financial system stable again. Perhaps Sportacus’s ability can convince the rest of the people to be more active and do something rather than let the government solve all the trouble.