LTS Garðbær Studios

LTS Garðbær Studios is an Icelandic television and creative studio based in Garðabær. It is principally associated with LazyTown, the children's entertainment franchise created around the characters and setting of the Icelandic property Latibær. The studio succeeded Lazy Shows, an earlier production entity founded in 1992, and was established in 2002 by Magnús Scheving together with Guðmundur Þór Kárason, Raymond P. Le Gué and Ragnheiður Melsteð. The company developed and produced a succession of LazyTown-related productions. The property began with Icelandic stage and television-oriented works, including Áfram Latibær! and later Glanni Glæpur Í Latabæ. These productions established the fictional town, its characters and its combination of live action, puppetry, music, comedy and messages about physical activity and healthy lifestyles. The international television series LazyTown subsequently expanded the property into a globally distributed children's brand. Its production approach combined live performers, elaborate puppets, digital environments and physical-comedy storytelling, giving the series a distinctive visual identity within children's programming. LTS's output also included later LazyTown material such as older short-form productions, LazyTown Extra and promotional or short-form projects made for children's television channels. The studio's work was distributed through international media partners, including broadcasters and children's networks associated with the LazyTown franchise. The company therefore functioned not only as a production house but also as a rights and creative-management vehicle for a recognizable international children's intellectual property. In 2011, Turner Broadcasting System acquired LTS. In 2014, Turner moved the studio's operations to the United States. From 2011 through 2024, rights to the LazyTown brand were held by Warner Bros. Discovery through Warner Bros. International Television Nordics, following the evolution of Turner's corporate ownership. The reference material also identifies LTS as the owner of Wit Puppets and the creative studio originating from Le Gué Enterprises BV, reflecting the company's broader involvement in puppetry and production capabilities. On May 16, 2024, it was announced that Magnús Scheving had agreed to a transaction with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy back the company and the rights to the LazyTown brand. The available material does not establish whether the transaction had formally completed, its financial terms, or the precise post-transaction corporate structure. LTS is consequently best understood as an Iceland-originated children's-media studio whose identity remains closely tied to LazyTown, while ownership and operating arrangements have changed over time.

LTS Garðbær Studios emerged from the Icelandic children's entertainment venture associated with LazyTown, known in Icelandic as Latibær. Its predecessor, Lazy Shows, was founded in 1992. The early property developed through productions such as Áfram Latibær! and Glanni Glæpur Í Latabæ, establishing a recurring fictional world built around comedy, music, puppetry and messages encouraging exercise and healthy living. The present studio was founded in 2002 by Magnús Scheving, Guðmundur Þór Kárason, Raymond P. Le Gué and Ragnheiður Melsteð. LTS continued developing the property and produced the international television series LazyTown, which became its principal global production. The company's creative model combined live-action performers, puppets, elaborate sets and digital production techniques. This mixture gave LazyTown a recognizable format and allowed the property to operate across television, short-form content and broader children's licensing. The studio's documented filmography includes several eras of Latibær and LazyTown programming. These include the first era of Áfram Latibær! from 1996 to 1999; later Glanni Glæpur Í Latabæ productions from 1999 to 2003; older Latibær shorts produced in the early 2000s through 2004; LazyTown from 2004 to 2014; and LazyTown Extra, identified as the sixth and final era, from 2008. The company also participated in short-form or promotional productions such as Cartoonito Super All-Star Show in 2012 and Cartoon Network motivational campaigns in 2013. In 2011, Turner Broadcasting System acquired LTS. Turner subsequently moved the studio to the United States in 2014. Through the later Warner Bros. Discovery corporate structure, rights to the LazyTown brand were held from 2011 through 2024 by Warner Bros. Discovery through Warner Bros. International Television Nordics. The reference material further states that LTS owns Wit Puppets and the creative studio originating from Le Gué Enterprises BV, indicating that its assets extend beyond the television series itself. On May 16, 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Magnús Scheving had agreed to purchase back the company and the LazyTown rights. The available reference does not provide closing information, transaction value, or a definitive description of the company's current ownership after the announcement. Accordingly, the studio's historical trajectory is clear, while its post-2024 corporate status requires confirmation from more recent primary sources.

