Teletubbies (TV show)

***Teletubbies*** is a BBC children's television series, primarily aimed at pre-school viewers, originally produced by Ragdoll Productions from 1997 to 2001 and rebooted from 2015 to present. 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's original narrator was Tim Whitnall. The programme first aired on BBC Two (during the CBBC programming block) on 31 March 1997. In the United States, the original series was syndicated on PBS from April 6, 1998 to mid-2005. The rebooted series aired instead on the Nick Jr. channel from May 30, 2016, to August 17, 2018.

In 2001, production was canceled, and it was announced that no new episodes would be produced, with the last episode being aired on 16 February 2001. However, a total of 365 episodes had been produced – enough for a full years. In 2015, the series was rebooted for 120 new episodes, which aired on CBeebies in the UK and on Nick Jr. in the United States. In 2022, a second reboot was announced to premiere on Netflix on November 14, 2022.

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

The program revolves around the adventures of Tinky-Winky, who is purple, Dipsy, who is green, Laa-Laa, who is yellow, and Po, who is red. In the show, the four colourful Teletubbies play in the cheerful and fun Teletubbyland. They do things that little children like to do, such as rolling on the ground, laughing, running about, and watching real children on the televisions on their stomachs. Mysterious speakers rise out of the ground to show the days' activities. The sun, who has a baby's face, makes baby noises during the show, and it rises and sets to begin and end the show. The baby was portrayed by Jessica Smith.

Although the program is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, it has a popularity with older generations. 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 program as having psychedelic qualities. Teletubbies was controversial for this reason, and also for a perception that it was insufficiently educational.

The program was also at the centre of a controversy when American cleric and conservative pundit Jerry Falwell claimed in 1999 that Tinky Winky, one of the Teletubbies, was a homosexual role model for children. Falwell based this conclusion on the character's purple colour and his triangular antenna; both the colour purple and the triangle are sometimes used as symbols of the Gay Pride movement.

However, despite an ensuing boycott, the program 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. It was rebooted in 2015 with new look and new cast consisting of Jeremiah Krage, Nick Chee Ping Kellington, Rebecca Hyland, Rachelle Beinart, Victoria Jane, Berry, Daniel Rigby, Antonia Thomas, Jim Broadbent, Fearne Cotton, Jane Horrocks, Teresa Gallagher, and Rob Rackstraw with Luisa Guerreiro, Olly Taylor, David Walliams, Rochelle Humes, and Ralph Reay joining in later in season 2.

 Created by
 Developed by
 Starring
Mark Heenehan
Simon Shelton
John Simmit
Nikky Smedley
 Narrated by

Toyah Willcox
 Opening theme
 Language(s)
 No. of episodes
 Executive producer(s)
 Running time
 Production company
Ragdoll / BBC Productions
 Original channel
 Original run

## Overview

The programme features 4 colourful 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[*citation needed*]). 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 coloured 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 magical events on this show includes:

* A tree appears and a series of white doves appear on it, the tree eventually loses it's leaves and vanishes

* A carousel-like object lands on it's grass and a teddy bear tap dances on it's stage

* A pink house slowly fades in Teletubbyland, and a puppet man sings from his window

* A series of Noah's ark animals in two's of tiger, penguin, snake, elephant, flamingo, butterly, tortoise, giraffe and frog

* Teletubbyland fills with sea water and three Queen Mary-like ships sail by across the water

* A series of Little Bo Peep story and clouds come into sheep and falls down, And Little Bo Peep appears with a stick

* The bear and lion in Teletubbyland and chase after them, The bear with brown fuzzy hair. And the lion chases after the bear in Teletubbyland

The Teletubbies have the body proportions, behaviour, 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. (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 three 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. Sometimes when the Teletubbies sit down, fall over, or touch their bottoms against another they make a parp sound. If they kick their legs, bump into their tummies, roll, or have a big hug, they jingle. The parp noises were always used in both series (90s and 2015), but the jingling noises were heard in the original 1990s version only.

