I gather you recently visited the UK and met with ministers about fruit and veg consumption. Tell me about your trip.

I first met David Cameron at a health summit when he was in opposition, and have done again since he took office with the coalition government. There is definitely a commitment in the UK to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity, and a big part of this is increasing the nation’s fruit and vegetable intake. Because of our track record with this in Iceland - where the first LazyTown Live show 20 years ago resulted in a 22 per cent increase of sales of carrots and where childhood obesity rates are now showing a distinct downward trend - and elsewhere, and because LazyTown is a big presence on the BBC children’s channel CBeebies, we were pleased to be consulted.

Now, as a consequence of this initial consultation, the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team and the department of health have established a partnership with LazyTown. Co-ordinated at a national level, this initiative will involve partnering with nurseries up and down the country, and local health professionals will also have a crucial role, as part of the newly created Public Health England described by health minister Andrew Lansley in the November 2010 white paper, Healthy Lives, Healthy People.

One of the reasons we are such a good choice of partner when it comes to healthy eating is because Sports Candy - fruit and vegetables - is an intrinsic part of LazyTown, so every programme features it and promotes healthy eating as part of the storyline.

Do you feel the UK government is supportive of moves to get kids eating more healthily? What more would you like to see them do?

There is no doubt that the UK government is supportive of getting kids to eat more healthily, and it’s in everyone’s best interests - from improving general health, to managing behaviour in schools, to reducing childhood obesity and the knock-on health problems this causes in later life. Eating more healthily lies at the heart of how to manage this. It is crucial. So I am happy to create initiatives with them to deliver, at a local level to families, the ideas behind this public health campaign.

Are schemes like 5 A DAY, Change4Life and so on a success? If not, why not?

Any campaign to improve public health - and these are numerous around the world - starts with information promotion, including campaigns like 5 A DAY and Change4Life. The next challenge is to make sure that the information reaches its relevant audience and is supported by the availability of what is being promoted. The government’s latest stage of its Change4Life programme is the Great Swapathon, launched this month - which includes access to £50 worth of money-off vouchers that can be exchanged for healthier foods and activities. The success of these schemes can be measured further down the line, when we actually see behavioural change, but there is certainly a lot of energy going into trying to make it happen.

In your experience, what are the key elements to successfully encouraging children to eat more fruit and veg?

The core principle with LazyTown, which has underpinned our success, is that the programmes are completely child-oriented and fun. The healthy messages are fully integrated into the storylines, not added on. Starting with the character of Sportacus, all his physical strength and ability, and superhero status comes from the healthy lifestyle choices he makes. He eats lots of Sports Candy, drinks water, is very active and is fun - that’s just who he is, and a good role model for kids. Robbie Rotten is the anti-hero, often providing a dynamic for the story, while Stephanie’s arrival in town provides a focus for activities as she helps the other kids - the puppets whose characteristics are representative of aspects of ourselves, which kids recognise! Overall, kids watch LazyTown because it’s entertaining, fast-paced and fun, not preachy. So what happens next is that they want to be like Sportacus, or Stephanie. They want to be more active and they want to eat Sports Candy, so they ask their parents to buy them. This means that the drive is consumer-led from pre-schoolers, and their parents respond to it because they do actually know it’s better for their kids, and it makes their job as parents easier.

How successful has the LazyTown promotion with Asda been, and will the initiative be extended?

The LazyTown promotion with Asda in the UK has been excellent. The initial partnership, in April 2009, saw a 28 per cent increase in sales of the Great Stuff fruit and vegetable range. The follow-up promotion in June 2009 resulted in an unprecedented

41 per cent like-for-like increase in sales of fruit and vegetables - so we know it works. In August 2010, we did another promotion with a back-to-school promotion and our Go Step Go campaign. There was a brand new LazyTown song, Go Step Go, exclusive to Asda, plus in-store appearances from myself as Sportacus, with Julianna Rose Mauriello as Stephanie, this time focusing on exercise as well as healthy eating. There was also a free LazyTown-branded pedometer, an opportunity for kids to log their daily steps online, with motivational messages from Sportacus, and other challenges. The response to this campaign was again very good and we are in further talks with Asda.

Are there plans to do similar LazyTown promotions with other supermarkets or in other locations in the UK?

With regard to UK supermarkets, our current partnership is with Asda but we are happy to talk to other, appropriate food manufacturers and retailers, of course. We never “logo slap” so any product has to comply with our core values and, with food and drink products, it has to comply with our LazyTown Food Promise. We are always open to discussion where a strategic partnership can promote healthy lifestyle choices, in line with the LazyTown ethos.

What other new initiatives have you had on a global level?

Where to start? For example, in November 2010 in Mexico City, I personally helped to promote a new, world-first initiative between the Washington Apple Commission, California Table Grape Commission, USA Pears and the US department of agriculture to promote fruit consumption among kids in Mexico, where childhood obesity is the highest in the world. This was the first time that two national governments had collaborated, too - the USDA and the Secretaría de Salud (ministry of health) in Mexico. The Dulces Sanos (Sports Candy) campaign saw a 29 per cent increase of apples exported to Mexico during the promotion - some 66.5 million apples! The campaign also gave away thousands of tickets for a live LazyTown show in Mexico City, and we also launched the LazyTown-branded sports clubs for kids, already popular in the UK, via the Sports World chain there. It was a huge campaign, promoting not only fruit and vegetable consumption, but also physical activity, and a great success.

You’ve had a hugely successful and varied career. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I started out by wanting to promote health and fitness to young kids in a fun way. It was a very simple aim, really, but it grew. I am most proud of the fact that through LazyTown I have been able to keep the original message authentic, while also taking it global. The first LazyTown pre-schoolers are now becoming adults and will be having children of their own. Hopefully it has, and will continue to, make a difference, which will be an amazing achievement.

With such a hectic schedule, how do you get time to relax? What do you do in your spare time?

I like to be active, it suits me, so that’s part of the way I relax - and I like to hang out with my own kids, Sylvia, 15, and Kristopher, 11 - who are very active, too, so we often play football, or go cycling or swimming. I have to travel a lot, so I tend to catch up on my reading when I’m on a plane. But I’m fortunate, I enjoy what I do and I work with a great team to make LazyTown the success it is.

Topics