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The telletubies are really sex perverts that change colors when they are sexually aroused. this problem came about when hitler jacked off their antennas in the fourth grade. from there on out, they decided that the only way to stay safe was to live in a bomb shelter. And the baby is trapt in the sun because chuck norriss said that he should be in that damn sun!!!!!! fuck!!!! why the fuck is he in that mother fuckin sun? i wonder how hot the baby is. i hope somone brings him up a drink. that would suck if i was trapt in a cloud with no watter. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--Allex Decaudin | |||
{{Infobox Television | |||
| show_name = Teletubbies | |||
| image = ] | |||
| caption = From left: Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and Tinky Winky | |||
| format = ] | |||
| runtime = 25 minutes | |||
| starring = | |||
| creator = ]<br/>Andrew Davenport | |||
| developer = ] | |||
| executive_producer = David G Hiller <br/> Vic Finch | |||
| narrated = ], ], ] | |||
| currently_airs = ] | |||
| formerly_airs = ]<br>] | |||
| country = {{UK}} | |||
| language = English | |||
| network = ]| first_aired = ], ] | |||
| last_aired = ], ]<br>] - ] | |||
| num_episodes = 365 | |||
| imdb_id = 0142055 | |||
}} | |||
'''''Teletubbies''''' is a ] ], primarily aimed at ] viewers, produced from 1997 to 2001 by ]. It was created by ] ], Ragdoll's creative director, and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. Narrated by ], the programme rapidly became a critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad, particularly notable for its high production values; it won a ] in 1998. | |||
Although the show is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, it has been a substantial ] hit with older generations, including ].<ref>.Accessed: 2007-09-03.</ref> "]", a single based on the show's theme song, reached number 1 in the ] in December 1997 and remained in the Top 75 for 32 weeks, selling over a million copies. | |||
==Overview== | |||
The programme features four colourful characters: '''Tinky Winky''', '''Dipsy''', '''Laa-Laa''' and '''Po''' who live in a futuristic dome (the "Tubbytronic Superdome"), set in a landscape of rolling hills. The environment is dotted with unusually talkative flowers and periscope-like "voice trumpets". The only natural fauna are ]s (although birds are often heard, particularly ]s and ]s). The climate is always sunny and pleasant save for occasional inclement days, with rain and puddles, and snow at ] time. | |||
The Teletubbies are played by actors dressed in bulky costumes, although the sets are designed to give no sense of scale. The costumes vaguely resemble large spacesuits, although the Tubbies appear not to wear real clothes. They are instead furry, and have metallic silver-azure rectangular "screens" adorning their ]s. 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 ] inserts are default). | |||
The Teletubbies have the body proportions, behaviour and language of ]s. The pacing and design of the show was developed by ] 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. There was also help from Shatarra Willis the stage manager who helped the show to become a success. | |||
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.<ref> regarding a study which found Teletubbies had a negative impact on toddlers in both vocabulary size and expressive language use.</ref> (A similar complaint was made forty years previously about another children's series, '']''). Tubbies 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'' (]), as in: ''Eh-oh, Laa-Laa,'' to which Laa-Laa will respond, ''Eh-oh, ''; "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. | |||
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", 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 occurances of the show, including the end sequence, and the scene preceding the the short film broadcast on a characters tummy were shot only once, and the same scenes are used in each episode. | |||
The ] environment is an evocation of a ]'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 ] 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 plot line 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 ]. | |||
Machines like the Noo-Noo, 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 to be afraid of. | |||
In 2001, production was cancelled and it was announced that no new episodes would be produced. | |||
(However, BBC ran a few in the can episodes from mid 2001 to early 2002) 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. | |||
The Teletubbies' landscape is an outdoor set located in rural ], ], at Sweet Knowle Farm, Redhill Bank Rd, Whimpstone, CV37 8NR (between ] and ], close to the ]<ref>Sweet Knowle Farm is at coordinates {{coord|52.125515|-1.703446|type:landmark|name=Sweet Knowle Farm}}</ref>). It was reported that by 2002 the set had become overgrown, and pending the 2003 lease expiry it was expected to become farmland again. | |||
Tinky Winky has a red handbag, Dipsy has a cow-print hat, Laa-Laa an inflatable orange ball and Po a scooter. | |||
