Editing Teletubbies

{{Short description|British children's television series}}
{{Redirect|Dipsy|the football player|Dipsy Selolwane}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Teletubbies Logo.png
| caption            =
| creator            = [[Anne Wood]]<br />[[Andrew Davenport]]
| developer          = [[Ragdoll Productions]] (original series)<br />[[Darrall Macqueen]] (revival series)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c21media.net/nickelodeon-takes-teletubbies-reboot/|title=Nickelodeon takes Teletubbies reboot|publisher=C21 Media|date=6 November 2015|last=Franks|first=Nico|access-date=27 May 2016}}</ref>
| writer             = [[Andrew Davenport]]<br>Catherine Williams
| director           = David G Hillier<br>Vic Finch<br>Nigel P Harris<br>Bob Jacobs<br>Martin Scott<br>Paul Gawith<br>Nicky Hinkley<br>Jack Jameson<br>Richard Bradley<br>Dermot Canterbury<br>Iwan Watson<br>Matt Rene
| starring           = '''Original series:'''<br />[[Dave Thompson (comedian)|Dave Thompson]]<br />[[Simon Shelton]]<br />[[John Simmit]]<br />Nikky Smedley<br />[[Pui Fan Lee]]<br />Mark Dean<br />Jess Smith<br />[[Robin Stevens (puppeteer)|Robin Stevens]]<br />[[Toyah Willcox]]<br />'''Revival series:'''<br />[[Jeremiah Krage]]<br />[[Nick Kellington]]<br />Rebecca Hyland<br />Rachelle Beinart<br />Olly Taylor<br />Berry Smith<br />Victoria Jane<br />Luisa Guerreiro
| voices             = '''Original series:'''<br />[[Toyah Willcox]]<br />[[Penelope Keith]]<br />[[John Simmit]]<br />Gary Stevenson<br />Alex Hogg<br />[[Alex Pascall]]<br />[[Rudolph Walker]]<br />[[Eric Sykes]]<br />Mark Heenehan<br />[[Sandra Dickinson]] (US)<br />[[John Schwab]] (US)<br />[[Toni Barry]] (US)<br />[[Rachael Lillis]] (US)<br />Dena Davis (US)<br />'''Revival series:'''<br />[[Jane Horrocks]]<br />[[Jim Broadbent]]<br />[[Fearne Cotton]]<br />[[Antonia Thomas]]<br />[[Teresa Gallagher]]<br />[[Rob Rackstraw]]<br />[[David Walliams]]<br />[[Rochelle Humes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/teletubbies2|title=It's time for series two of Teletubbies!|access-date=20 September 2017}}</ref><br />Ralph Reay
| narrated           = '''Original series:'''<br />[[Tim Whitnall]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32201894|title=Teletubbies voices revealed for new series|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=7 April 2015|access-date=27 May 2016}}</ref><br />Toyah Willcox (titles and credits only)<br />[[Rolf Saxon]] (US)<br />'''Revival series:'''<br />[[Daniel Rigby]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-06-16/from-bt-adverts-and-teletubbies-to-undercover---the-screen-journey-of-daniel-rigby|title=From BT adverts and Teletubbies to Undercover – the screen journey of Daniel Rigby|magazine=[[Radio Times]]|date=16 June 2015|last=Fullerton|first=Huw|access-date=27 May 2016|archive-date=27 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127204747/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-06-16/from-bt-adverts-and-teletubbies-to-undercover---the-screen-journey-of-daniel-rigby|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />[[Antonia Thomas]] (titles and credits only)<br />[[Tituss Burgess]] (US version of 2015 reboot)
| opentheme          = "[[Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"|Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!']]"
| composer           = Andrew McCrorie-Shand (original series)<br />Robert Hartley<br />[[BBC Philharmonic]]<br />[[Richie Webb]]<br />Matt Katz (revival series)
| country            = United Kingdom
| language           = English
| num_series         = 5 (original series)<br />4 (revival series)
| num_episodes       = 365 (original series)<br />120 (revival series)<br />Total: 485
| list_episodes      = List of Teletubbies episodes
| location           = [[Wimpstone, Warwickshire|Wimpstone]], England (1997–2001)<ref name="ourwarwickshire-org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/geology-landscape-tellytubbyland|title=The Geology and Landscape of Teletubbyland}}</ref><br />[[Twickenham Studios]], West London, England (2015–18)
| executive_producer = Anne Wood<br />David G Hillier<br />Vic Finch (original series)<br />[[Maddy Darrall]]<br />[[Billy Macqueen]] (revival series)
| runtime            = '''Original series:'''<br />25 minutes (series 1-5)<br />'''Revival series:'''<br />15 minutes (series 1-4)
| company            = '''Original series:'''<br />[[Ragdoll Productions]]<br />[[BBC]]<br />'''Revival series:'''<br />[[WildBrain|DHX Media]]<br />[[Darrall Macqueen]]<br />Ingenious
| network            = [[BBC Two]]
| network2           = [[CBeebies]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1997|03|31|df=y}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2001|02|16|df=y}}
| first_aired2       = {{Start date|2015|11|09|df=y}}
| last_aired2        = {{End date|2018|10|12|df=y}}
}}

'''''Teletubbies''''' is a British [[children's television series]] created by [[Anne Wood]] and [[Andrew Davenport]] for the [[BBC]]. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on their bellies. Recognised throughout [[popular culture]] for the uniquely shaped antenna protruding from the head of each character, the Teletubbies communicate through gibberish and were designed to bear resemblance to toddlers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bridging real world and toddler fantasy, Teletubbies reaches youngest audience|url=http://current.org/files/archive-site/ch/ch803t.html|access-date=20 May 2016|work=Current.org|date=16 February 1998|last=Everhart|first=Karen|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817235434/http://current.org/files/archive-site/ch/ch803t.html|archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref>