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 (starting with the boo shouter). Finally, one Teletubby (the boo shouter) says goodbye a fourth time by popping out of a hole in the house and saying "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. 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, looking like some sort of DJ-gramophone, completely with light effects. The custard is consumed by either dumping the bowl into one's mouth, or sucking through a spiral straw) and "Tubby Toast" (circular toast with a smiley face on it), and they are spectacularly messy eaters. In two episodes, the "Tubby Toaster", the machine that makes "Tubby Toast" goes seriously wrong and fills the Teletubbies' house with toast. Fortunately, one of their companions is Noo-Noo, a vacuum cleaner. 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).

Since filming ended, the fixtures and fittings have been removed from the set, and it appears to have been flooded to form a pond (two fields South of the farmhouse, which is where the postcode points to on the online maps). The paved track leading to the former set still exists, and is the only extant reminder.[*citation needed*] Until recently,[*when?*] the MS Live Maps view showed the site "in action" – complete with numerous articulated trucks parked at the end of the track. Their image has now been updated as well, but a copy has been preserved at this fansite. The farm has found a new way to supplement their income – an aquatics centre (fish and pondplant sales).

## Characters

**Tinky Winky** (played by Dave Thompson, Mark Heenehan, and Simon Shelton in the original series, and Jeremiah Krage in the reboot) is the first 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 characterization has caused controversy; his behavior, bag, and body colour have been associated with ideas about homosexuality (see below).

**Dipsy** (played by John Simmit in the original series, and Nick Chee Ping Kellington in the reboot) is the second Teletubby. He is green and is named "Dipsy" because his antenna resembles a dipstick. He likes his black and white furry top hat, which he once lost. Laa-Laa found it, but instead of simply returning Dipsy's hat to the stricken Dipsy, she ran around it for about ten minutes shouting "Dipsy Hat! Dipsy Hat!". 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.

**Laa-Laa** (played by Nikky Smedley in the original series, and Rebecca Hyland in the reboot) 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 favourite thing is a bouncy, orange ball, which is almost as big as she is.

**Po** (played by Pui Fan Lee in the original series, and Rachelle Beinart in the reboot) is the fourth and last Teletubby. She is the smallest and youngest of the Teletubbies, is red, and has an antenna shaped like a stick used for blowing soap bubbles. Her favourite 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, and as such, she is bilingual, speaking both English and Cantonese. Although many are unsure of Po's gender, or consider her to be male (possibly because of her scarlet colour and tomboyish antics), she is clearly referred to as female in several episodes, such as "Dad's Portrait" (Episode 216, first broadcast 1998) and "Numbers: 2" (Episode 30). Many refer to her as "he" even though it is "she" (the same happens with Laa-Laa).

**Noo-Noo** (played by Mark Dean in the original series, and Victoria Jane and Olly Taylor in the reboot) 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.

The original show also features the voices of Tim Whitnall who played **The Narrator** in the UK and the **Little Lamb** and the **Voice Trumpets**, Rolf Saxon who played **The Narrator** in the US and the **Dog**. Robin Stevens who played the **Talking Flowers**, and Toyah Willcox, who says the Rhyme "Over the Hills and Far away Teletubbies come to play" and also played **Little Bo Peep**, Alex Pascall who plays the **Sheep** and sings with children in some of the Teletubby Tummy videos e.g Tweet Tweet and Handy Hands. Rachael Lillis who played the **Voice Trumpets**. Eric Sykes who also played the **Scary Lion with Big Scary Teeth**, and Penelope Keith who also played the **Bear with Brown Fuzzy Hair**, all of whom provide narration. The only physical cast members are the **Rabbits**, who don't speak, and Jessica Smith, a seven month old baby, whose face depicts the **Baby Sun**. 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.

The revival show also features the voices of Daniel Rigby who played **The Narrator**, Antonia Thomas, who says the rhyme "Over the Hills and Far Away Teletubbies come to play" and also played the **Voice Trumpets**, Jim Broadbent, Fearne Cotton, David Walliams and Rochelle Humes who played the **Voice Trumpets**, Jane Horrocks who played the **Tubby Phone**, Teresa Gallagher who played the **Tiddlytubbies** and also played the **Voice Trumpets**, Rob Rackstraw and Ralph Reay play additional voices. Luisa Guerreiro is also featured in the reboot series as an understudy. Berry, a baby from London is featured as **Baby** **Sun** in the reboot series.

