October 30th, 2008


Known best as the voice and puppeteer of Ziggy from LazyTown, LTP interviews Guðmundur Þór Kárason.

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   LTP: How and when did you first encounter Latibær and Magnús Scheving?

   GT: Magnús contacted me in 1998 because he had seen some of my puppet work and was interested in developing puppets for Lazytown. We liked working together and Magnús hired me and a friend of mine, Stefan Jorgen, to build puppets based on the Lazytown characters. It took us four months to build these 12 foam latex puppets. You can see these puppets on my website: www.witpuppets.com, since they were not used for the final TV version of Lazytown.

[Ed. Note - WitPuppets.com is back online as GThor.com. However, images of Gummi's early LazyTown puppets can also be seen on the recently added LTP Wit Puppets Photo Gallery]


   LTP: What's the original idea behind the 'Wit Puppets'?

   GT: It is simply a name for my puppet company. "Wit" meaning clever and/or funny and since I strive for both those things in my work, I thought it was a good name for my company.


   LTP: Which kind of puppets do you prefer to perform – i.e. rod-hand, live-hand, glove, marionette?

   GT: I love to perform the "muppet style" hand puppets with rodded arms since I am able to perform all of the puppet's movements and do not need any assistance. It gives me a lot of freedom in movement and expression. But I like to vary in styles and I become interested in simply whatever suits the job at the moment.


   LTP: Are you aware of some of the more ancient puppetry, such as the Vietnamese Water Puppets and the Shadow Puppets in Asia?

   GT: I haven't heard about the Vietnamese water puppets but I did some shadow puppets when I was younger. I used some kind of banraku style puppets for a short film I made called "the Sidekicks" which was shot in green screen and then added 2D backgrounds to.


   LTP: What are some of your favourite Ziggy moments from LazyTown?

   GT: Since I cannot sing, Ziggy only got to sing four lines in one song for all the seasons produced. It was the song where the kids bake a cake for the mayor on Bessie's birthday. I took an awful lot of time to record those four lines but I am awfully proud of them.


   LTP: Can you recall any interesting behind the scenes occurrences while performing 'Haninn' in the "Glanni Glæpur í Latabæ" stage-play?

   GT: It is different performing a puppet in live theater where everything can go wrong without a second take. But what amazed me the most is that after each show, me and Magnús met with some of the kids from the audience and I noticed that kids talk and react to the puppet even when the puppeteer is standing right next to them. It is as if I am invisible although I am right there.


   LTP: Did you see the 1980's British TV show "Spitting Image", and what do you think of that sort of puppeteering?

   GT: I just loved Spitting Image. They just had a strong concept of what they were doing and took it all the way. I think that is the basis of success.


   LTP: Before Latibær, what were some of the other puppet characters you built and/or performed?

   GT: You can see some of those on my webpage (www.witpuppets.com). One of my favourite characters is "Hedinn", a grumpy blue rabbit.


   LTP: During your past experience with building puppets, did you create anything using mechanical techniques, and can you explain what 'Banraku' means?

   GT: Yes I have, both for Lazytown and other projects. I use whatever technique suits the job. Some time ago I made some "animatronic", or radio-controlled, puppets but I have not done a lot of that recently. Banraku is an old Japanese puppet technique where the puppet is controlled by rods and the puppeteers are wearing black so you don't see them. It is a beautiful technique that brings amazing life to the whole body of a puppet when well performed and synchronized.


   LTP: Have you ever heard of George Pal, and what are your thoughts about his vintage 'Puppetoons'?

   GT: I am sorry to say I have not heard of him.


   LTP: Which episodes of LazyTown did you particularly enjoy?

   GT: I loved Ziggy's Alien. I had to do a lot of weird puppet stuff for that episode.


   LTP: In what ways are you and the Ziggy character alike and unlike?

   GT: Well, Ziggy is simple child and although I treasure the child in me, I hope I have learned a few things along the way. But we both share the high energy I think.


   LTP: How involved were you in the development of any of the characters in LazyTown / Latibær?

   GT: Magnús had already produced the first theater piece for Lazytown when I came along so the characters were already invented. It was more along the lines of developing them and their look that I took part in, alongside many others.


   LTP: Have you had any difficulties when working with CGI green screen?

   GT: Of course. But to get complicated results, you usually have to do complicated things. Being in a full greenscreen suit performing a puppet with a whole gang of other puppeteers, trying to see a TV monitor and communicating with the technical people and a director is always difficult.


   LTP: What part did you play in the visual design of the LazyTown show?

   GT: So many people worked on the visual design of LazyTown that it is hard to pinpoint things but I worked for Lazytown for 8 years and was one of the creative people shaping the way the show ended up.


   LTP: Do you have any new projects these days?

   GT: I have been working in the advertising industry for the last two years so I have not been working on any puppet related stuff lately.

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Best Regards to Guðmundur / 'Siggi' With Mucho Gratitude


© 2008 L.G. Wise (X RADAR Publ.)
All Rights Reserved

No part of this interview can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher's authorization.





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