The series rapidly became a commercial success in Britain and abroad. It won multiple [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] awards and was nominated for two [[Daytime Emmy Award|Daytime Emmys]] throughout its run.<ref name="BBC News Entertainment: Tubbies toast another three years">{{cite news|title=Tubbies toast another three years|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/287940.stm|access-date=3 June 2015|publisher=BBC News|date=1 March 1999}}</ref><ref name="bafta-2002">{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=2002|title=Past Winners and Nominees&nbsp;– Children's&nbsp;– Awards&nbsp;– 2002|publisher=[[BAFTA]]|access-date=13 January 2010}}</ref> A [[Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"|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.<ref name="Spilsbury2012">{{cite book|author=Richard Spilsbury|title=Simon Cowell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzHagb095xgC&pg=PA16|date=1 July 2012|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4329-6434-4|pages=16–}}</ref> By October 2000, the franchise generated over £1{{nbsp}}billion ({{US$|{{To USD|1|GBR|year=2011}} billion|long=no}}) in merchandise sales.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Tim |title=Innovating at the Edge |date=2012 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781136395352 |page=203 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ocABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA203}}</ref>

Though the original run ended in 2001,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/cbbc-wants-first-tenders/1177573.article|title=CBBC wants first tenders &#124; News &#124; Broadcast|publisher=Broadcast now.co.uk|date=29 June 2001|access-date=10 July 2010}}</ref> a rebooted series was green-lit in 2014.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jun/13/bbc-cbeebies-orders-new-teletubbies-episodes|first=Mark|last=Sweeney|title=BBC's CBeebies orders 60 new Teletubbies episodes|date=13 June 2014|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> The reboot premiered on [[CBeebies]] in the United Kingdom and on the [[Nick Jr. Channel]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=Teletubbies Reboot Coming to Nickelodeon|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/06/nickelodeon-gets-american-rights-for-bbc-teletubbies-reboot|date=12 June 2015|access-date=20 May 2016|work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|publisher=Complex Media, Inc.|archive-date=14 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914130818/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/06/nickelodeon-gets-american-rights-for-bbc-teletubbies-reboot|url-status=dead}}</ref> The reboot ran for 120 episodes, with the last episode airing on the Nick Jr. Channel on 17 August 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/teletubbies/listings/|title=Shows A-Z - teletubbies on nick jr &#124; TheFutonCritic.com|website=www.thefutoncritic.com}}</ref>

The original series returned to the United States on 25 May 2016, when every episode was added to the [[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]] streaming service,<ref name="DHX"/> including episodes that had never aired in America before.

==Plot==
The programme takes place in a grassy, floral landscape populated by rabbits with bird calls audible in the background. The main shelter of the four Teletubbies is an [[earth house]] known as the "Tubbytronic Superdome" implanted in the ground and accessed through a hole at the top or an especially large semicircular door at the dome's foot. The Teletubbies co-exist with a number of strange contraptions such as the Voice Trumpets and the group's anthropomorphic blue [[vacuum cleaner]] ("Noo-Noo"). The show's colourful psychedelic setting was designed specifically to appeal to the attention spans of infants and unlock different sections of the mind while also educating young children of transitions that can be expected in life.

An assortment of rituals is performed throughout the course of every episode, such as the playful interactions between the Teletubbies and the Voice Trumpets, mishaps caused by the Noo-Noo, the footage of children displayed on the screens on the Teletubbies' stomachs, and the magical event that occurs once per episode. The event differs each time; it is often caused inexplicably and is frequently strange yet whimsical. Each episode is closed by the Voice Trumpets and the narrator. The disappointed, reluctant, but eventually obedient Teletubbies bid farewell to the viewer as they go back to the Tubbytronic Superdome while the Sun Baby sets.

==Characters==
[[File:Teletubbies.png|thumb|left|The main characters. From left to right: Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and Tinky-Winky]]

===Main characters===
* {{anchor|Tinky Winky}}'''Tinky Winky''' (played by [[Dave Thompson (comedian)|Dave Thompson]] and [[Simon Shelton]] in the original series and by [[Jeremiah Krage]] in the revival series)<ref>{{cite news|last=Krage|first=Jeremiah|title=Showreel: Jeremiah Krage|url=http://www.jeremiahkrage.com|url-status=dead|access-date=22 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404182836/http://www.jeremiahkrage.com/|archive-date=4 April 2016}}</ref> is the first Teletubby, as well as the largest and oldest of the group. He is covered in purple [[terrycloth]] and has a [[triangle|triangular]] [[Antenna (radio)|antenna]] on his head. He often carries a red bag.
* {{anchor|Dipsy}}'''Dipsy''' (played by [[John Simmit]] in the original series and by [[Nick Kellington]] in the revival series)<ref name="Zap2it Cast">{{cite web|title=Teletubbies Cast – Zap2it|url=http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/teletubbies/cast/EP00224776?aid=zap2it|publisher=[[Zap2it]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530124458/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/teletubbies/cast/EP00224776?aid=zap2it|archive-date=30 May 2013}}</ref> is the second Teletubby. He is green and named after his antenna, which resembles a [[dipstick]]. Dipsy is the most stubborn of the Teletubbies, and will occasionally refuse to go along with the others' group opinion. His face is notably darker than the rest of the Teletubbies, and the creators have stated that he is [[Black British people|Black]].<ref name="16things">{{cite news| title=Teletubbies: 16 things you didn't know|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10903566/Teletubbies-16-things-you-didnt-know.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10903566/Teletubbies-16-things-you-didnt-know.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=24 December 2014|access-date=5 April 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He often wears a large hat with a black and white pattern.
* {{anchor|Laa-Laa}}'''Laa-Laa''' (played by Nikky Smedley in the original series and by Rebecca Hyland in the revival series)<ref name="Zap2it Cast" /> is the third Teletubby. She is yellow and has a curly antenna. Laa-Laa is very sweet, likes to sing and dance, and is often shown looking out for the other Teletubbies. Her favourite toy is an orange rubber ball.
* {{anchor|Po}}'''Po''' (played by [[Pui Fan Lee]] in the original series and by Rachelle Beinart in the revival series)<ref name="Zap2it Cast" /> is the fourth Teletubby, as well as the shortest and youngest. She is red and has an antenna shaped like a stick used for blowing [[soap bubble]]s. Po normally speaks in a soft voice and has been stated by the show's creators to be [[Cantonese people|Cantonese]];<ref name="16things" /> she sometimes speaks [[Cantonese|the language]]. Her favourite toy is a blue and pink scooter.

