Teletubbies

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Teletubbies
From left: Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and Tinky Winky
Format	Children's television series
Created by	Anne Wood Andrew Davenport
Developed by	Ragdoll Productions for BBC Television
Starring	Dave Thompson Mark Heenehan Simon Shelton John Simmit Nikky Smedley Rebecca Marr Pui Fan Lee
Narrated by	Tim Whitnall, Toyah Willcox, Eric Sykes
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	365 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	David G Hiller Vic Finch
Running time	25 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	31 March 1997 – 5 January 2001

Teletubbies is a BBC BAFTA winning children's television series, primarily aimed at pre-school viewers, 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. Narrated by Tim Whitnall, the show rapidly became a critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad (particularly notable for its high production values), and won its BAFTA in 1998. Although the show is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, it has a substantial cult following with older generations, mainly university students^[1]. The mixture of bright colors, unusual designs, repetitive non-verbal dialogue, 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 this reason, and also for a perception that it was insufficiently educational. The show was also at the center of a controversy when American cleric and conservative pundit Jerry Falwell claimed in 1999 that Tinky Winky, one of the Teletubbies, was homosexual. Falwell based this conclusion on the character's purple color and his triangular antenna; both the color purple and the triangle are sometimes used as symbols of the Gay Pride movement.^[2] However, despite an ensuing boycott, the show remained in production for two more years, and "Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"", a single based on the show's theme song, reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1997 and remained in the Top 75 for 32 weeks, selling over a million copies.

Overview

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The programme features four colorful characters: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, who live in a futuristic dome (the "Tubbytronic Superdome"), set in a landscape of rolling green hills. 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 blackcaps and wrens). The climate is always sunny and pleasant save for occasional inclement days, with rain and puddles, and snow at Christmas time. The Teletubbies are played by actors dressed in bulky costumes, although the sets are designed to give no sense of scale. The Teletubbies don't normally wear real clothes other than the colored suits they wear. They 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 can be tailored to suit local audiences, or default to the British ones.

The Teletubbies have the body proportions, behavior, and language of toddlers. The pacing and design of the show was developed by 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.^[3] (A similar complaint was made forty years previously about another children's series, Flower Pot Men.) The Teletubbies are at the stage of understanding speech but not yet fully capable of articulating it, exactly like their target audience. They often simply 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, (other Teletubby's name)", "Uh-oh", a common toddler response to anything that's not good, "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 the Teletubbies get. But perhaps the most common exclamation 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.

All the Teletubbies say "Bye-Bye" three times. The narrator bids each Teletubby goodbye, and they disappear, but reappear a moment later saying "Boo!". The narrator then says "No", (which they copy) and proceeds to say goodbye to each Teletubby again. The sun is then shown setting, and the Teletubbies each say goodbye again, before jumping down a hole in the roof of their house. Finally, one Teletubby says goodbye a fourth time - they pop out of a hole in the house and say "Bye-bye!". For special episodes, and at the end of the "Fun With The Teletubbies" cassette, all four Teletubbies say "Bye-bye" in this way. Many of the occurrences of the show, including the end sequence, and the scene preceding the short film broadcast on a character's tummy were shot only once, and the same scenes are used in each episode. The surreal environment is an evocation of a toddler's perception of the world,^{[citation needed]} 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 with the image of a smiling baby superimposed upon it. The baby in the sun occasionally laughs out loud in short bursts.

Their diet seems to be almost exclusively "Tubby Custard" mispronounced as Tubby Tustard by the characters (which is created by a Tubby Custard machine and consumed by sucking through a spiral straw) and "Tubby Toast" (circular toast with a smiley face on it), and they are spectacularly messy eaters. In one episode, the "Tubby Toaster", the machine that makes "Tubby Toast" went seriously wrong and filled the Teletubbies' house with toast. Fortunately, one of their companions is Noo-Noo, a vacuum cleaner. Machines like Noo-Noo, the voice trumpets, and the televisions in the Teletubbies' stomachs were designed to show small children, who are born into a world surrounded by strange and powerful electronic gadgets, that technology is benevolent and helpful, not something of which they should be afraid^[4]. The Teletubbies' landscape is 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^[5]). In 2001, production was canceled and it was announced that no new episodes would be produced.