== Character summary == | |||
===Tinky Winky (purple)=== | |||
(], Mark Heenehan, Simon Shelton): Male. He is the largest of the Teletubbies, with a triangular antenna on his head. Tinky Winky is notable for the red luggage (described by the show as a "magic bag", but often described by other media as a ]<!-- Not a "purse", which is something else in UK English. -->) he carries. His character has caused much controversy due to allegations that his character's behaviour carried homosexual undertones. He is also found dancing in a ballet-style tutu from time to time, which is also often worn by La-La. | |||
===Dipsy (green)=== | |||
(John Simmit): Male. He has a straight ] antenna on his head, hence his name. His favorite item to wear and carry with him is his black and white hat. Dipsy is the most obstinate of the characters, and will sometimes refuse to go along with the other Tubbies' group opinion. His face is also notably darker than the rest of the Teletubbies. | |||
===Laa-Laa (yellow)=== | |||
(Nikky Smedley): Female. She has a curly antenna and is very concerned with the welfare of all. She's the best singer of all the teletubbies. "Drama queen", party-girl and mother type. Her favourite thing is a bouncy, orange ball which is almost as big as her. | |||
===Po (red)=== | |||
(]): Female. Her antenna is short with a circle on top. Po is the smallest of all the Teletubbies and often the one who gets into innocent trouble. Her favorite thing is her scooter as she calls it ("Po 'cooter!"). Of all the Teletubbies, Po usually becomes most involved with the audience. | |||
===Noo-Noo=== | |||
No gender specified. Noo-Noo seems to be the Teletubbies housekeeper or cleaner, due to his resemblance to a ], which is his initial purpose in the house. He hardly ventures outside, instead remaining indoors and constantly cleaning with his sucker-like nose. He 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 him comically around the house until they grow tired, are distracted by something, or forgive Noo-Noo. This sequence ends with them hugging him, or with him shooting out their absorbed objects. | |||
==Teletubbies and the instruments== | |||
*]: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] | |||
*]: ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] | |||
*]: ], ], ], ], ]s, ], ]s, ]s, ], and ] | |||
*]: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] | |||
==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. <ref name="tenth anniversary"> {{cite news | author=Rusak, Gary | date=], ] | title=Teletubbies celebrate 10th anniversary in high style | publisher=KidScreen Magazine | url=http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/daily/20070312/teletubbies.html}} </ref> | |||
*The characters appeared outside of Teletubbyland for the first time on ], ] 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 ] ], ], and ]. They also appeared on ] on ] ]. The episode included the first ever televised interview with the actors outside of their costumes. | |||
*A partnership was formed with ] in which Isaac designed Teletubbies-inspired bags to be ]ed off to benefit the ] and ] charities. | |||
*A new line of clothing was launched to be sold in the Pop-Up Shop and other specialty stores. | |||
*] ] announced ], ] "Teletubbies Day" and gave the ] to the Teletubbies. | |||
] | |||
===TakeTheTeletubbiesTest.com=== | |||
launched on ] ]. 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 ] ] from ] to ], ].<ref name="popup shop"> {{cite news| title=Teletubbies Pop-Up Shop | url=http://www.taketheteletubbiestest.com/love_it/}} </ref> The opening night party was DJ'ed by MisShapes. A percentage of the store's profits went to the ] and ] charities. | |||
*DJs from all different genres of music (], ], ], ], ] and ]) played in the store in the evenings. Some evenings included DJ ] lessons and record spin art. | |||
*On ], ], the store held a 12-hour Teletubbies viewing ]. | |||
===Teletubbies live events=== | |||
Following the Teletubbies' appearance in ], they went on their first live European tour, performing shows in ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
===Are You the 5th Teletubby?=== | |||
Also in celebration of the Teletubbies' 10th anniversary, a contest is being held at 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. | |||
==Tinky Winky controversies== | |||
One of the Teletubbies, Tinky Winky, started a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 due to his carrying a bag that looks much like a woman's handbag<!--not "purse", which has a different meaning in UK English--> (although he was first "]" by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to '']''). | |||
A February 1999 article in the ''National Liberty Journal'', published by evangelical pastor ], warned parents that Tinky Winky could be a hidden ] symbol, because "he is purple, the ] colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle, the gay pride symbol". | |||