===Supporting characters===
* '''Noo-Noo''' (operated by Mark Dean in the original series and Victoria Jane and Olly Taylor in the revival series)<ref name="Teletubbies Credits">{{cite book |title=Teletubbies Authors|oclc = 60547993}}</ref> is a sentient vacuum cleaner who acts as both the Teletubbies' guardian and housekeeper. He hardly ever ventures outside the Tubbytronic Superdome, instead remaining indoors and constantly cleaning with his sucker-like nose. He communicates through a series of slurping and sucking noises. He occasionally misbehaves and sucks up anything from tubby toast to blankets, which prompts the Teletubbies to call him "Naughty Noo-Noo" and give chase. He was blue in the original series and had orange, pink and yellow stripes in the revival series.
* The '''Voice Trumpets''' (voiced by [[Eric Sykes]], [[Toyah Willcox]], [[John Simmit]], Gary Stevenson, Alex Hogg, [[Alex Pascall]], [[Tim Whitnall]] and [[Rudolph Walker]] in the original series, [[Sandra Dickinson]], [[Toni Barry]], [[Rachael Lillis]] and [[John Schwab]] used in the US series from PBS, and [[Fearne Cotton]], [[Jim Broadbent]], [[Antonia Thomas]], [[Teresa Gallagher]], [[David Walliams]] and [[Rochelle Humes]] in the revival series)<ref name="Teletubbies Characters">{{Cite web|url=https://us.teletubbies.com/about-teletubbies/|title=About Teletubbies|website=Teletubbies}}</ref> are several devices resembling periscopes that rise from the ground and interact with the Teletubbies, often engaging in games with them and serving as supervisors. They are the only residents of Teletubbyland who speak in complete sentences.
* The '''Sun Baby''' (played by Jess Smith in the original series and Berry (surname unknown) in the revival series)<ref name=TDT>{{cite news|title=The baby from Teletubbies reveals herself|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11310883/The-baby-from-Teletubbies-reveals-herself.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11310883/The-baby-from-Teletubbies-reveals-herself.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=23 December 2014|author=Agency|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=23 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> appears at the beginning and end of each episode. She acts as a wake-up call for the Teletubbies.
* Numerous '''rabbits''' are found throughout Teletubbyland, and are depicted by several [[Flemish Giant]] rabbits. 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. They are hardly ever seen in the magical events, apart from the Lion and Bear (edited sketch).
* The '''Tubby Phone''' (voiced by [[Jane Horrocks]])<ref name="Teletubbies Characters" /> is a character in the revival series. Tubby Phone has the ability to make "Tubby Phone dance" and Teletubbies dance after they push the button on the phone. At one point, it has the ability to make Tubby photos.
* The '''Tiddlytubbies''' (voiced by [[Teresa Gallagher]]) are baby Teletubbies appearing in the revival series. Their names are Mi-Mi, Daa Daa, Baa, Ping, RuRu, Nin, Duggle Dee and Umby Pumby.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dhx-media-announces-teletubbies-season-two-574465461.html|title=DHX Media Announces Teletubbies Season Two|agency=[[PR Newswire]]|date=4 April 2016|access-date=24 May 2016}}</ref> The Tiddlytubbies would get their own spin-off animated web series in 2018.

==Release==
On 31 March 1997, the first episode of ''Teletubbies'' aired on [[BBC Two|BBC2]] on the [[CBBC]] programming block. It filled a time slot previously held by ''[[Playdays]]''. This schedule change initially received backlash from parents, but the show was not moved.<ref name="Tegna">{{cite news| title=To Teletubby or not to Teletubby|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/to-teletubby-or-not-to-teletubby-1235645.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/to-teletubby-or-not-to-teletubby-1235645.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=12 October 1997|access-date=27 May 2016|publisher=[[Tegna, Inc.]]|work=[[WTSP|Tegna WTSP]]}}</ref> The programme's unconventional format quickly received attention from the media, and it was attracting two million viewers per episode by August.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/teletubbies-to-get-grown-up-help-with-their-baby-talk-1247240.html|title=Teletubbies to get grown-up help with their baby talk|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=24 August 1997|access-date=24 May 2016|last=McCann|first=Paul|archive-date=30 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730172633/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/teletubbies-to-get-grown-up-help-with-their-baby-talk-1247240.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In February 1998, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' noted that it had "reached cult status" in less than a year on the air.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/120712794/|title=Padded sells|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|via=Newspapers.com|date=1 February 1998|access-date=24 May 2016}}</ref>