Characters

Tinky Winky

Tinky Winky (played by Dave Thompson, Mark Heenehan, and Simon Shelton) is the first^{[citation needed]} Teletubby. He is the largest of the Teletubbies, is covered in purple terrycloth, and has a triangular antenna on his head. He is notable for the red luggage (described by the show as a "magic bag", but often described by other media as a handbag) he always carries. His character has caused controversy due to allegations that his character's behavior, bag and body color have homosexual connotations (see below).

Dipsy

Dipsy (played by John Simmit) is the second Teletubby. He is green and is named "Dipsy" because his horn resembles a dipstick. He likes his black and white furry top hat, which he once lost and later found.He is the most stubborn of the Teletubbies, and will sometimes refuse to go along with the other Teletubbies' group opinion. His face is also notably darker than the rest of the Teletubbies, and the creators have stated that he is Black.^[6]

Laa-Laa

Laa-Laa (played by Nikki Smedley) is the third Teletubby. She is yellow, and has a curly antenna. She likes to sing and dance, and is often seen to look out for the other Teletubbies. Her favorite thing is a bouncy, orange ball, which is almost as big as she is.

Po

Po (played by Rebecca Marr) is the smallest and youngest Teletubby. She is red, and her antenna is shaped like a stick used for blowing soap bubbles. Her favorite object is her scooter, which she calls "scoota" (she also calls it "Po 'cooter!", or just "cooter"). Po can sometimes be mischievous and naughty, as when she disobeys the commands of the "voice trumpets". She has been stated by the show's creators to be Cantonese^[7], and as such, she is bilingual, speaking both English and Cantonese. Po is voiced by Pui Fan Lee.

Noo-Noo

Noo-Noo (prononced Nuu-Nuu) seems to be both the Teletubbies guardian and housekeeper, due to its resemblance to a vacuum cleaner, which is its principal purpose in the house. Noo-Noo hardly ventures outside, instead remaining indoors and constantly cleaning with its sucker-like nose. It does not speak like the other characters, instead communicating through a series of slurping and sucking noises. At times, Noo-Noo gets annoyed with the Teletubbies' antics and can vacuum their food or toys. This usually prompts the Teletubbies to scold Noo-Noo through a cry of "Naughty Noo-Noo!". Usually after this, Noo-Noo flees and the Teletubbies pursue it comically around the house until they grow tired, are distracted by something, or forgive Noo-Noo. This sequence ends with them hugging it, or with it shooting out their absorbed objects.

Other

The show also features the voices of Toyah Willcox and Eric Sykes, and occasionally Sandra Dickinson and Penelope Keith, all of whom provide narration. The only physical cast members are Tamzin Griffin, who plays the manic "Funny Lady", and Jessica Smith whose face as a seven month old baby depicts the Sun.^[8] Her giggle was included in the single Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh!. Although she was not credited, this makes her technically the youngest person ever to have their vocal appear in a number one song.

Tinky Winky controversy

Tinky Winky started a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 due to his carrying a bag that looks much like a woman's handbag (although he was first "outed" by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to The Face). He aroused the interest of Jerry Falwell in 1999 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 homosexual comedian Ellen DeGeneres was "out" as the chief national gay representative—while trendy Tinky Winky was "in". He warned parents that Tinky Winky could be a hidden homosexual symbol, because "he is purple, the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the gay pride symbol".^[9] This has caused some Evangelical and Catholic Christians to boycott Teletubbies.^{[citation needed]}

