Teletubbies

Teletubbies
Created by	Anne Wood Andrew Davenport
Developed by	Ragdoll Productions for BBC Television
Starring	Dave Thompson Simon Shelton John Simmit Nikky Smedley Pui Fan Lee 2015 reboot: Nick Kellington Rebecca Hyland Jeremiah Krage Rachelle Beinart
Voices of	Toyah Willcox Eric Sykes Mark Heenehan Daniel Rigby 2015 reboot: Jane Horrocks Jim Broadbent Fearne Cotton
Narrated by	Tim Whitnall Rolf Saxon (U.S. version)
Opening theme	"Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	4
No. of episodes	365 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	David G Hiller Vic Finch
Running time	25 minutes
Distributor	BBC
Release
Original network	CBeebies
Picture format	4:3 (original series) 16:9 (new series)
Original release	Original series: March 31, 1997 (1997-03-31) – February 16, 2001 (2001-02-16) Revived series: November 9, 2015 (2015-11-09) – present

Teletubbies is a British pre-school children's television series created by Ragdoll Productions' Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. It originally aired on BBC2 from 31 March, 1997 to 16 February, 2001. The programme's original narrator was Tim Whitnall in the United Kingdom, while the United States narrator was Rolf Saxon. Though production had been announced cancelled in 2002,^[1] a new series of Teletubbies was created for 2015.

Teletubbies, particularly notable for its high production values, rapidly became a critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad and won a BAFTA in 1998.^[2] Teletubbies Everywhere was awarded "Best Pre-school Live Action Series" at the 2002 Children's BAFTA Awards.^[3] '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.

In June 2014, the BBC announced it had ordered 60 episodes of a new series of Teletubbies to be aired, with DHX Media, which recently acquired Ragdoll Productions, producing the series.^[4] This marks the first new episodes of the series since 2001 and the first to be aired on CBeebies, after reruns of the original series were broadcast on the channel. However, the new series was filmed on replica model sets instead of Wimpstone Farm in Warwickshire (the original setting for Teletubbyland), because the owner of the land flooded the old set and turned it into a lake in 2003.^[5] In April 2015, Daniel Rigby was announced as the show's narrator. Fearne Cotton and Jim Broadbent were announced as the voices for the Voice Trumpets and Jane Horrocks will voice the Tubby Phone, a device that transports the Teletubbies to the modern world.^[6]

Overview

The programme focuses on four multi-coloured toddlers of a mythological species known as "Teletubbies," named for the television screens implanted in the characters' abdomens, "telly" being a common British abbreviation for television. Recognised throughout popular culture for the uniquely-shaped antenna protruding from the head of each being, their respective names, and their signature colours, the four Teletubbies depicted in this programme are Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po. Communicating through gibberish or babbling, the Teletubbies were designed to bear resemblance to live toddlers dwelling within a beautiful, grassy, and floral landscape that is also populated by rabbits with bird calls audible in the background. The main shelter of the four is a grassy dome (known as the "Tubbytronic Superdome," though the real name of the residence is never mentioned during the entire course of the programme) implanted in the ground accessed through sliding down a hole at the top. The creatures co-exist in Teletubbyland (the name of their home environment) with a number of strange contraptions such as the Noo-noo, the group's anthropomorphic blue vacuum cleaner, and the Voice Trumpets. The show is noted for its colourful, psychedelic setting designed specifically by the creators to appeal to the attention spans of infants or unlock different sections of the mind while also educating young children and toddlers of transitions that can be expected in life.

Throughout the course of every episode, an assortment of rituals are performed that are sometimes revamped differently each time, such as the playful interactions between the Teletubbies and the voice trumpets, the mishaps caused by the Noo-noo, the footage of live children displayed on the screens in the Teletubbies' stomachs, and the magical event that occurs once per episode. The event differs each time and is often caused inexplicably, and is frequently strange yet whimsical. Often the Teletubbies engage in games with one another, with Noo-noo, or the voice trumpets in many episode segments, and the episode is closed by the narrator and voice trumpets to the disappointed, reluctant, but eventually obedient Teletubbies, who bid the viewer farewell as they disappear into the Tubbytronic Superdome yet again.