''Teletubbies'' has been aired in over 120 countries in 45 different languages.<ref>{{cite news|date=11 June 2015|title=Nickelodeon snaps up broadcast and on-demand rights to new Teletubbies|work=[[Licensing.biz]]|publisher=[[NewBay Media]]|url=http://www.licensing.biz/news/read/nickelodeon-snaps-up-us-broadcast-and-on-demand-rights-to-new-teletubbies/042196|url-status=dead|access-date=23 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613073530/http://www.licensing.biz/news/read/nickelodeon-snaps-up-us-broadcast-and-on-demand-rights-to-new-teletubbies/042196|archive-date=13 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/teletubbies-will-return-to-tv-after-14-years-which-actor-will-star-201584|title=Teletubbies Will Return After 14 Years: See Which British Actor Will Star in New TV Show!|work=[[Us Weekly]]|publisher=[[Wenner Media LLC]]|date=4 August 2015}}</ref> In the United States, the series airs on [[Nickelodeon]]'s sister channel, the [[Nick Jr. Channel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/11/teletubbies-reboot_n_7561434.html|title=Nickelodeon Is Rebooting The 'Teletubbies'|publisher=[[Verizon Communications]]|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=11 June 2015|access-date=24 June 2015|last=Whitney|first=Erin}}</ref><ref name="DHX">{{cite web|url=http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/major-tv-deal-for-brand-new-incarnation-of-hit-preschool-series/|title=DHX Media's ''Teletubbies'' heads to the US with Nick Jr. and the Noggin app|work=DHX Media|date=11 June 2015|access-date=31 March 2016|archive-date=27 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127183651/http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/major-tv-deal-for-brand-new-incarnation-of-hit-preschool-series/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Episodes were also released through the Nick Jr. mobile application and on-demand services.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/11/bbcs-teletubbies-reboot-picked-nickelodeon|title=Teletubbies reboot picked up by Nickelodeon|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Teletubbies: Where to Watch|url=http://us.teletubbies.com/about-teletubbies/where-to-watch/|work=Teletubbies.com|publisher=[[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom International, Inc.]]|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> The original series is available as part of the [[Noggin (app)|Noggin]] subscription service in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.streamingmedia.com/PressRelease/Noggin-Nickelodeons-Preschool-Video-Subscription-Service-Expands-to-New-Platforms-and-Adds-Eight-Premium-Series-to-Content-Slate_40093.aspx|title=Noggin, Nickelodeon's Preschool Video Subscription Service, Expands to New Platforms and Adds Eight Premium Series to Content Slate|work=Streaming Media|publisher=[[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom International, Inc.]]|date=11 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Noggin's Teletubbies|url=http://nutmegcreative.com/work/noggin-teletubbies/|work=Nutmeg Creative|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528213348/http://nutmegcreative.com/work/noggin-teletubbies/|archive-date=28 May 2016|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> It aired on [[PBS Kids]] in the United States from 6 April 1998 to 29 August 2008. [[BBC Studios]] channels carry the series in most of Africa, Asia and Poland.<ref name="animation">{{cite web|url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/dhx-inks-ten-teletubbies-broadcast-deals/|title=DHX inks ten ''Teletubbies'' broadcast deals|work=AnimationMagazine.net|date=24 March 2016}}</ref> A Spanish dub airs on [[Clan (TV channel)|Clan]] in Spain.<ref name="newswire">{{cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/dhx-media-adds-10-more-broadcast-deals-for-the-new-teletubbies-573339351.html|title=DHX Media adds 10 more broadcast deals for the new ''Teletubbies''|work=Newswire.ca}}</ref> In Greece, the series airs on [[Nickelodeon (Greece)|Nickelodeon Greece]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies – Nickelodeon Greece|url=http://www.nickelodeon.gr/seires/teletubbies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506052613/http://www.nickelodeon.gr/seires/teletubbies|archive-date=6 May 2016|access-date=23 May 2016|publisher=[[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom International, Inc.]]}}</ref> [[NPO Zappelin]] carries the show in the Netherlands and [[MTVA (Hungary)|MTVA]] airs it in Hungary.<ref name="animation" /> In Australia and New Zealand, the series airs on CBeebies Australia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbeebies.com/australia/teletubbies|title=Teletubbies – CBeebies Australia|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 June 2015|archive-date=12 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812093452/http://www.cbeebies.com/australia/teletubbies|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[ABC Kids (Australia)|ABC Kids]]. [[JimJam]]'s Benelux feed airs the series and [[Ultra (TV channel)|Ultra]] airs it in Serbia.<ref name="newswire" /> ''Teletubbies'' also airs on [[Sociedade Independente de Comunicação|SIC]] in Portugal and [[e-Junior]] in the Middle East.<ref name="animation" /> In [[Singapore]], the series aired over-the-air on [[Central (TV channel)|Premiere 12]] six days a week, attracting by mid-1998 an audience of 78,000 viewers, and twice a week on cable, on the [[Eureka Learning Channel]]. The series also gave a notable subscription drive for Singapore Television Twelve's magazine, owing to Teletubby plush toys sweepstakes.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 August 1998 |title=It's a roly-poly gang hold-up |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19980802-1.2.65.4 |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=The Straits Times}}</ref>

A redubbed version of the 2015 reboot premiered on [[Netflix]] on 14 November 2022 featuring [[Tituss Burgess]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Porter|first=Rick|title='Teletubbies' Reboot With Tituss Burgess Set at Netflix|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-teletubbies-reboot-tituss-burgess-1235213235/|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=7 September 2022|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref>

==Production==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2024}}
The show was created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport after the BBC requested their pitch for a show aimed at preschoolers. Inspired by Davenport's interest in [[astronaut]]s, specifically [[Apollo 11]] and the first [[Moon landing]], as well as their concern about "how children were reacting to the increasingly technological environment of the late 1990s", the two put together a pitch which the BBC picked up.<ref name="Howwemade">{{cite news |last1=Tims |first1=Anna |title=How we made: Teletubbies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jun/03/how-we-made-teletubbies |newspaper=The Guardian |date=3 June 2013 |access-date=29 December 2019}}</ref>

Finding a shooting location was a challenge, as they wanted to film the production outside but was unable to locate a place "with a suitable bowl-like dip". They ended up filming on a farm in [[Wimpstone, Warwickshire]],<ref name="ourwarwickshire-org"/> where they had previously shot ''[[Tots TV]]''.<ref name="Howwemade"/> Due to problems with a previous television show shooting at the location, the shooting was protested by the locals, although they calmed down after being assured that "it was a low-key children's programme and no one would be aware of the filming".<ref name="Howwemade"/> After the show took off, though, its popularity caused the land to be overrun by the press. In 2013, due to the continued trespassing, its owner, Rosemary Harding, had the location filled with water and turned into a small pond: "People were jumping fences and crossing cattle fields. We’re glad to see the back of it."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/teletubbies-set-deliberately-flooded-by-owner-to-prevent-tourists-trespassing/29548061.html | title=Teletubbies set deliberately flooded by owner to prevent tourists trespassing | date=3 September 2013 }}</ref>

