Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

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  • LazyGary
    Caveman
    SPECIAL MEMBER
    Level 16 - Sportaposter
    • Oct 2013
    • 442

    Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

    Episode Title: Hero for a Day
    Season: 1
    Episode: 7
    Production #: 112
    Original Airing Date: August 23, 2004
    Episode Summary: Ziggy wants to be a hero just like Sportacus, but he keeps messing things up, especially a clubhouse the other kids are trying to make. When Robbie devises a plan to saw an overhanging tree branch to smash the clubhouse, Ziggy steps in and finally manages to become a hero and save the day.
    Opening Shot: Daytime, Sportacus is busy making an ABC salad.
    What Sports/Equipment does Sportacus use? Salad Bowl, basketball,
    What does Sportacus eat/drink? A carrot for Vitamin A, a potato for Vitamin B, a tomato for Vitamin C.
    Suspension of Disbelief? Despite having an “airbrake” Sportacus never has to anchor his airship to anything, it always seems to stay in place!
    What Gadgets/Vehicles does Sportacus use? Skateboard
    Story by: Magnus Scheving
    Episode Written by: Noah Zachary, Cole Louie, Adam Peltzman, Magnus Scheving
    Episode Directed by: Magnus Scheving
    Where does the Action mainly take place? Pixel’s House, The Town park/playground.
    Recurring Characters present? All
    Recurring Characters absent? None
    Guest Appearances / Outsiders: None
    Kid's Challenge/Play/Sport: Stephanie, Pixel and Trixie want to build the clubhouse that they designed on Pixel’s computer.
    Mini-Save: (1) Sportacus saves a letter for Mayor Meanswell from blowing away. (2) Sportacus saves Ziggy from falling when he launches himself over the piles of wood for the clubhouse.
    Robbie Mad: Robbie hasn’t had any sleep for three nights and is really grouchy. He goes up to the surface for a “change of scenery” to help him sleep. Eventually he finds a quiet bench in town to sleep on, but is interrupted by the hammering and talking from the kids who are constructing the clubhouse.
    Robbie Disguise: None
    Rotten Plan: Robbie uses his chalkboard to lay out his plan again. He plans to saw off a tree branch right above the new clubhouse.
    Rejected Disguises: None
    Robbie's Names for Sportacus: None
    Music Video / Song: Step by Step (Also used in Dear Diary). Youtube
    Stephanie's Clothes/Special Outfit: Stephanie wears her building apron, Ziggy wears his special Super hero outfit with Donut Goggles.
    Big Save: Sportacus has to save Robbie from the Tree branch and the clubhouse from being destroyed by Robbie’s Rotten plan.
    Bing Bang Song: Normal, in front of the clubhouse.
    Robbie's Joke / Closing Scene: A bee comes and wakes Robbie from his sleep and he falls off the fence.
    Moral Lessons / Point of the Production: Anybody can be a hero if you start small and take it step by step.
    Notable Puns: Ziggy’s Superhero name “Sweeticus” is obviously a play on Sportacus and Sweetie. Later on he says “I’m no Superhero, I’m a SuperZero”
    Internal Cross References/Recurring Themes: Stephanie facepalm when Ziggy is using the Tape Dispenser. Robbie’s Orange earplugs. The Mayor’s “Re-elect me” poster (also seen in the opening sequence of every episode), Bessie gossiping on the phone again, Robbie’s chalkboard, Robbie’s “L” superhero outfit is seen in his Disguise cabinets (used in the episode “Defeeted”).
    External Cross References: The Rocky Training Theme Music - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1TRLtIYwWM ( not exactly the same for copyright reasons, but close enough!), Ziggy’s karate moves,
    Bloopers / Mistakes: You can’t really use a 3D rendering program to predict stress points, you need specialised engineering software for that.

    Discussion Questions / Weird Things:

    1. Sportacus eats Potatoes? Not really “Sports Candy”, potatoes are heavy on the carbs and starch. But as stated before a certain amount of starch and carbohydrates are necessary for every diet. Potatoes though have come to be abused in Western diets though and are typically over consumed.

    2. For all of Sportacus’ crazy recipes and concoctions, we never really see him eating his own creations much (just the odd Sports Candy). And one carrot, potato and tomato uncut does not really make a very nice salad.

    3. Ziggy’s Superhero outfit is loosely modelled on Sportacus, but with Sweetie additions. His Goggles are made from an old Airline Sleep mask and two iced donuts.

    4. What is that thing on Pixel’s left hand forefinger? It looks like some kind of pen/laser light ring thing. He seems to use it to operate his mobile arm device thingy / Database. He also uses this database in Happy Brush Day and in Sportafake (to play Music).

    5. Pixel is using a 3D rendering program to predict stress points for their new clubhouse.

    6. Ziggy bumps the joystick on Pixel’s keyboard and that causes all of his computers to shut down? That’s one sensitive joystick!

    7. How come Robbie doesn’t have a bed? He only just sleeps on his Orange couch all the time. We have seen him wearing Pyjamas on other occasions, but he is not wearing them now.

    8. What is keeping Robbie awake at night?

    9. Mayor Meanswell is such a scatterbrain. He forgets to put a stamp on his letter. Notice that the letters don’t have any addresses on them, only people’s names.

    10. Ziggy’s Superhero saves: Ziggy rushes in to save Pixel and Stephanie from something – “Never fear, Sweeticus is here!”. Then he tries to save Mayor Meanswell from choking on his letters. Later he rushes in to help Stephanie find her hammer and crashes into the building materials for the clubhouse. Finally after training with Sportacus he insists on helping the kids erect the clubhouse. But he ends up knocking the whole thing down. Eventually Ziggy will get his real chance when he saves the Robbie from being crushed by the tree branch.