Characters

The main characters. From left to right: Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and Tinky Winky.

Main characters

• Tinky-Winky (played by Dave Thompson and later Simon Shelton in the original series and by Jeremiah Krage in the revised series) is the first Teletubby. He is the largest and oldest of the Teletubbies, is covered in purple terrycloth, and has a triangular antenna on his head. He is notable for the red bag he almost always carries.
• Dipsy (played by John Simmit in the original series and by Nick Kellington in the revised series) is the second Teletubby. He is green and is named "Dipsy" because his antenna resembles a dipstick. Dipsy is the most stubborn of the Teletubbies, and will sometimes refuse to go along with the other Teletubbies' group opinion. His face is notably darker than the rest of the Teletubbies, and the creators have stated that he is black.^[7]
• Laa-Laa (played by Nikky Smedley in the original series and by Rebecca Hyland in the revised series) is the third Teletubby. She is yellow and has a curly antenna. She is very sweet, likes to sing and dance, and is often shown looking out for the other Teletubbies.
• Po (played by Pui Fan Lee in the original series and by Rachelle Beinart in the revised series) is the fourth and last Teletubby. She is the smallest and youngest out of all the Teletubbies. She is red, and has an antenna shaped like a stick used for blowing soap bubbles. Po usually speaks in a soft voice. She has been stated by the show's creators to be Cantonese.^[7]

Supporting characters

• The Noo-Noo (operated by Mark Dean in the original series and by Victoria Jane in the revised series ^[8]) is both the Teletubbies' guardian and housekeeper, due to his resemblance to a vacuum cleaner. The Noo-noo hardly ever ventures outside the Tubbytronic Superdome, instead remaining indoors and constantly cleaning with his sucker-like nose. He does not speak like the other characters, communicating instead through a series of slurping and sucking noises. At times, the Noo-Noo gets annoyed with the Teletubbies' antics and vacuums their food or toys. This usually prompts the Teletubbies to scold the Noo-Noo through a cry of "Naughty Noo-Noo!". In the original series Noo-noo was painted blue, but in the 2015 revival he is recoloured orange and pink.
• The sun (played by Jessica Smith in the original series and by Berry in the revised series ^[9]) appears at the beginning and end of each episode. It has the face of a baby and seems to act as a wake-up call for the Teletubbies.
• The Voice Trumpets are several devices resembling periscopes that rise from the ground and interact with the Teletubbies, serving as supervisors for the beings who often arise to engage in games with them. They are the only residents of Teletubbyland who speak in complete English sentences.
• The rabbits are brown-coloured creatures found throughout Teletubbyland. The Teletubbies enjoy watching them hop and play. The rabbits are the only type of Earth animal found in the land, and take residence in rabbit holes and bushes.
• The Tubby Phone is a new character in the 2015 series that transports the Teletubbies to the modern world, and voiced by Jane Horrocks.
• The Tiddlytubbies are new characters for the 2015 series, they are baby Teletubbies called Daa-Daa, Umpie-Pumpie, Ba and Ping, and voiced by Teresa Gallagher.

The show also features the voices of Tim Whitnall, Toyah Willcox, Eric Sykes, Mark Heenehan and occasionally Sandra Dickinson and Penelope Keith, all of whom provide narration. The only physical human cast member is Tamzin Griffin.

The new show features the voices of Daniel Rigby, Jane Horrocks, Jim Broadbent, Fearne Cotton, Antonia Thomas and Teresa Gallagher.