According to Davenport, the press was particularly interested in getting photos of the actors in their Teletubby costumes without their heads on. Eventually, the team took measures to secure their privacy, including blindfolding visitors coming to the set and creating a tent for the actors to change in secret.<ref name="Howwemade"/>

The artist who originally drew the characters that would become the Teletubbies was the illustrator and caricaturist Jonathan Hills, who also designed digital images for television programmes including ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot|Poirot]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/08/30/jonathan-hills-artist-drew-figures-became-teletubbies-obituary/ | title=Jonathan Hills, artist who drew the figures that became the Teletubbies – obituary | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=30 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/people-and-business-tubby-rewards-1081599.html | title=People and Business: Tubby rewards | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=19 March 1999}}</ref> In 2022 a sample from a collection of original drawings were presented by Hills' widow Lucy on the BBC show ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]''. The collection was valued, by expert [[Mark Hill (antiques expert)|Mark Hill]], at up to £80,000.{{CN|date=April 2024}}

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Teletubbies episodes}}
{{:List of Teletubbies episodes}}

==Promotion==
===Merchandising===
[[File:The Teletubbies are still here 2011 (6592747791).jpg|thumb|A kiddie ride featuring the ''Teletubbies'' characters]]
[[Golden Bear Toys]] distributed the first line of ''Teletubbies'' dolls shortly after the programme's debut.<ref>{{cite news| title=Start young, work hard and keep on trusting in success|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/2876392/Start-young-work-hard-and-keep-on-trusting-in-success.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/2876392/Start-young-work-hard-and-keep-on-trusting-in-success.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=9 February 2004|access-date=14 April 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|last=Tyler|first=Richard}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They were sold internationally, with talking toys available in multiple languages.<ref>{{cite news| title=Achtung, Teletubby is teaching baby to speak German|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1313325/Achtung-Teletubby-is-teaching-baby-to-speak-German.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1313325/Achtung-Teletubby-is-teaching-baby-to-speak-German.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=5 January 2001|access-date=14 April 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|last=Stokes|first=Paul}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Hasbro]] signed on to develop a new range of products in 1998.<ref>{{cite news|title=Toy store pulls Teletubby doll|url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/102398/LA0773.shtml#.V0rlNJMrI_U|date=23 October 1998|access-date=25 May 2016|work=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]]|publisher=[[Morris Communications]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701095359/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/102398/LA0773.shtml#.V0rlNJMrI_U|archive-date=1 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1999, [[Microsoft|Microsoft UK]] released a set of interactive "ActiMates" toys based on the characters.<ref>{{cite news| title=Eh-oh! What is Bill Gates doing to our Tubbies?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/jan/31/life1.lifemagazine3|date=31 January 1999|access-date=29 May 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|last=McClellen|first=Jim}}</ref> The Rasta Imposta company introduced ''Teletubbies'' costumes for children and adults in the same year.<ref name="Blythe2011">{{cite book|author=Daniel Blythe|title=Collecting Gadgets and Games from the 1950s–90s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nLhiBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167|date=13 December 2011|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-84468-105-1|pages=167–}}</ref> Two educational [[video game]]s featuring the characters were also released throughout the series' run.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teletubbies 2: Favourite Games|url=http://www.museumofplay.org/online-collections/22/66/109.10907|publisher=[[The National Museum of Play]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528205014/http://www.museumofplay.org/online-collections/22/66/109.10907|archive-date=28 May 2016|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Play with the Teletubbies: Early Childhood Game Review|url=http://www.ign.com/games/play-with-the-teletubbies/ps-15049|website=[[IGN]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528204915/http://www.ign.com/games/play-with-the-teletubbies/ps-15049|archive-date=28 May 2016|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref>

''Teletubbies'' dolls were the top-selling Christmas toy in 1997.<ref>{{cite news| title=Top-selling Christmas toy from each of the past 30 years revealed|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/family/top-selling-christmas-toy-each-6940354|date=3 December 2015|access-date=14 April 2016|work=[[Daily Mirror]]}}</ref><ref name="Holland2004">{{cite book|author=Patricia Holland|title=Picturing Childhood: The Myth of the Child in Popular Imagery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEsBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67|date=23 January 2004|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85771-564-7|pages=67–}}</ref> Demand outstripped supply at most retailers, reportedly prompting many shops to ration them to one per customer.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/30764.stm|title=Teletubbies bigger than Buzz|date=13 November 1997|access-date=14 April 2016|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> In some cases, shoppers camped outside stores overnight in hopes of purchasing ''Teletubbies'' merchandise.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailypress.com/1998/03/29/toy-stores-preparing-for-the-inevitable-craze-for-teletubby-items/|title=Toy Stores Preparing for the Inevitable Craze For Teletubby Items|last=Lenz|first=Kimberly|date=29 March 1998|access-date=14 April 2016|work=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]|publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]]|archive-date=27 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127183925/http://articles.dailypress.com/1998-03-29/features/9803270293_1_teletubby-items-toys-plush|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ghouri|first=Nadene|date=26 December 1997|title=Toy stories 1997|work=[[TES (magazine)|TES]]|publisher=TGP Capital|url=https://www.tes.com/article.aspx?storycode=74716|url-status=dead|access-date=14 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817084934/https://www.tes.com/news/tes-archive/tes-publication/toy-stories-0|archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> Fights over the toys broke out among parents and collectors on occasion.<ref name="Company2012">{{cite book|author=Official Charts Company|title=Million Sellers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zQDAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT311|date=20 November 2012|publisher=Music Sales Group|isbn=978-0-85712-882-9|pages=311–}}</ref><ref name="Brewer2013">{{cite book|author=Susan Brewer|title=Famous Character Dolls|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y95laWk98uoC&pg=PA64|year=2013|publisher=Casemate Publishers|isbn=978-1-84468-094-8|pages=64–}}</ref> Over one million dolls were sold in Britain by 25 December of that year, with Golden Bear representatives estimating that sales could have reached three million if supplies had been available.<ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies are top toy|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/teletubbies-are-top-toy-1.140411|date=24 December 1997|access-date=14 April 2016|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]}}</ref> The plush toys were named "Toy of the Year" by the [[British Association of Toy Retailers]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web| title=Toy of the Year 1997: Eh-oh! It's the Teletubbies!|url=http://www.toyretailersassociation.co.uk/toy-year-1997|access-date=14 April 2016|publisher=[[British Association of Toy Retailers]]}}</ref>