### Character mnemonics

The antenna shapes of each Teletubby provides mnemonic clues as to the character's name:

* **T**riangle: "Tinky Winky"
* Stra**i**ght: "Dipsy"
* Swir**l**: "Laa-Laa"
* R**o**und: "Po"

## Promotion

### Teletubbies 10th Anniversary events

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the premiere of Teletubbies, a series of events took place at the end of March through the beginning of April 2007. 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. They made appearances in New York City's Times Square, Grand Central Station, the boat near the Statue of Liberty, 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 Isaac 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 and other specialty stores. New York City mayor, Mike Bloomberg, announced March 28, 2007 "Teletubbies Day" and gave the key to the city to the Teletubbies.

### TakeTheTeletubbiesTest.com

TakeTheTeletubbiesTest.com launched on 26 March 2007. On the website, users can create profiles, take "tests", ask Po questions, and submit their own pictures and videos. There was also a station set up at the Teletubbies Pop-Up Shop where visitors could record themselves giving their reactions to the Teletubbies programme and upload it onto the website.

### Pop-Up Shop

A Pop-Up Shop opened in New York City's West Village from 28 March to 7 April 2007. The opening night party was DJ'ed by MisShapes. A percentage of the store's profits went to the Cure Autism Now and Autism Speaks charities. DJs from all different genres of music (electronica, funk, Brazilian jazz[*disambiguation needed*], old school hip hop, alternative rock and house music) played in the store in the evenings. Some evenings included DJ scratching lessons and record spin art. On 6 April 2007, the store held a 12-hour Teletubbies viewing marathon.

### Teletubbies live events

Following the Teletubbies' appearance in New York City, they went on their first live European tour, performing shows in London, Paris, Bremen, Darmstadt, Halle (Saale), Hamburg, Köln, and Hannover.

#### Are You the 5th Teletubby?

Also in celebration of the Teletubbies' 10th anniversary, a contest was held at 5thTeletubby.com where fans can create videos of themselves as the "5th Teletubby," a character of their own creation. Audio and video clips from the show are available on the website for the entrants to use in creating their videos.

#### Guest appearances on TV

The Teletubbies made physical appearences on NBC's *Today* in 2007, Channel 4's *The Paul O'Grady Show* with Paul O'Grady and Jack Dee in 2009, *The Official BBC Children in Need Medley* with Peter Kay in 2009, ITV's *Good Morning Britain* with Susanna Reid, Richard Arnold and Laura Tobin in 2015, BBC Two's *Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two* in 2015, BBC's *Children in Need 2015* with Harry Hill and Nadiya Hussain in 2015, BBC One's *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* (TV Movie) in 2016, BBC One's *The One Show* with Holly Willoughby, Michelle Ackerley and Matt Baker in 2017, ITV's *Lorraine* with Lorraine Kelly and Scott Eastwood in 2017, BBC's *BBC Breakfast* with an interview that included the first televised appearance of the actors of Dipsy and Laa-Laa in the new series without their costumes, ITV's *This Morning* where the Teletubbies performed their hit single "Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh" causing presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby to dance along with the Teletubbies, the Teletubbies appeared again in 2021, Sky1's *Romesh’s Look Back To The Future* with Romesh Ranganathan in 2019 and *Britain’s Got Talent* with Ant and Dec, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams in 2022.

Teletubbies was a topic discussed on BBC's *Room 101* on July 19th 1999.

## Reception

### 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 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 hidden homosexual symbol, because "he is purple, the gay pride colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the gay pride symbol".

The BBC, who co-produced the programme, made an official response, "Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag." Kenn 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."

In May 2007, Polish Ombudsman for Children Ewa Sowińska revisited the matter, and planned to order an investigation. 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 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 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."

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.

