The Three Ships (Magical Event)

**The Three Ships** is one of the nine Magical Events. This event features three cruise liner-style ships, which look similar to the Queen Mary cruise liner. They sail past Teletubbyland after it fills itself with water (except the place where the Teletubbies are watching the event), turning it into an ocean. The ships then disappear at the end of the event and the water disappears, with a plug hole sound at the end. The event first appeared in the episode Playing in the Rain. The tune is based on the Christmas and New Years Day song 'I Saw Three Ships'. Some Teletubbies fans are scared of or dislike the event due to the strange appearance of the ships. The fans are scared of what's controlling the ships, they fear where the water has come from, they are scared the way the ships come from above the horizon and then disappear like ghosts, they want to know where the ships came from and why the ships even came. Other Teletubbies fans enjoy the event and do not find it scary at all. They know the ships aren't being sailed by anyone, the ships are magic and can move all by themselves. The water is also magic, though also man made by special effects, using computer animation. The ships are CGI animated and have small flags on their hulls. Most Teletubbies fans have enjoyed the event and love the animation, effects, music, and feeling of it.

## Episodes that it appears in

* Playing in the Rain (UK Original Versions)
* Dad's Lorry (Sunday Special Version)
* The Helicopter (UK Original Version)
* Café Chocolate (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Bubbles (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Music with Debbie 1 (Sunday Special Version)
* Numbers: 3 (Version 1) (All UK BBC Versions)
* Digging in the Sand for Worms (Sunday Special Version)
* Sarah, Fraser and the Ducks (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Lighthouse (UK Original, CBeebies & Sunday Special Versions)
* Paddling Pool (Sunday Special Version)
* Ice Skating (Sunday Special Version)
* Animals: Fish (Sunday Special Version)
* Numbers: 6 (Version 1) (Sunday Special Version)
* Sandcastles (Sunday Special Version)
* Going to School by Boat (Sunday Special Version)
* Bubble Pictures (UK Original Version)
* Funghi the Dolphin (Sunday Special Version)
* How Things Swim (Sunday Special Version)
* Colours: Blue (UK CBeebies & Sunday Special Version)
* Washing Up (Sunday Special Version)
* Naughty Pig (Sunday Special Version)
* Washing the Car (Sunday Special Version)
* Naughty Sock Returns (UK CBeebies Version)
* Ned's Geraniums (UK CBeebies Version)
* Digging in the Sand for Crabs (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Drumming with Norris (UK Original Version)
* Numbers: 3 (Version 2) (UK CBBC Version)
* Making Lanterns (UK CBeebies Version)
* Cygnets (Sunday Special Version)
* The Pier (Sunday Special Version)
* Hovercraft (UK Original & CBeebies Versions)
* Robin (Sunday Special Version)
* Tropical Fish (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Naughty Soap (UK CBeebies Version)
* Dad's Portrait (Sunday Special Version)
* Water (Sunday Special Version)
* Making Bread (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Colours: Black (Sunday Special Version)
* Ball Games with Debbie (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Hedgehogs (Sunday Special Version)
* Shrimps in the Sand (Sunday Special Version)
* Clay (Sunday Special Version)
* Welly Walk (Sunday Special Version)
* Seahorses (Sunday Special Version)
* Pavement Artist (UK CBeebies Version)
* Going Up and Going Down (UK Original Version)
* Bagels (Sunday Special Version)
* Sea Tractor (Sunday Special Version)
* Collecting Stones (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Silvie's Fish Pond (Sunday Special Version)
* Paddling by the Sea (UK Original & Sunday Special Versions)
* Floating Boat (Sunday Special Version)
* Cleaning My Shoes
* Cooking Marshmallows
* Submarine
* Digging in the Treasure
* Sponges
* Going for a Drive
* Handshapes: Swan
* Coyotes
* Sailboat Race
* Slacklining
* Collecting Toys
* Face Painting
* Sandwich
* Going in the Daycare
* Wishing Fountain
* My Mum's Restaurant
* My Musical Band
* Rubber Ducks
* Walk Left and Ride Right
* Sculpture Chocolate
* Baby Shower's Nap Time
* Angus Guinea Pigs
* Ned's Rabbit
* Numbers: 17 (Version 1)
* Honeycomb Bees
* Flying Saucer
* Favourite Things [Video]
* The Early Days [Video]
* Magical Surprises [Video]
* The Best of Laa-Laa [Video]