Kids' meal tie-ins have been released at [[fast-food restaurant]]s throughout North America. In May 1999, [[Burger King]] distributed a set of six ''Teletubbies'' plush toys.<ref>{{cite web| title=Fries with your Teletubby? Fast food titans fight for market share with toys|url=https://money.cnn.com/1999/05/21/busunu/fast_food_pkg/|date=21 May 1999|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> They also included [[chicken nugget]]s shaped like the characters on their menu for a brief period of time.<ref name="RubinRubin2008">{{cite book|author1=Jordan Rubin|author2=Nicki Rubin|title=Great Physician's Rx for Children's Health|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTBoaJPAIkoC&pg=PA7|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc|isbn=978-1-4185-7240-2|pages=7–}}</ref> Keychains modelled after the characters were available at [[McDonald's]] in April 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Time for Teletubbies. at McDonald's, April 2000|url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/time-teletubbiesat-mcdonalds-april-2000|date=14 April 2000|work=QSR Magazine|publisher=QSR}}</ref> These promotions became controversial among adults who believed they were intended to attract toddlers to high-fat food.<ref name="Schor2014">{{cite book|author=Juliet B. Schor|title=[[Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture]]|date=19 August 2014|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-1-4391-3090-2|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5VMCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT258 258]–}}</ref> Psychiatrist [[Alvin Francis Poussaint]] considered the deals "troubling".<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Is advertising to kids wrong? Marketers respond|url=http://kidscreen.com/2000/11/01/30304-20001101/|date=1 November 2000|magazine=[[Playback (magazine)|Kidscreen]]}}</ref> He voiced his opinion on the matter publicly, but did not take action against the companies.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.br-online.de/jugend/izi/english/e-elliott.htm|title=Television and the Teletubbies: A reflection from early childhood service providers in Australia|last=Elliott|first=Roslyn|publisher=[[Bayerischer Rundfunk]]}}</ref>

Two [[kiddie ride]]s featuring the characters were manufactured by Jolly Roger.<ref>{{cite web|title=New licensed character ride for Jolly Roger|url=http://yourguides.net/vending/companies/jolly-roger-amusement-rides-ltd/news|publisher=YourGuides|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619235606/http://yourguides.net/vending/companies/jolly-roger-amusement-rides-ltd/news|archive-date=19 June 2010|access-date=29 May 2016}}</ref> They were available at some amusement parks and arcades, such as [[Chuck E. Cheese's]] and [[Fantasy Island (UK amusement park)|Fantasy Island]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Teletubbies Carousel Ride|url=http://www.photo-me.co.uk/retailers/kiddies-rides/carousels/teletubbies-carousel/|publisher=Photo-Me|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029125329/http://www.photo-me.co.uk/retailers/kiddies-rides/carousels/teletubbies-carousel/|archive-date=29 October 2014|access-date=29 May 2016}}</ref>

Overseas ''Teletubbies'' merchandise sales throughout the 1990s delivered €136 million in profits for the BBC.<ref>{{cite news| title=Mini millionaires: Five who made their fortunes from children's cartoons|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/mini-millionaires-five-who-made-their-fortunes-from-childrens-cartoons-147125-Jun2011/|date=1 June 2011|access-date=5 April 2016|work=[[TheJournal.ie]]|publisher=Distilled Media}}</ref> By the time of the programme's cancellation, ''Teletubbies'' toys had generated over £200 million in revenue for co-creator Anne Wood alone.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ragdoll puts sales joint venture with BBC Worldwide on the market|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/29/ragdoll-end-sales-joint-venture-bbc-worldwide|date=29 January 2013|access-date=27 May 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|last=Sweney|first=Mark}}</ref> In 2005, Chris Hastings and Ben Jones of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' called ''Teletubbies'' "the most lucrative show in BBC television history."<ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies top BBC overseas sales at £120m|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1499688/Teletubbies-top-BBC-overseas-sales-at-120m.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1499688/Teletubbies-top-BBC-overseas-sales-at-120m.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=2 October 2005|access-date=5 April 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2021, WildBrain, who owns the Teletubbies brand, launched a Teletubbies Pride Collection, with merchandise proceeds going towards efforts to expand LGBTQ images and inclusion in children’s and family programming.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teletubbies-embrace-pride-gay-tinky-winky-scandal-120005359.html | title=The Teletubbies embrace Pride, more than two decades after 'gay' Tinky Winky scandal | date=20 May 2021 }}</ref>