### Teletubby doll incidents

In an unrelated incident, reported in 2000, a girl's Tinky Winky toy reportedly said "I Got a Gun, I Got a Gun, Run Away!". Kenn Viselman claimed the toy actually said "Again, again!", a catchphrase from the show. In a similar incident in 1998, a girl's talking Po doll was thought to be saying "faggot faggot, faggot faggot, faggot faggot, bite my butt", as well as "fatty, fatty". (Supporters of the interpretation of Tinky Winky as the gay pride symbol might take this as evidence.) The toy was recalled and it was revealed to have said "fidit, fidit," inspired by the Cantonese for "faster, faster".

### Supposed Pagan agenda

A Christian ministry (Kjos Ministries) has argued online that the Teletubbies represent an attempt to promote a "new global paradigm" of "earth-centered" spirituality in contrast to conservative Christian beliefs.

### Teletubbies in popular culture

* 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" " which resulted in a law suit from the BBC. This resulted in a boost of notoriety and media exposure, and the video was renamed *Tellybubby Fun Land*.
* In 1999, the characters inspired a dancehall reggae riddim of the same name.
* In The Simpsons episode 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 episode Missionary: Impossible, the Teletubbies are among the PBS characters and personalities that are chasing Homer after he defaulted on his $10,000 dollar pledge. One of the couch gags used in the opening also depicted the Simpson family dressed as the Teletubbies.
* In *The Fairly OddParents* episode "Imaginary Gary," TV Tubbies, based on the Teletubbies, were stored inside Timmy's mind. One of each TV Tubbie was also used to block Cosmo and Wanda's ears to stop them from hearing Timmy.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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. coincidentally John Schwab, Rudolph Walker, Jeremiah Krage, Nick Chee Ping Kellington, Jim Broadbent and David Walliams appeared in Doctor Who.
* In the June 6, 2007; second season, eleventh episode 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 Hetrosexual patrons) with a Tinky Winky costumed figure that acted in a stereotypical Homosexual fashion. The controversy surrounding this possibility was further satirised with the Tinky Winky figure visiting a Polish Club (Poland having been dealing with a scandal surrounding Tinky Winky being possibly Homosexual and thus corrupting children).
* 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!".
* In an episode of *Absolutely Fabulous*, Bubble can be seen wearing a dress with all four Teletubbies on it. She also speaks in a way similar to Teletubbies throughout the episode. Coincidentally Jane Horrocks who played Bubble, voices the Tubby Phone In the 2015 series.
* An online video on YouTube shows all four teletubbies dancing to a song by Matisyahu.
* Children in Need 2015 features a sketch with Harry Hill dressing up as the baby-sun with Laa-Laa. Coincidentally Fearne Cotton and Rochelle Humes present the show.

## CD single

Main article: Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"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.