• 2024

  Proposed buyback by Magnús Scheving

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Magnús Scheving had agreed to buy back the company and the LazyTown brand rights.

• 2014

  Studio relocated to the United States

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Turner moved the studio's operations to the United States.

• 2011

  Acquisition by Turner Broadcasting System

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Turner Broadcasting System acquired LTS Garðbær Studios.

• 2004

  LazyTown international television era begins

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  The LazyTown television era is listed as beginning in 2004 and continuing through 2014.

• 2002

  LTS Garðbær Studios founded

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Magnús Scheving, Guðmundur Þór Kárason, Raymond P. Le Gué and Ragnheiður Melsteð founded LTS Garðbær Studios.

• 1992

  Predecessor Lazy Shows founded

  [1]LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Lazy Shows, the predecessor to LTS Garðbær Studios, was established as the earlier production entity behind the Latibær/LazyTown concept.

An Icelandic-originated children's entertainment studio focused on character-led television, puppetry, music, comedy and positive healthy-lifestyle themes, with LazyTown as its defining intellectual property.

• Children's television series · 2004

  LazyTown

  LTS's best-known production and central intellectual property. LazyTown combines live-action performers, puppetry, music, comedy and digitally created environments in stories set in a fictional town. Its recurring themes include physical activity, healthy choices and cooperation. The series formed the basis of the studio's international television identity and supported related short-form, broadcast and licensing activity.

• Icelandic children's television and stage-related production · 1996

  Áfram Latibær!

  An early Latibær production that helped establish the fictional setting and characters later developed into the international LazyTown franchise. It belongs to the first documented era of the property, running from 1996 to 1999.

• Icelandic children's television production · 1999

  Glanni Glæpur Í Latabæ

  A subsequent Latibær production represented in multiple documented eras between 1999 and 2003. It continued the Icelandic-language development of the property before and during the formation of the international LazyTown studio operation.

• Children's television series · 2008

  LazyTown Extra

  A later LazyTown-related production listed as the franchise's sixth and final era. It extended the brand beyond the main television series through additional children's programming content.

• Puppetry asset and creative production capability

  Wit Puppets

  A puppetry-related asset identified in the reference material as owned by LTS. The available information does not provide a detailed product catalogue or separate operating history.

• 2013Cartoon Network motivational campaigns

  International children's television markets

  LTS was associated with short-form Cartoon Network motivational campaign content. The material identifies the campaigns but does not describe their exact creative format, distribution territories or commercial terms.

  Source

• 2024

  Proposed buyback of LTS and the LazyTown rightsM&A

  Background

  Warner Bros. Discovery held the LazyTown brand rights through Warner Bros. International Television Nordics from 2011 through 2024.

  Action taken

  Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Magnús Scheving had agreed to purchase back the company and the LazyTown brand rights.

  Aftermath

  The available material does not confirm whether the transaction closed, identify its financial terms or establish the final ownership structure.

  Source

• 2014

  Relocation of studio operations to the United StatesStrategy

  Background

  Following Turner's acquisition of LTS, the owner reorganized the studio's operating location.

  Action taken

  Turner moved the studio from Iceland to the United States.

  Aftermath

  The relocation changed the company's operating base, while the LazyTown rights remained within the Turner and later Warner Bros. Discovery corporate ecosystem.

  Source

• 2011

  Turner Broadcasting System acquisitionM&A

  Background

  LTS had developed the LazyTown property into an international children's television business.

  Action taken

  Turner Broadcasting System acquired LTS Garðbær Studios.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition placed the studio and its associated intellectual property within Turner's corporate structure. Later rights ownership was associated with Warner Bros. Discovery.

  Source

1. 1LTS Garðbær Studiosen.wikipedia.org