"The Nerd Nation" was a series of comedic sketches featured in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. It covered an artificial story of Sweden's participation in the Contest, focusing on their preparations for the 1974 and 1984 Contests, as well as the Contest's impact on Swedish society. Each part was broadcasted in each of the Contest's three shows.
Part I[]
All aspects of life in Sweden in 1973 were summarized as "depressing", with political analyst "Herbnamn Dorff" explaining that a typical Swede during those times would be labelled as a "nobody". Sweden also struggled as a respectable member of the European Economic Community, often ignored during important decisions involving the country. Tired of becoming "Europe's favorite pushover", Foreign minister "Sven Anderssen" initiated a telephone call with two other high-ranking officials on how they can improve the country's image. It was decided that they present themselves through music, establishing a music band named "BAAB" to participate in the 1974 Contest, though they would later rename the band to ABBA. It led to a success with the band winning the contest, changing Europe's perception of Sweden.
Part II[]
ABBA's withdrawal from their involvement in Eurovision triggered governmental action to ensure Sweden's position in the Eurovision stage. The Swedish initiated "Operation Anne-Frid" which was handled by the Swedish military, in search of the next potential star, costing $4 billion. Potential candidates included "The Poop Family" (which was dismissed owing to their family name) and the "Beatles" (performed by Forbes that came last in 1977). The operation finally discovered the Herreys with Diggiloo Diggiley, albeit having to remove a member showing an unsatisfactory performance. The Herreys eventually won the 1984 Contest and gained international fame since, with the final member opening a video store outside Stockholm's Arlanda Airport.
Part III[]
Following Sweden's six victories since their debut, the Contest had been integrated into many aspects of Swedish society, ranging from education (where lessons are taught with reference to the Contest such as the reciting of "Douze points") to religion (using Lordi's name in place). Conversely, the Contest had inspired the formation of street gangs who identify themselves as extreme followers of specific Eurovision artists (such as the "Månsters or "Loreen Kids"). When asked if Sweden had "gone too far" in following the Contest, Dorff remarked that "the future belongs to 'Eurovisionaries', not the 'Euro-don'tcha-naries'."