## Broadcasters around the world

* Australia: ABC
* Austria: ORF
* Bahrain: ART Teenz
* Belgium: VTM in Dutch and RTBF in French
* Brazil: Rede Globo, Tv Cultura, Nickelodeon and Discovery Kids
* Bulgaria BTV
* Canada: BBC Kids and TVOntario in English, Télé-Québec and Télémagino in French
* Catalonia: K3
* Chile: Chilevision, Discovery Kids
* China: CCTV
* Colombia: Caracol, Discovery Kids
* Croatia: HRT2, HBO GO
* Czech Republic: TV Nova, TV Barrandov
* Denmark: TV2
* Dominican Republic : Telecentro, Discovery Kids
* Ecuador: Ecuavisa, TV Equador TV, Discovery Kids
* El Salvador: Canal 2, Discovery Kids
* Estonia: Kanal 2
* Finland: YLE
* France: Canal+, TiJi, TF1 (On TF! Jeunesse block), Gulli
* Galicia: TVG
* Germany: KiKa, Super RTL
* Greece: Star Channel, ERT1, Nickelodeon
* Hong Kong: ATV TVB
* Iceland: Sjónvarpið, Stöð 2
* Ireland: RTE2, TG4
* India: CBeebies, Prasar Bharati
* Indonesia: Indosiar (original series), ANTV (original series), GTV (rebooted series in March 2018 and original series in August 2018)
* Iran: IRIB Pooya
* Israel: Channel 1, Hop! Channel, Luli TV
* Italy: Raisat Ragazzi, Rai 2, Rai 3, Rai Yoyo (Rai Yoyo Italian website: [1]), DeA Kids, DeA Junior
* Japan: TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, Kids Station
* Latvia: LTV7
* Lebanon: Future TV
* Lithuania: LRT
* Macedonia: HBO GO
* Malaysia : TV2, Astro Ceria
* Mexico: Canal 5, Discovery Kids
* Netherlands: NPO3
* New Zealand: TV3
* Northern Sami: NRK
* Norway: TV2
* Pakistan: PTV Home
* Peru : ATV, Discovery Kids
* Philippines: GMA Network
* Poland: Canal+ Polska, TVP 1, TVP 2, CBeebies, Puls 2, Top Kids, Top Kids Jr.
* Portugal: SIC
* Russia: RTR 2X2
* Puerto Rico: Discovery Kids
* Qatar: ART Teenz
* Saudi Arabia: ART Teenz
* Serbia: RTS Ultra, HBO GO
* Singapore: Premiere 12
* Slovakia: TV JOJ
* Slovenia: HBO GO
* South Africa: SABC
* Spain: Clan TV, Jetix
* Suriname : ATV[*disambiguation needed*]
* Sweden: TV4
* Switzerland: SF TSR and TSI
* Taiwan: TTV
* Turkey: Atv (Turkey), Nick Jr.
* Ukraine: TET, Novyi Kanal
* United Arab Emirates: Spacetoon, MBC 3, E-Junior
* United Kingdom: BBC Two (On CBBC block) and CBeebies
* United States: PBS Kids (original series; English and Latin Spanish), PBS Kids Sprout (original series; English and Latin Spanish), Discovery Kids (original series; Latin Spanish dub), Nick Jr. (rebooted series)
* Uruguay: Canal 10, Canal 12, Discovery Kids
* Venezuela : Venevisión, Discovery Kids
* Wales: S4C, BBC Wales

## Alternative names

Teletubbies has been broadcast in many different countries, sometimes involving a foreign title.

* Телетъбис (Teletŭbis) – Bulgarian title
* 天線得得B – Cantonese title
* 天線寶寶– Chinese Traditional title (tiānxiànbǎobǎo)
* 天线宝宝– Chinese Simplified title (tiānxiànbǎobǎo)
* Teletubbiesi – Croatian title
* De Teletubbies – Dutch title
* Teletupsud – Estonian title
* Teletapit – Finnish title
* Les Télétubbies – French title
* Os Teletubbies – Galician and Portuguese
* ტელეღიპუცები (Tʼeleghipʼutsebi) – Georgian title
* Τελετάμπις– Greek title
* टेलेट्युविज (Ṭēlēṭyuvija) – Hindi title
* טלטאביז (Teletabyz) – Hebrew title
* Stubbarnir – Icelandic title
* Teletubbanna – Irish title
* テレタビーズ (Teretabīzu) – Japanese title (Katakana)
* 꼬꼬마 텔레토비 (Kkokkoma Teletobi) – Korean title
* 전파뚱땡이 (Jeonpa Ttung Ttaeng Yi) – Korean title
* Teletabiai – Lithuanian title
* Los Teletubbies (pronounced [teleˈtubis]) – Latin American title
* ടെലിറ്റബ്ബീസ (Ṭeliṟṟabbīsa) – Malayalam title
* Teletubbiene – Northern Sami title
* Teletubbiene – Norwegian title
* توپولوها – Persian title
* Teletubisie – Polish title
* Телепузики (Telepuziki) – Russian title
* Telebajski – Slovenian title
* Телетабиси (Teletabisi) – Serbian Cyrillic title
* Teletabiler – Turkish title
* Teledo'mboqlar – Uzbek title
* டெலிடபீசு (Ṭeliṭapīcu) – Tamil title
* เทเลทับบีส์ (The le thạb bīes) – Thai title
* Teletybis – Welsh title

## Funding

* Kellogg's Rice Krispies (1998-1999)
* Direct TV (1999-2001)
* KB Toys (1999-2001)
* Payless Shoe Source (2000-2001)
* Danimals Yogurt (2001-2002)
* Viewers Like You (1998-2008)