===Live events===
[[File:View of the Teletubbies on top of a Cbeebies Village Daimler Fleetline bus in the Hamley's Toy Parade (geograph 5200061).jpg|thumb|Teletubbies in the Hamley's Toy Parade in 2016]]
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the premiere of ''Teletubbies'', a series of events took place from March to April 2007.<ref name="tenth anniversary">{{cite news | author=Rusak, Gary | date=12 March 2007 | title=Teletubbies celebrate 10th anniversary in high style | publisher=KidScreen Magazine | url=http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/daily/20070312/teletubbies.html}}</ref> The characters headlined an invitation-only event in [[London]] on 21 March 2007. They appeared in [[New York City]]'s [[Times Square]], [[Grand Central Terminal]], and [[Apollo Theater]]. They were also interviewed on [[NBC|NBC's]] ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'' in an episode that included the first televised appearance of the actors without their costumes. A partnership was formed with [[Isaac Mizrahi]] in which Mizrahi designed Teletubbies-inspired bags to be [[auction]]ed off to benefit charities. A new line of clothing was launched at the Pop-Up Shop<ref name="popup shop">{{cite news|title=Teletubbies Pop-Up Shop|url=http://www.taketheteletubbiestest.com/love_it/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510045401/http://www.taketheteletubbiestest.com/love_it/|archive-date=10 May 2007}}</ref> and other speciality stores. [[Mayor of New York City|New York City mayor]] [[Mike Bloomberg]] announced 28 March 2007 "Teletubbies Day" and gave the [[Key to the City|key to the city]] to the Teletubbies. Following their show in New York, the Teletubbies went on their first live European tour, performing in London, [[Paris]], [[Bremen]], [[Darmstadt]], [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]], [[Hamburg]], [[Köln]], and [[Hannover]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies reunite for free tour|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6014858/Teletubbies-reunite-for-free-tour.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6014858/Teletubbies-reunite-for-free-tour.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=12 August 2009|access-date=20 May 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In January 2016, costumed ''Teletubbies'' characters appeared at the [[American International Toy Fair]].<ref>{{cite news|title=TOY FAIR 2016: Teletubbies join Character Options for toy unveiling|url=http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toy-fair-2016-teletubbies-join-character-options-for-toy-unveiling/045926|date=26 January 2016|access-date=17 April 2016|publisher=ToyNews|archive-date=12 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212084124/http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/read/toy-fair-2016-teletubbies-join-character-options-for-toy-unveiling/045926|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2016, the series' premiere on the Greek Nickelodeon channel was advertised with a series of appearances by the Teletubbies at malls throughout [[Athens]].<ref>{{cite news|date=13 April 2016|title=Eλάτε να γνωρίσετε τα Teletubbies από κοντά το Σάββατο 16/04 στο Avenue!|trans-title=Come and meet Teletubbies up close on Saturday 16/04 at Avenue!|work=[[Nickelodeon (Greece)|Nickelodeon Greece]]|publisher=[[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom International, Inc.]]|url=http://www.nickelodeon.gr/nea/story/3127/elate-na-gnorisete-ta-teletubbies-apo-konta-to-savvato-16-04-sto-avenue|access-date=29 May 2016|archive-date=29 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529191138/http://www.nickelodeon.gr/nea/story/3127/elate-na-gnorisete-ta-teletubbies-apo-konta-to-savvato-16-04-sto-avenue|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=16 April 2016|title=Ραντεβού με τα Teletubbies|language=el|trans-title=Appointment with Teletubbies|publisher=Athinorama|url=http://www.athinorama.gr/child/article/rantebou_me_ta_teletubbies__-2513592.html|access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref> This began with a live show at Avenue Mall on 16 April, which featured both the Teletubbies and a host from the network.<ref>{{cite news|date=16 April 2016|title=Τα TELETUBBIES αποκλειστικά για μια μέρα στην ΑΘήνα|language=el|trans-title=TELETUBBIES exclusively for one day in Athens|work=Pamebolta.gr|publisher=Avenue Mall Athens|url=https://pamebolta.gr/event/2016/04/14613/ta-teletubbies-apokleistika-gia-mia-mera-stin-athina|access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref> Throughout May 2016, the characters appeared on various [[breakfast television|breakfast television programmes]] to promote the upcoming series debut on the Nick Jr. Channel in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|date=18 May 2016|title=Teletubbies Takeover Chicago's WGN Morning News|newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/community/chi-ugc-article-teletubbies-takeover-chicagos-wgn-morning-ne-1-2016-05-19-story.html|url-status=dead|access-date=27 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520113942/http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/community/chi-ugc-article-teletubbies-takeover-chicagos-wgn-morning-ne-1-2016-05-19-story.html|archive-date=20 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=18 May 2016|title=The Teletubbies return to TV|work=[[WTSP|Tegna WTSP]]|publisher=[[Tegna, Inc.]]|url=http://www.wtsp.com/entertainment/television/studio10/the-teletubbies-return-to-tv-1/198776346|access-date=27 May 2016}}{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
[[Common Sense Media]]'s Emily Ashby found that "while the show's examples of cooperative play, wonder, and simple joys are gentle and pleasing, the creatures can still be a little grating to parents watching along."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/teletubbies-2016|title=Teletubbies TV Review – Common Sense Media|work=[[Common Sense Media]]|last=Ashby|first=Emily|date=17 May 2016|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> Caryn James of ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated in her review that the episodes "offer a genuinely appealing combination: cute and slightly surreal."<ref>{{cite news| title=TELEVISION REVIEW; Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh, And Others Say Uh-Oh|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/06/arts/television-review-teletubbies-say-eh-oh-and-others-say-uh-oh.html|date=6 April 1998|access-date=5 June 2014|last=James|first=Caryn|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Upon the show's release, some critics feared that the characters' use of babbling in place of complete sentences would negatively affect young viewers' ability to communicate. The ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' reported in 1997 that many parents objected to its "goo-goo style" and "said the show was a bad influence on their children."<ref>{{cite news|title=TELETUBBIES: Are They Harmless Fun or Bad for Our Children?|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-61096732|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|date=23 May 1997}}{{dead link|date=July 2021}}</ref> Marina Krcmar, a professor of communication at the [[Wake Forest University]], told interviewers in 2007 that "toddlers learn more from an adult speaker than they do from a program such as ''Teletubbies''."<ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies can't beat people in teaching first words|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-education-toddlers-teletubbies-idUSL2889488920070701|date=1 July 2007|access-date=27 May 2016|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> However, Paul McCann of ''[[The Independent]]'' defended this aspect of the show, stating that "''Teletubbies'' upsets those who automatically assume that progressive and creative learning is trendy nonsense. Those who believe that education should be strictly disciplined and functional, even when you're 18 months old. Thankfully ''Teletubbies'' isn't for them. It's for kids."<ref name="Tegna" />

