|
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series, particularly aimed at young children, 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 programme rapidly became a critical and commercial success in Britain and abroad, particularly notable for its high production values; it won a BAFTA in 1998.
Although the show is aimed at children between the ages of one and four, it has been a substantial cult hit with older generations, including university students. "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.
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 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 costumes vaguely resemble large spacesuits, although the Tubbies appear not to wear clothes. They are instead furry, and 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 are to be tailored to suit local audiences. (The British inserts are default).
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). 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 (hello), as in: Eh-oh, Laa-Laa, to which Laa-Laa will respond, Eh-oh, [other Tubby's name]; "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.
The surreal environment is an evocation of a toddler'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 sun that has an image of a smiling, white 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 vacuum cleaner.
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 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. 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, La-La an inflatable orange ball and Po a scooter.
Tinky Winky (Purple)
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 handbag) he carries. His character has caused much controversy due to alleged homosexual undertones.
Dipsy (Green)
He has a straight dipstick 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)
Female. She has a curly antenna and is very concerned with the welfare of all. She's the best singer of the teletubbies. "Drama queen", party-girl and mother type. Her favourite thing is a bouncy, orange ball which is almost as big as herself.
Po (Red)
Female. Although many are unsure of Po's gender, or consider her to be male (possibly because of her scarlet color 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). 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 vacuum cleaner, 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 would flee and the Teletubbies would pursue him comically around the house until they grew tired, were distracted by something, or forgave Noo-Noo. The conclusion would either end with them hugging him, or he would shoot out their absorbed objects.
|