    11. Despite telling the Mayor in the first episode that he will stick around Sportacus seems to prefer parking his airship several miles away from Lazytown as he always has to hightail it back there when someone is in trouble. Why doesn’t he just leave it permanently over LazyTown? Or is he maybe, gasp, also looking after other towns?

    12. Robbie’s Sunflower Glasses! Funky, but kinda useless!

    13. Sportacus pronounces Ziggy ‘Superhero for a day’.

    14. Robbie’s orange ear plugs seem to be made from the same material as his orange couch.

    15. The measuring stick that Stephanie uses is of course also skew and wonky. No wonder all the buildings in LazyTown are so skew!

    16. Stephanie’s cute little squeal of laughter in the middle of the “Step by Step” music video!

    17. Ziggy is disheartened that he can’t help anybody as a superhero and says he should go and join the Circus – Later on the episode “Lazytown Circus” will see all the kids join the Circus.

    18. There are so few characters living in this town, but Bessie can’t even remember Ziggy’s name?

    19. Some of Robbie’s Rotten plans could potentially involve serious physical injury, but the other characters never seem to mind and quickly forget or forgive him. Maybe this is the one criticism of the show, but I suppose the little kids know well enough not to mimic his rotten plans, cos he always loses anyway.

    20. Robbie’s saw is as bendy and skew as all the other tools in Lazytown, it’s amazing he is able to do anything with it.

    21. Robbie seems to have forgotten his fear of heights when he climbs the tree.

    22. Robbie is so tired he eventually falls asleep in Sportacus’ arms and starts sucking his thumb.

    Credit: Some information and episode Summaries borrowed from the LazyTown Wikipedia Episode Page and the LazyWiki

    Screenshots:
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  • LazyPooky
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Level 35 - Rockin' Poster
    • Oct 2007
    • 6959

    #2
    Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

    4. What is that thing on Pixel’s left hand forefinger? It looks like some kind of pen/laser light ring thing. I don’t recall him using it in any other episodes.
    I believe it's for operating the database as shown in Happy Brush day

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    Magnús: - I have fans of all ages and I don't think it's weird when older people like LazyTown. LazyTown appeals to people for many different reasons: dancing, acrobatics, etc.

    Comment

    • LazyGary
      Caveman
      SPECIAL MEMBER
      Level 16 - Sportaposter
      • Oct 2013
      • 442

      #3
      Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

      Originally posted by LazyPooky
      I believe it's for operating the database as shown in Happy Brush day

      [ATTACH=CONFIG]2898[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]2899[/ATTACH]
      Aaah, thanks. Will have to cross reference that!

      Comment

      • StingX
        ROTTEN MEMBER
        Level 35 - Rockin' Poster
        • Mar 2009
        • 5496

        #4
        Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

        Originally posted by LazyGary
        3. Ziggy’s Superhero outfit is loosely modelled on Sportacus, but with Sweetie additions. His Goggles are made from an old Airline Sleep mask and two iced donuts.
        Ziggy was always kind of an interesting character to me, and this concept is partially why. Before 2003, the role of superhero-worship for Sportacus was given to Jives. As well, he and Ziggy were good pals. Of course, the character doesn't exactly exist anymore, so that characteristic was passed off to Ziggy in the form of Sportacandy. It's just always interesting to think about what could have happened if all of the characters still existed.

        Comment

        • LazyGary
          Caveman
          SPECIAL MEMBER
          Level 16 - Sportaposter
          • Oct 2013
          • 442

          #5
          Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

          Originally posted by Stingy
          Ziggy was always kind of an interesting character to me, and this concept is partially why. Before 2003, the role of superhero-worship for Sportacus was given to Jives. As well, he and Ziggy were good pals. Of course, the character doesn't exactly exist anymore, so that characteristic was passed off to Ziggy in the form of Sportacandy. It's just always interesting to think about what could have happened if all of the characters still existed.
          I wondered what happened to Jive. Maybe they decided to keep the characters to a minimum. This is a kid's show after all so they want to keep it simple. Would you say that they have also incorporated some of Jive's personality into Pixel as well?

          Comment

          • LazyGary
            Caveman
            SPECIAL MEMBER
            Level 16 - Sportaposter
            • Oct 2013
            • 442

            #6
            Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

            Originally posted by LazyPooky
            I believe it's for operating the database as shown in Happy Brush day

            [ATTACH=CONFIG]2898[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]2899[/ATTACH]
            I just noticed that he also uses that database thingy in "Sportafake".

            Comment

            • StingX
              ROTTEN MEMBER
              Level 35 - Rockin' Poster
              • Mar 2009
              • 5496

              #7
              Re: Detailed Episode Analysis - 1x07 – Hero for a Day

              Originally posted by LazyGary
              I wondered what happened to Jive. Maybe they decided to keep the characters to a minimum. This is a kid's show after all so they want to keep it simple. Would you say that they have also incorporated some of Jive's personality into Pixel as well?
              He was not really appropriate for the format that LazyTown took. He's certainly not an adult character, but I just don't think he would have fit into LazyTown as we know it. I still think that he could be introduced in some way and not get in the way of the other characters, but I doubt it will ever happen unless there in some sort of spinoff that would allow it.

              Pixel.. hmm.. maybe a little bit, maybe. Pixel had a problem with staying up all night, while Jives had a problem with sleeping all day. The two really go together.

              Comment

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