The BBC, who co-produced the program, made an official response, "Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag." Ken Viselman of Itsy-Bitsy Entertainment, who distributed the show in the USA, commented, "He's not gay. He's not straight. He's just a character in a children's series."^[10]

In May 2007, Polish Ombudsman for Children Ewa Sowińska revisited the matter, and planned to order an investigation.^[11] She said in the May 28, 2007 edition of Wprost that the handbag-carrying Tinky Winky could promote homosexuality. Journalists from Wprost mentioned claims that the Teletubbies promote homosexuality, to which Sowińska replied that she had heard of the issue. The journalists then asked about Tinky Winky. "I noticed that he has a woman's handbag, but I didn't realize he's a boy," Sowińska told the magazine in an interview that her office approved before publication, adding, "Later I learned that there could be some hidden homosexual undertones." Sowińska said she would ask her office's psychologists to look into the allegations, "and judge whether it can be shown on public television and whether the suggested problem really exists."

But on May 30, 2007, Sowińska said in a public statement that she no longer suspected the Teletubbies of promoting homosexuality. She said: "The opinion of a leading sexologist, who maintains that this series has no negative effects on a child's psychology, is perfectly credible. As a result I have decided that it is no longer necessary to seek the opinion of other psychologists."^[12]

In an unrelated incident, reported in 2000, a girl's Tinky Winky toy reportedly said "I got a gun". Kenn Viselman claimed the toy actually said "Again, again!", a catchphrase from the show.^[13]

Teletubbies in popular culture

At the height of the show's popularity, it was referred to widely in other shows and publications.

• In the webstrip Sluggy Freelance dated 9 March 1999, the characters Torg and Riff discuss the fact that "Drinky Winky" from the "Teletubbles" is "an abusive drunk because of the bottle of booze he carries", says Torg reading from a newspaper. Riff counters saying "That's not a bottle of booze! It's his magic bottle that makes his problems go away! (...) never mind." Torg goes on reading, "The abusive side of Drinky Winky is demonstrated by..." to which Riff argues "Tipsy and Hoe had it coming!"

• In 1998, Tom Fulp of Newgrounds created a spoof of Teletubbies called "Teletubby Fun Land"^[14]" which resulted in a law suit from the BBC^[15]. This resulted in a boost of notoriety and media exposure, and the video was renamed "Tellybubby Fun Land".

Teletubbies in other media

• In 2007, a Jeep commercial featured Jeeps driving through famous scenes in history and popular culture, including an Elvis Presley film, a Godzilla film, the moon landing, Woodstock, a Road Runner cartoon, a Jane Goodall documentary, Devo's "Whip It" music video, at the fall of the Berlin Wall, an episode of Lost, and in Teletubbyland with Laa-Laa and Po.^[16]

• In September, 2007, in a hazing ritual for the Boston Red Sox, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and his translator, Masa Hoshino, dressed as Dipsy and Tinky Winky, respectively.^[17]

• In the 2007 episode of BBC's Doctor Who, The Sound of Drums, the Doctor's nemesis The Master watches television and upon encountering the Teletubbies, marvels at the evolution that has given them televisions in their chests.

• In the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, Bruno Tonioli said the he didn't know if Steve Wozniak's dance was "hilarious or delirious", "it was like watching a Teletubby go mad at a gay pride parade!".^[18]

CD single

In December 1997, BBC Worldwide released a CD single from the series, Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!", a remix of the theme song performed by the series characters written by Andrew McCrorie-Shand and Andrew Davenport. Produced by McCrorie-Shand and Steve James, the single sold over a million copies. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on 7 December 1997 where it remained for two weeks; it remained in the Top 75 for a total of 32 weeks.^[19]

References

See also

• Boohbah
• Nazitübbies
• In the Night Garden
• Earth house, the type of building they live in

External links

• Official UK website
• Official USA website
• Official PBS website
• Official PBS Kids website
• Official BBC website
• Official CBeebies website
• Teletubbies at Allmovie
• Teletubbies at the Internet Movie Database