International broadcast

Teletubbies is also aired outside of Great Britain. In the United States, the original and revived series currently air on Nickelodeon as part of the Nick Jr. block.^[10] In Australia and New Zealand, the series airs on CBeebies Australia.^[11]

Promotion

Teletubbies 10th anniversary events

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the premiere of Teletubbies, a series of events took place at the end of March through the beginning of April 2007.^[12] The characters appeared outside of Teletubbyland for the first time on 21 March 2007 in London, England at an invitation-only event to officially begin the programme's tenth anniversary year sponsored by BBC Worldwide, the programme's licensees. They appeared in the United States for the first time at appearances in New York City's Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, and Apollo Theater. They also appeared on The Today Show on 29 March 2007. The episode included the first ever televised interview with the actors outside of their costumes. A partnership was formed with Isaac Mizrahi in which Mizrahi designed Teletubbies-inspired bags to be auctioned off to benefit the Cure Autism Now and Autism Speaks charities. A new line of clothing was launched to be sold in the Pop-Up Shop^[13] and other specialty stores. New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg announced 28 March 2007 "Teletubbies Day" and gave the key to the city to the Teletubbies. Following their appearance in New York City, the Teletubbies went on their first live European tour, performing shows in London, Paris, Bremen, Darmstadt, Halle (Saale), Hamburg, Köln, and Hannover.

Reception

Tinky Winky controversy

Tinky Winky started a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 because of 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 lesbian 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 covert homosexual symbol, because "he is purple, the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the gay pride symbol."^[14] The BBC 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."^[15]

In May 2007, Polish Ombudsman for Children Ewa Sowińska revisited the matter, and planned to order an investigation.^[16] She said in the 28 May 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, 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." However, on 30 May 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."^[17]

Despite the objections, the Independent on Sunday's editors included Tinky Winky as the only fictional character in the 2008 inaugural "Happy List", alongside 99 real-life adults recognised for making Britain a better and happier place.^[18]

Cult following

Although the programme is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, it had a substantial cult following with older generations, mainly university and college students.^[19] The mixture of bright colours, unusual designs, repetitive non-verbal dialogue, ritualistic format, and the occasional forays into physical comedy appealed to many who perceived the programme as having psychedelic qualities.

In popular culture

• In episode 12, 22 January, 1998, The Vicar of Dibley bridesmaids are La-La and Po and hold the wedding-dress train of Alice Springs Horton (née Tinker).
• In an episode of The Simpsons titled "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder", Homer dresses up like a Teletubby to entertain Maggie, remarking "...and I'm all man, in case you heard otherwise" in reference to claims by Jerry Falwell.
• In the eleventh episode of the second season of The Chaser's War on Everything, the possibility of Tinky Winky being homosexual was parodied when the Chaser's tested the Peel Hotel (in Collingwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)'s gaydar (the hotel's Peel dancebar was given the right to ban heterosexual patrons) with a Tinky Winky costumed figure that acted in a stereotypical homosexual fashion.
• In 2012, during a full second and third season of tvN's Saturday Night Live Korea, the South Korean live comic variety show which inspired by its then-creative director Jang Jin, parodied the programme as Yeouido Teletubbies (여의도 텔레토비) to portray the 2012 presidential election campaign, by imitating Teletubbies' characters. Each week on Weekend Update (Korean edition) segment, this experimental skit was popular, by reviewing on several social networking sites and online bulletin boards and video clips, such as YouTube. Both the popularity of SNL Korea's 'Crew', Kim Seul-gie and Kim Min-kyo, who acted major candidates respectably, had skyrocketed.^[20]

CD single

In December 1997, BBC Worldwide released a CD single from the series, based on the show's theme song, called "Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'". The song is the only single from Teletubbies, making them a one-hit wonder in the United Kingdom, and mostly a remix of the theme song from the hit television programme performed by the series characters written by Andrew McCrorie-Shand and Andrew Davenport. Produced by McCrorie-Shand and Steve James, this single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1997, remaining in the Top 75 for 32 weeks after its release, selling over a million copies.^[21]

See also

• List of Teletubbies episodes and videos
• Boohbah
• In the Night Garden
• Earth house, the type of building the characters live in

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Teletubbies

Look up Appendix:Teletubbies in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teletubbies.

• Official UK website
• Official USA website
• Official BBC CBeebies website
• Teletubbies at AllMovie
• Teletubbies at the Internet Movie Database