A spokesman for Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., who licenses the characters in the ], said that the bag was just a ] bag. "The fact that he carries a magic bag doesn't make him a homosexual. It's a children's show, folks. To think we would be putting sexual innuendo in a children's show is kind of outlandish", he added. | |||
In May 2007, Polish Ombudsman for Children ] revisited the matter, and planned to order an investigation.<ref> on the Polish gay Tellytubby controversy</ref> She said in the ] ] edition of ] magazine '']'' that the woman's handbag-carrying Tinky Winky could promote ]. | |||
]s from ''Wprost'' mentioned claims 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 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 ]s to look into the allegations "and judge whether it can be shown on public television and whether the suggested problem really exists." | |||
But on ] ], Sowińska said in a public statement that she no longer suspected the Teletubbies of promoting homosexuality. She said: "The opinion of a leading ], 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."<ref>"Polish watchdog backs away from Teletubbies probe", ''cbc.ca'', ] ], , retrieved ] ]</ref> | |||
In an unrelated incident reported in 2000, a girl's Tinky Winky toy reportedly said "I got a gun". Kenn Viselman, then chairman of the Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., claimed the toy actually said "Again, again!", a catchphrase from the show. <ref name="tinky gun">{{cite news | author=Dotinga, Randy | date= ], ] | title= Lawsuit to Target Teletubbies for Gun Talk | publisher= APBNews| url=http://web.archive.org/web/20000510155551/www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/2000/04/12/teletubbies0412_01.html}}</ref> | |||
==Spoofs== | |||
At the height of the show's popularity, it was widely parodied. | |||
* Several episodes of '']'' contain references to the Teletubbies. Notable episodes include "]" where a character called Gaa Gaa says "hurt everyone" which goes unnoticed because of the character's "cute name", and "]" in which Bart watches a Brazilian children's learning show called "Teleboobies" which has a different premise but the title is an obvious pun. In "]", Homer dresses up as a teletubby to entertain Maggie. His line, "...and I'm all man, in case you heard otherwise" is a reference to the Tinky Winky controversy. In "]", several PBS mainstays chase Homer for reneging on a pledge to donate money to public television. The crowd includes the teletubbies whose headgear shoots lasers. On another occasion, the Teletubbies make what the announcer calls "their first live appearance since Tinky Winky was acquitted of manslaughter". Character ] is apparently a ], as evidenced by his undergarments and his private TV viewing. Also on "]", Milhouse has Dipsy and Tinky Winky briefs. | |||
*In an episode of '']'' called "]", ] is watching the Teletubbies at home while stoned. | |||
* The Australian sketch show '']'' included many sketches featuring "Tele]" named ], Drinky-Drinky, Blah and ]. These four Teletubby look-alikes, emblazoned with ] labels and with ]s on their heads, would wander around aimlessly committing crimes. | |||
* The New Zealand show ] had a sketch entitled Smellie Grubbies, the characters names being Stinky Winky(Wairua Rutene), Dipstick (James Sutherland), ](Jordan Sutherland) and Poo(John Bright). | |||
* In an episode of '']'', Claudia thought that Jimmy was high on drugs because he was laughing while watching Teletubbies. Eddie then asked Jimmy why he was laughing. Jimmy responded "Oh. Po tripped over Laa-laa and fell in the flower bed." Eddie then explained it to Claudia. | |||
* In an episode of ], Buster claims Muffy as "the fifth Teletubby" in "The Contest", the first segment of "The Contest/Prove It". There also seems to be at least three Teletubbies equivalents in the series, known as "Love Ducks", "Vidiboobies", and "Silly Squirrels". | |||
* In an episode of the British cartoon sketch show '']'', "The Talibannies" are featured, one of them being "Bin-LaLa", referencing The '']'' and '']''. | |||
* In the ] ], , 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 '']'', the "Rendoosian" word for "television" is "Telebooby", which sounds like "Teletubbie". | |||
* Tom Fulp of ] created a spoof of "Teletubbies" called "Telebubbies" which resulted in a law suit from the BBC. | |||
* In an episode of the ] prison series '']'' an allusion to a 'Twinky Dink' is mentioned in conjunction with the comments made by evangelist ]'s 'outing' of Tinky Winky. | |||
* In an episode of ], when Timmy was trapped by his "imaginary" friend from preschool revived into real life, the "Teebietubbies" were ordered to attack him. | |||
* In an episode of ] where a few characters are sent into television programmes, one of the channels shown features Teletubby-like creatures. An enormous one called Mr Sit Down stomps on various villains over the course of the show by sitting on them. | |||
* In the ] episode, ], there is a segment in which the red teletubby, Po, is shown smoking. | |||
*In an episode of ], during a game of Film/TV/Theatre Styles, Teletubbies was performed, with ] warning the others of the "evil purple one". | |||
