Teletubbies

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Teletubbies

Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series, particularly aimed at babies and preschool toddlers, produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Anne Wood CBE, Ragdoll's creative director, and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme was a rapid critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad, particularly notable for its high production values; it won a BAFTA in 1998.

Although the show is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, the show was a substantial cult hit with older generations, particularly university students who bought the customary regulation T Shirts. "Teletubbies say Eh-Oh", a single based around the show's theme song, reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1997 and remained in the top 100 for eight months, selling over a million copies. They released The Album in April 1998, but it only managed to reach #31.

The mixture of bright colours, unusual designs, repetitive non-verbal dialogue, the ritualistic format and the occasional forays into physical comedy appealed to a demographic who perceived the show as having psychedelic connotations.

Teletubbies was controversial for the alleged psychedelic inspiration, for a perception that it was insufficiently educational, and for a claim that one of the four (Tinky Winky) was homosexual.

Overview

The programme features four colourful tubby creatures: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, who live within a futuristic dome (the "Tubbytronic Superdome"), set in a landscape of rolling grasslands. The environment is dotted with unusually talkative flowers and periscope-like "voice trumpets". The only natural fauna are rabbits (although birds are often heard, particularly blackcap and wren) and it is always sunny and pleasant save for one exception where puddles are required.

The Teletubbies are played by actors encased in large costumes, although the sets are designed so as to give no sense of scale. The costumes vaguely resemble bulky spacesuits, although the Tubbies appear not to wear clothes. They are instead furry, and have metallic silver-azure rectangular "screens" adorning their abdomens. These screens are used to segue into short film sequences, which are generally repeated at least once. When the series is shown in different countries around the world, the film inserts are to be tailored to suit local audiences (The British inserts are default).

The Teletubbies have the bodily proportions, behaviour and language of toddlers. The pacing and design of the show was developed by a cognitive psychologist, Andrew Davenport, who structured the show to fit the attention spans of the target audience. The repetition of practically every word is familiar to everyone who has ever worked with young children.

The Teletubbies speak in a gurgling baby language which is the subject of some controversy among educationalists, some of whom argue that this supposedly made-up talk is not good for children (a similar complaint was made forty years previously about another children's series, The Flowerpot Men). Tubbies are at the stage of understanding speech but not yet fully capable of articulating it, exactly like their target audience. They often groan in disapproval in situations where a human toddler would throw a tantrum. The Teletubbies' catch-phrases are Eh-oh (hello), as in: Eh-oh, Laa-Laa, to which Laa-Laa will respond, Eh-oh, Tubby's name; "Uh-oh", a common toddler response to anything untoward; "Run away! Run away!", especially from Dipsy; and "Bye-bye" at least four times in a row. Laa-Laa, when flustered, will explode with "Bibberly cheese!", which is as angry as they get. Perhaps the most common exclamation, however, is "Big hug!" which one or more of the Teletubbies will invariably call for during the course of an episode, resulting in an enthusiastic group hug ("Teletubbies love each other very much", confirms the narrator).

The surreal environment is an evocation of a toddler's perception of the world, where they are ordered about and told to go to sleep, while wonderful and mysterious things happen without explanation. A prominent feature of each episode is a radiant sun that has an image of a smiling baby superimposed upon it. The baby in the sun occasionally laughs out loud in short bursts. To adults the laughter does not seem to be in response to any stimulus or humorous developments in the plotline of the episode.

The Teletubbies' diet seems to consist exclusively of Tubby Custard (which is sucked through a spiral straw bowl) and Tubby Toast (circular toast with a smiley face on it). One of their companions is the Noo-Noo, a sentient, self-propelled vacuum cleaner.

In 2001 production was cancelled and it was announced that no new episodes would be produced. It is often alleged that this was due to substantial pay rise demands by the previously anonymous actors portraying the Teletubbies. However, since the four years of production had exceeded the target audience's age span, it was deemed that continuation was unnecessary, and the existing 365 episodes will be played in re-runs for years to come.

