Stephanie (LazyTown)

Stephanie is a fictional character from the Icelandic children's television show LazyTown. She is an aspiring cheerleader and dancer who inspires the other citizens of the titular town to stay active. She has pink hair and as such is nicknamed 'Pinky' by the puppet character Trixie. She came to town to visit her uncle, Milford Meanswell, the mayor of LazyTown. Upon meeting the other children, she unsuccessfully attempted to get them to play along as opposed to staying at home playing video games and eating candy. This changed when Stephanie asked for the help of Sportacus. When he finally arrived, the whole town worked together to make LazyTown a more active place to live. Each episode of the show ends with Stephanie performing a song and dance routine to "Bing Bang", the show's ending theme.[6]

Stephanie
LazyTown character
First appearanceÁfram Latibær! (1996)
Last appearanceMystery of the Pyramid (2014)
Created byMagnús Scheving
Portrayed byShelby Young (pilot)
Julianna Rose Mauriello (Series 1–2, LazyTown Extra)
Chloe Lang (Series 3–4)
Kimberly Pena (stage show)
In-universe information
Nickname'Pinky', 'SportaStephanie',[1] 'Pink Girl'
SpeciesHuman
GenderFemale
OccupationAspiring dancer and cheerleader
FamilyMilford Meanswell (uncle)
Age8[2][3][4] initially, later 10[5]

The character’s original Icelandic name is Solla Stirða. In the Icelandic version of the TV series, her voice was dubbed in Icelandic by Ólöf Kristín Þorsteinsdóttir.[7]

The role of Stephanie was performed by Julianna Rose Mauriello in seasons 1 and 2.[8] In 2011, Julianna confirmed she would be leaving LazyTown, as she had grown too old to play the role of Stephanie. She was replaced by Chloe Lang for seasons 3 and 4. Stephanie was also played by Kimberly Pena in LazyTown Live! The Pirate Adventure, a stage production that toured throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2009.[9]

Description

Stephanie was depicted as being an athletic, sweet, shy, sassy, caring, optimistic, and smart 8-year-old girl.[10] Surprised by the inactivity of the residents of LazyTown, she cheerfully encourages them to participate in more active, energetic hobbies or pastimes such as sports, games, tickling Stephanie, and much more when they are downhearted when the temptations of candy or video games overcome her prodding. Despite this, Stephanie is characterized by her optimism and self-confidence, which she proudly promotes and shares with her peers in encouragement against all odds or challenges, always victoriously triumphing over any obstacles or antagonists by the conclusion of an episode.

Stephanie's attempts are often nearly thwarted by Robbie Rotten, but his plans are never foolproof and always end with Stephanie winning.

Development

Stephanie was originally created by Magnús Scheving for the stage play Áfram Latibær as "Solla Stirða" ("Solla Stiff"), a girl with stiff joints who dreamt of becoming a dancer. Solla also appeared in the sequel to the stage play, Glanni Glæpur í Latabæ. She was played by Selma Björnsdóttir and Linda Ásgeirsdóttir, respectively.

Magnús Scheving reworked Solla into Stephanie for the LazyTown television show. Shelby Young was originally pegged to play Stephanie in 2003, and filmed one unaired pilot before departing due to union issues.

Ultimately, Julianna Rose Mauriello was chosen to play Stephanie, and played her for the first two seasons and LazyTown Extra before departing due to aging out of the role.

Chloe Lang picked up the role of Stephanie for seasons three, four, and LazyTown Motivational Campaigns. and as of 2022 is the most recent actress to play Stephanie.

Similar women with pink wigs, even after the show ended, appears on other media; examples include with the pink quartet featured on the music video "Swalla" (by Jason Derulo, featuring Nicki Minaj, and Ty Dolla $ign, as released on March 17, 2017).[11] Evelynn's legendary Power Chord skin for Fortnite: Battle Royale, released 25 March 2018[12] appears similar to Stephanie as an adult, in some cases wearing different outfits, and/or without the headband.

Appearance

Stephanie tends to wear a pink sleeveless dress with pale pink tights, pink socks, white and pink sneakers and a purple hairband. Her outfit, though, changes from time to time. For example, in "LazyTown Goes Digital" and "Energy Book", she wears pink leggings with her usual dress. She also wears tracksuits and other items of clothing, but they are nearly always pink. Her short bob hair is dyed pink. All her accessories are also pink. She is often seen carrying a pink purse with a heart on it, in which she carries her pink diary. As a pirate, she wore a pink bandanna with a white, fancy letter "S" on it for Stephanie, as well as a striped shirt, ripped pink leggings and pink socks.

Reception

Child development authors Lyn Mikel Brown and Sharon Lamb assert that Stephanie is interesting and makes pink a "power color" due to her quick thinking, computer gaming and sporty nature.[5]

References
  1. "Lazytown's New Super Hero - 02/11/2012". Radio Times.
  2. "NBC 220 - 12:30 PM LazyTown". MyBell.Bell.Ca. Retrieved 12 February 2016. An 8-year-old girl is caught between a superhero and his lazy nemesis.
  3. Kristjansdotter, Dagny (18 January 2011). "PART II: Filmic Translations Chapter 9: Sportacus Saves the Day!". In Weldy, Lance (ed.). Crossing Textual Boundaries in International Children’s Literature. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 152. the description of the character Stephanie: "This 8-year-old girl is new to LazyTown.
  4. "The Official Home Page for LazyTown | Lazytown.com | Characters". Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. This 8-year-old girl is new to LazyTown. She's just moved here to live with her uncle, the town's mayor, Milford Meanswell. Stephanie is caught between doing what's easiest and making better choices.
  5. Lamb, Sharon; Brown, Lyn Mikel (2007). "See no evil? What girls watch". In Lamb, Sharon; Brown, Lyn Mikel (eds.). Packaging girlhood: rescuing our daughters from marketers' schemes. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 60–61. ISBN 9780312370053. Stephanie, the ten-year-old on the fitness and health-focused show Lazy Town... is especially interesting. While she seems almost over-the-top stereotypical, with her pink hair, pink clothes, pink room, pink everything, she also plays sports, thinks on her feet, and loves computer games. She makes pink a power color but is one of the only girls on the show.
  6. "Bing Bang". GetLazy. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  7. "Talsetning á Latabæ hafin ('Dubbing of LazyTown Has Begun')". Fréttablaðið. 28 April 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  8. Vincent Terrace (2007). Encyclopedia of Television Subjects, Themes And Settings. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7864-2498-6.
  9. "Sportacus, Stephanie and Swashbuckling fun!". WalesOnline. 23 April 2009.
  10. "Lazy Town Characters". nickjr.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. Stephanie (8 years old) - Stephanie is a sweet, optimistic girl who's just moved here
  11. "Jason Derulo's 'Swalla' Video With Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign Is a Candy-Coated Party: Watch". Billboard. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  12. "Fortnite Power Chord Skin - Legendary Outfit- Fortnite Skins". Fortnite-Skins. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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