* A game on Madblast.com makes the player shoot the Tellytubbies (the "Tellietargets") to make the world a better place. It can be found at http://www.madblast.com/funny/1496_the-tellietargets-game.html | |||
* In the ], the Dutch public channel had a version called 'De Teringtubbies'. This was broadcasted at ], and was part of the ] programming. It received various critics, many people (especially the young) thought it was funny, hilarious, and perhaps even cult, but at the same time, many people (including the creators of the Teletubbies) thought it went too far over the edge, for one Teringtubbie was called 'Tietentubbie' (Titstubbie), a 'tubbie' wandering around in a yellow Lala outfit, with her breasts hanging out of the costume, and the name of the programme literally ment Tuberculosistubbies. There were only 10 episodes made of 'the Teringtubbies'. | |||
* In one episode of ], Stewie is forced to watch ''Teletubbies'' after Lois catches him reading mature books. Stewie then gets sucked into the show and cannot get his focus off the TV until Peter changes the channel to watch his own program. | |||
* In 2007, Australian comedy team, ], sent a person in a Tinky Winky suit to a gay bar and a Polish club to see what the general reactions would be. Tinky Winky was welcomed into both establishments. | |||
* The '']'' episode "]" features the ] commenting on an episode of Teletubbies: "Televisions in their stomachs! That's evolution!" This is an allusion to the classic series story '']'', in which the Master is seen enjoying '']'' and making a similar sarcastic comment on the characters. | |||
==Teletubbies in other media== | |||
* In ], a ] commercial featured Jeeps driving through famous scenes in history and popular culture, including an ] film, a ] film, the moon landing, ], a ] cartoon, a ] documentary, ] "]" music video, at the fall of the ], an episode of '']'', and in Teletubbyland with Laa-Laa and Po.<ref></ref> | |||
* In September, ], in a hazing ritual for the ], pitcher ] and his translator, Masa Hoshino, dressed as Dipsy and Tinky Winky, respectively.<ref></ref> | |||
==Alternative names== | |||
Teletubbies has been ]ed for many different countries, sometimes involving a change of title. | |||
{{Col-begin}} | |||
{{Col-break}} | |||
*텔레토비 - ] title | |||
*Teletubbies (テレタビーズ) - ] title (]) | |||
*ტელეღიპუცები - ] title | |||
* تيليتابيز - ] title | |||
*טלטאביז - ] title | |||
*天線得得B - ] title | |||
*天線寶寶 - ] title (tiānxiànbǎobǎo) | |||
*天线宝宝 - ] title (tiānxiànbǎobǎo) | |||
*Teletupsud - ] title | |||
*Teletapit - ] title | |||
*Les Télétubbies - ] title | |||
*Stubbarnir - ] title | |||
*Teletubbanna - ] title | |||
*Teletubbiene - ] title | |||
{{Col-break}} | |||
*Teletubisie - ] title | |||
*Телепузики (Telepuziki) - ] title | |||
*Telebajski -] | |||
*Teletobi (꼬꼬마 텔레토비) - ] title | |||
*Teletabiai - ] title | |||
*Los Teletubbies (pronounced /te.leˈtub.bis/) - ]n title | |||
*Телетабиси - ] title | |||
*Teletabiler - ] title | |||
*Teledo'mboqlar - ] title | |||
*เทเลทับบี้ - ] title | |||
*Teletubbies- Swedish title | |||
*Teletybis - ] title | |||
*Τελετάμπις - Greek title | |||
{{Col-end}} | |||
== Broadcasters around the world == | |||
{{Col-begin}} | |||
{{Col-break}} | |||
*Spain: ] | |||
*Korea: ] | |||
*France: ] | |||
*Switzerland: ], ] and ] | |||
*Netherlands: ] | |||
*New Zealand: ] | |||
*UK: ] and ] | |||
*China: ] | |||
*Denmark: ] | |||
*Norway: ] | |||
*Finland: ] | |||
*Estonia: ] (Formerly ]) | |||
*USA: ] | |||
*Malaysia: ] | |||
*Russia: ] | |||
{{Col-break}} | |||
*Poland: ] and ] | |||
*Brazil: ] | |||
*Australia: ] | |||
*Canada: ], ] and ] | |||
*Sweden: ] | |||
*Italy: ]'s RAISat Yo-Yo (Italian website: ) | |||
*Israel: ],] | |||
*Singapore: ] | |||
*Greece: ] | |||
*Bulgaria ] | |||
*Iceland: ] | |||
*Germany: ] | |||
*Japan: ] | |||
*Dominican Republic: Telecentro | |||
*Hong Kong: ] World | |||
*Portugal: ] | |||
*Belgium: ] | |||
{{Col-end}} | |||
== See also == | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*], the type of building they live in | |||
*] | |||
==References== | |||
<references/> | |||
==External links== | |||
* '''Official:''' , | |||
* '''Broadcaster:''' (UK), (US) | |||
*{{imdb title|id=0142055|title=Teletubbies}} | |||
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* , a licensee | |||
{{CurrentPBSKids_shows}} | |||
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Revision as of 03:41, 3 February 2008
The telletubies are really sex perverts that change colors when they are sexually aroused. this problem came about when hitler jacked off their antennas in the fourth grade. from there on out, they decided that the only way to stay safe was to live in a bomb shelter. And the baby is trapt in the sun because chuck norriss said that he should be in that damn sun!!!!!! fuck!!!! why the fuck is he in that mother fuckin sun? i wonder how hot the baby is. i hope somone brings him up a drink. that would suck if i was trapt in a cloud with no watter. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--Allex Decaudin