## See also

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

## References

1. **^** 29 June 2001 (2001-06-29). "CBBC wants first tenders | News | Broadcast". Broadcast now.co.uk. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/cbbc-wants-first-tenders/1177573.article. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
2. ^ ***a*** ***b*** http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/287940.stm BBC News Entertainment: Tubbies toast another three years
3. **^** "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2002". BAFTA. http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=2002. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
4. **^** "New dawn for Teletubbies". *BBC News*. 17 February 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/281297.stm. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
5. **^** Gutenko, Gregory. "Deconstructing Teletubbies: Differences between UK and US college students' reading of the children's television programme.". Kansas City, Missouri, USA: College of Arts & Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City. "Unexpectedly, the four furry alien-like "techno-baby" Teletubbies and their surreal Tubbyland world have also generated a cult following among college students. (The campus activities calendar at Imperial College includes the airtimes and episode highlights for each show)."
6. ^ ***a*** ***b*** *Falwell Sees 'Gay' In a Teletubby*. New York Times. 11 February 1999. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05E4DD1F3BF932A25751C0A96F958260.
7. **^** Literacy Today article regarding a study which found Teletubbies had a negative impact on toddlers in both vocabulary size and expressive language use.
8. **^** Sweet Knowle Farm is at coordinates 52°07′32″N 1°42′12″W﻿ / ﻿52.125515°N 1.703446°W﻿ / 52.125515; -1.703446﻿ (Sweet Knowle Farm)
9. ^ ***a*** ***b*** http://pbskids.org/teletubbies/parentsteachers/progfaq.html
10. **^** "Singles : Artists : Age". *Record Breakers and Trivia*. EveryHit.com. http://www.everyhit.com/record3.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30. "Jessica Smith played the part of 'Baby Sun' in the Teletubbies Television show. Her giggle was used on The Teletubbies 1997 chart-topper "Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh!" Though not credited for this 'performance,' she is the youngest person to have appeared on a no.1 single. We are currently trying to ascertain her precise age at the time of recording; it is certainly less than one year old and thought to be around the seven month mark."
11. **^** Rusak, Gary (March 12, 2007). "Teletubbies celebrate 10th anniversary in high style". KidScreen Magazine. http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/daily/20070312/teletubbies.html.
12. **^** "Teletubbies Pop-Up Shop". http://www.taketheteletubbiestest.com/love\_it/.
13. **^** Marwan Kraidy (2005). *Hybridity, Or the Cultural Logic of Globalization*. pp. 106–107. ISBN 9781592131440. http://books.google.com/?id=3Ms7azOI8UgC.
14. **^** Adam Easton (28 May 2007). *Poland targets 'gay' Teletubbies*. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6698753.stm.
15. **^** *Polish watchdog backs away from Teletubbies probe*. CBC. 30 May 2007. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007/05/30/teletubby-poland-noprobe.html.
16. **^** The IoS Happy List 2008 – the 100
17. **^** Dotinga, Randy (12 April 2000). "Lawsuit to Target Teletubbies for Gun Talk". APBNews. http://web.archive.org/web/20000510155551/www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/2000/04/12/teletubbies0412\_01.html.
18. **^** Teletubbies Q&A's
19. **^** "Edutainment: How the Teletubbies Teach Children". Crossroad.to. http://crossroad.to/text/articles/teletubbies10-99.html. Retrieved 2010-07-10.

## Popular Culture

* In 1998, Tom Fulp of Newgrounds created a spoof of Teletubbies called "Teletubby Fun Land"[16] which resulted in a lawsuit from the BBC.[17] This resulted in a boost of notoriety and media exposure, and the video was renamed Tellybubby Fun Land.
* In The Simpsons episode "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 6 June 2007, second season, eleventh episode 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 2nd and 3rd season of tvN's Saturday Night Live Korea, South Korean live comic variety show which inspired by its then-creative director Jang Jin, was parodied this programme as YeouidoTeletubbies(여의도 텔레토비) to portrait 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.
* In the first episode from the first season (Junk in the Trunk) of Robot Chicken, an orange teletubby, smokes. In the episode Eaten by Cats, Teletubbies is Power Rangers.

1. ↑ https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/room\_101/episodes/4/2/