In real life the Teletubbies' landscape was an outdoor set located in rural Warwickshire, England, at Sweet Knowle Farm, Redhill Bank Rd, Whimpstone, CV37 8NR (between Stratford upon Avon and Shipston on Stour, close to the River Stour; Google map ^*). It was reported that by 2002 the set had become overgrown, and pending the 2003 lease expiry it was expected to become farmland again.

Character summary

Tinky Winky

(Dave Thompson, Mark Heenehan, Simon Shelton): He is the largest of the Teletubbies, is covered in purple terrycloth, has a triangular antenna on his head, is the clumsiest Teletubby, and is notable for the red luggage (described by the show as a "magic bag", but often perceived as a woman's handbag).

Tinky Winky aroused the interest of Jerry Falwell in 1997 when Falwell alleged that the character was a gay role model. Falwell issued an attack in his National Liberty Journal, citing a Washington Post "In/Out" column which stated that lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres was "out" as the chief national gay representative—while trendy Tinky Winky was "in". Falwell cited the Teletubby's purple colour, "purse", and triangle antenna as symbolic of homosexuality. These claims have caused some conservative Christians to regard Falwell's views as ridiculous.

Dipsy

(John Simmit): Male and green with a straight aerial on his head. Favourite thing: black and white hat (used for role-playing). Loves to dance. Has a darker coloured face than the rest, which may actually indicate multiculturalism.

Laa-Laa

(Nikky Smedley): Female, yellow, curly antenna. Favourite thing: orange ball. Very concerned with the welfare of all. Thinks she's the best singer. "Drama queen", party-girl and mother type.

Po

(Pui Fan Lee): Female, red, circular antenna. Favourite thing: scooter. Bilingual: Speaks (broadcasting country's language) and Cantonese. Problem solver and best "spider-fighter". Tomboy type. Of all the Teletubbies, Po usually becomes most involved with the audience. Loves attention. Known for occasionally disobeying the commands of the Voice Trumpets. She also loves her curly red circular aerial on her head. She has a scooter, which she pronounces "cooter".

L'affaire Tinky-Winky

One of the Teletubbies, Tinky Winky, was the focus of a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 due to his carrying a bag that looks much like a woman's purse (although he was first "outed" by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to The Face). A February, 1999 article in the National Liberty Journal, published by Jerry Falwell, warned parents that Tinky could be a hidden homosexual symbol, saying "he is purple—the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle—the gay pride symbol." In one episode, Tinky Winky is also seen trying on some form of skirt. A spokesman for Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., who licenses the characters in the United States, said it was just a magic bag. "The fact that he carries a magic bag doesn't make him gay. It's a children's show, folks. To think we would be putting sexual innuendo in a children's show is kind of outlandish."

However, this did not stop people from wrongly interpreting the sounds that the original version of the Talking Po doll produced as "faggot faggot," or "fatty fatty," when in fact they were "fai dee, fai dee" (Cantonese for "faster, faster"). However some of those who knew about the "fai dee, fai dee" in the Cantonese community (people from Southern China and Hong Kong), were still outraged, believing that it created an "overly optimistic" stereotype.

Eventually the actor playing Tinky Winky was replaced with another, and the bag was removed. The producers of the show never conceded that they replaced him because of the controversy regarding the original actor's sexual orientation (actually it was because one of his previous jobs was a strip-o-gram). The fact that the Teletubbies are in full-body costumes throughout the show made this change, with the exception of the bag, unnoticeable. Some think the removal from the show was due to the "Here comes the Tubby Custard" episode rumoured to have happened on-set but after hours although this too has (understandably) not been confirmed either.

Spoofs and references

At the height of the show's popularity it was heavily parodied. Several episodes of The Simpsons contain references to the Teletubbies. Notable episodes include "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" where Milhouse not only watches the show but owns a pair of Teletubbies underpants; " Impossible" in which the Teletubbies appear as part of an angry mob who work for PBS; "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" where a character called Gaa Gaa says "hurt everyone" which goes unnoticed because of the character's "cute name"; in "Lisa the Treehugger" the titles couch gag has the Simpsons dressed in Teletubbies costumes; and in "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" the Teletubbies make a live appearance in a parody of a Raffi concert, where the Teletubbies serve themselves Tubby custard and the predominantly toddler audience becomes excited at this seemingly simple act.