## Synopsis

The Magical Event starts with The Magic Windmill spinning. The Teletubbies arrive at the Magic Event place. The Baby Sun giggles and the Teletubbies then hear a ship's horn. They then run off to the destination of the Magical Event. A puddle appears and it magically grows bigger and bigger, filling Teletubbyland with water and turning it into a deep ocean (though some parts of land remain unflooded). The Teletubbies then sit down (occurred offscreen as they were already shown sitting) on a hill and giggle happily. Jolly harp music starts playing and the same ship's horn is heard, along with the sound of splashing water. Three black dots appear on the horizon and gradually get bigger, with the horn still heard. A tune that sounds like 'I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In On Christmas Day' starts playing. The black dots are revealed to be three ships similar to the RMS Queen Mary that blows their horns numerous times and sail very close to the screen but then turn to port (left) and the Teletubbies see the rest of the ships. The ships are then shown sailing in different positions across the ocean behind, from the sides, and in front. After a few laps of the ocean, they turn to starboard (right) and then back to port (left), before sailing away and blowing a farewell horn. The ships sail across the ocean and out of sight, with the jolly music coming to an end. The ocean remains for a few seconds before the water starts to shrink turning into puddles with the dry land being revealed again with the sound of a gargling bath plug hole. The Magic Windmill stops spinning or the Sun Baby giggles.

## Trivia

* There is a picture of a flower on the three flags of the Three Ships.
* In Playing in the Rain and The Helicopter, the Baby Sun scene was deleted when the Teletubbies go to watch the Three Ships.
* In The Helicopter, a fade effect is used after the Magical Event. The fade transitions to the Magic Windmill about to stop spinning.
* In Cleaning My Shoes, Cooking Marshmallows, My Mum's Restaurant and Sculpture Chocolate, after the Magical event, a fade effect is used to show the next segment.
* When the water drains, the animation of the water filling up is played backwards.
* In Making Bread, Sponges, Honeycomb Bees and the DVD Teletubbies: Autumn Fun, the Sun Baby giggles for Tubby Bye-Bye.
* In Paddling by the Sea, the Magic Windmill stops spinning and goes to the Splashing Dance.
* In Submarine, Coyotes, Wishing Fountain, Rubber Ducks, Baby Shower's Nap Time, Ned's Rabbit and Flying Saucer, the Sun Baby isn't shown giggling when the Teletubbies go to watch The Three Ships.
* In Tropical Fish and Digging in the Treasure, the Magic Windmill stops spinning and then the camera cuts to the scene of Tubby Bye-Bye instead of fading to it.
* If you look closely at the scene where the water fills up and/or drains, you can clearly see that it's just a still picture as the clouds and trees don't move at all.
* The music fades out twice during the event for unknown reasons, possibly a mixing error. You can only hear the full tune on the Teletubbies CD.
* The three ships sailing through Teletubbyland are based on the RMS Queen Mary.
* The Teletubbies giggle sound heard when they are looking out for the ships was used in The Magic House in Carnival.
* In Sailboat Race, My Musical Band and Walk Left and Ride Right, the Teletubbies do The Round and Round Dance after the event.
* In Slacklining, the windmill stops spinning and the Teletubbies do The Dizzy Dance.
* In Sarah, Fraser and the Ducks and Face Painting, the Teletubbies do The Tip Toe Dance after the event.
* In Flying Saucer, the Teletubbies do The Bumping Dance after the event.