In the British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, Alice Tinker has her bridesmaids dressed in Teletubby costumes for her wedding in the episode "Love And Marriage".

In the Family Guy episode "A Hero Sits Next Door", Stewie is momentarily hypnotised by the Teletubbies. In "Road To Europe", Stewie attempts to run away to join a London-based Teletubbies-style TV show, but he and Brian end up on a plane for Saudi Arabia. They later find out that behind-the-scenes, the apparently lovely cast turn out to be unruly Victorian Cockneys.

In the South Park episode "Ike's Wee Wee", elementary school teacher Mr. Garrison is watching Teletubbies while high on marijuana.

In Retarded Animal Babies, a popular internet flash movie series, Bunny brings costumes of his favorite TV show characters, the Telefukkies.

In King of the Hill, in an episode called "Daletech," a tv show resembling teletubbies is seen, with the 4 teltubbies hugging and giggling.

The Australian sketch show, Full Frontal, included many sketches of the fictional Telestubbies named Lager Lager, Pisspo, Drinky Winky, and Tipsy. These four Teletubby look-alikes emblazoned with Australian beer labels would wander around aimlessly committing crimes.

At the drag strip Santa Pod in the UK, one of the track cleaning machines is painted, lettered and referred to (over the public address system) as Noo-noo, offering a little light relief for spectators when there is debris or oil on the track.

On one episode of The Fairly OddParents, Timmy Turner's imaginary friend, Gary, stacks him with the stuff Timmy liked when he was five years old, including a Teletubby-like toy called "TV Tubbies."

Controversy

The most wide-ranging controversy is (as mentioned) the alleged gender confusion caused by Tinky Winky's supposedly homosexual traits. At least one young children's teacher in Brazil conducted unsubstantiated experiments involving children's reaction to some episodes, and concluded that they experienced problems with the gender roles of the characters and their own identification with them. Apparently some parents, as a result have forbidden their children to watch the program; others do allow this but with direct supervision to ensure the children identify only with the perceived heteronormative 'straight' characters.

Other commentators have complained about the "psychedelic" nature of the program, claiming that parts of some episodes resemble drug-induced hallucinations: one episode in which a character is crushed by a falling letter E was taken to be a direct reference to the drug ecstasy. This was commented on by Hal Sparks in an episode of I Love the 90s, in which he says the Teletubbies is like "an acid trip for children" .

The owners of the series have also been extremely strict in the protection of their copyright and, as such, have refused to allow the Teletubbies characters to be used in school plays or any production outside those commercially controlled by the production company.

A Boston lawyer once accused Dipsy, as a bath toy, of child endangerment. He was put on a 10 most dangerous toy list, later joined by the Laa-Laa bath toy. Their antennas were hard plastic and understandably a jabbing concern in a slippery, wet tub.

In the show's native UK most of these controversies either went by largely unnoticed, and indeed reports of the controversies of Tinky Winky's alleged homosexuality and the alleged psychedelic nature of the programme from other countries were met with amusement by the media. However, it was controversy over the Teletubbies speech possibly harming the linguistic development of children which had wide media exposure, but ultimately nothing came of it.

In another instance a girl's Tinky Winky toy purportedly said "I got a gun". ^*

Alternative names

Teletubbies has been reversioned for many different countries, sometimes involving a change of title.

天線得得B - Cantonese
天線寶寶 - Chinese Traditional (tiānxiànbǎobǎo)
天线宝宝 - Chinese Simplified (tiānxiànbǎobǎo)
Teletapit - Finnish title
Teletubisie - Polish title
Телепузики (Telepuziki) - Russian title
Teletupsud - Estonian title

External links

Children's TV characters | BBC children's television programmes | Children's television series | PBS network shows | 1990s fads

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