The programme's magical event that features a cut-out [[lion]] chasing a cut-out [[bear]] was deemed inappropriate for children by parents for its unsettling tone, cinematography, and music. It was subsequently banned in several countries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Scott |title=The 'Teletubbies' episode that was banned in several countries |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-teletubbies-episode-that-was-banned-in-several-countries/ |website=[[Far Out (website)|Far Out]] |access-date=2 March 2025 |date=February 3, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ingle |first1=Rhiannon |title=Teletubbies scene was so creepy episode was banned in 1999 |url=https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/teletubbies-scene-creepy-banned-142614-20230224 |website=[[LADbible Group|LADbible]] |access-date=2 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225160527/https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/teletubbies-scene-creepy-banned-142614-20230224 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |date=February 24, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> A revised version of the sketch was aired several years later with adjusted editing and voice acting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Teletubbies scene so terrifying it was banned around the world re-emerges |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/teletubbies-scene-so-terrifying-it-was-banned-around-the-world-re-emerges/MS6NNXRXUDQLPTPFFG6YPFG264/ |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=2 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814230209/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/teletubbies-scene-so-terrifying-it-was-banned-around-the-world-re-emerges/MS6NNXRXUDQLPTPFFG6YPFG264/ |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |date=August 14, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Vickers-Green |first1=Laura |title=7 Times the Teletubbies Made TV a Much Weirder Place |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/times-teletubbies-made-tv-weirder/ |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=2 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908155813/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/times-teletubbies-made-tv-weirder/ |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |date=September 8, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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]] [[student]]s.<ref name="Company2012"/><ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Gutenko |first=Gregory |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED419257 |title=Deconstructing Teletubbies: Differences between UK and US college students' reading of the children's television programme. |date=1998 |publisher=College of Arts & Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City |location=Kansas City, Missouri, USA |pages=1 |quote=(The campus activities calendar at Imperial College in London includes the airtimes and episode highlights for each show) [parentheses in original quotation].}}</ref><ref name="Brewer2010">{{cite book|author=Susan Brewer|title=Collecting Classic Girls' Toys|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J92wBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153|date=19 July 2010|publisher=Remember When|isbn=978-1-78337-521-9|pages=153–}}</ref> The mixture of bright colours, unusual designs, repetitive non-verbal dialogue, ritualistic format, and occasional forays into physical comedy appealed to many who perceived the programme as having [[psychedelic experience|psychedelic]] qualities.<ref>{{cite news| title=Uh-Oh! The 'Teletubbies' Are Making A Psychedelic Comeback|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/16/teletubbies-bbc-_n_5499988.html|date=16 June 2014|access-date=27 May 2016|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|last=Toomer|first=Jessica|publisher=[[Verizon Communications]]}}</ref> Shortly after the premiere of the show, at [[Imperial College London]], the campus activities calendar included airtimes and episode highlights.<ref name=":0" />

===Tinky Winky controversy===
[[File:MardiGrasMarigny1999Falwell.JPG|thumb|A group of people in Tinky Winky costumes at [[Mardi Gras]], 1999.]]
Controversy arose in 1999 concerning Tinky Winky and him carrying a bag that looks much like a woman's [[handbag]]<!--not "purse", which has a different meaning in British English--> (although he was first "[[Outing|outed]]" by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter from July 1997 to ''[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]]'').<ref>{{cite news| title=The Outing of Tinky Winky|url=http://priceonomics.com/the-outing-of-tinky-winky/|access-date=27 May 2016|publisher=Priceonomics}}</ref> 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]] colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the [[LGBT symbols|gay pride symbol]]."<ref>{{cite news| title=Falwell Sees Gay in a Teletubby | work=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/11/us/national-news-briefs-falwell-sees-gay-in-a-teletubby.html|date=11 February 1999|access-date=6 November 2010| agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref> The BBC made an official response, explaining that "Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag."<ref name="Kraidy2007">{{cite book|author=Kraidy|title=Hybridity, OR the Cultural Logic of Globalization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7-c1qL_VMIC&pg=PA106|date=1 September 2007|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1100-2|pages=106–|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Kenn Viselman of Itsy-Bitsy Entertainment commented, "He's not gay. He's not [[heterosexuality|straight]]. He's just a character in a children's series."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Ms7azOI8UgC|pages=106–107|title=Hybridity, Or the Cultural Logic of Globalization|author=Marwan Kraidy|isbn=978-1-59213-144-0|year=2005|publisher=Temple University Press|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

In May 2007, [[Children's ombudsman#Poland|Polish Ombudsman for Children]] [[Ewa Sowińska]] revisited the matter, and planned to order an investigation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6698753.stm|title=Poland targets 'gay' Teletubbies|author=Adam Easton|work=BBC News|date=28 May 2007}}</ref> "I noticed that he has a woman's handbag, but I didn't realise he's a boy", Sowińska said in a public statement. She asked her office's [[psychologist]]s to look into the allegations. After the research in late 2007, she stated: "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."<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 May 2007|title=Polish watchdog backs away from Teletubbies probe|publisher=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/polish-watchdog-backs-away-from-teletubbies-probe-1.685924|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601222610/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2007/05/30/teletubby-poland-noprobe.html|archive-date=1 June 2007}}</ref>

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.<ref name="list2009">{{cite news|title=The IoS Happy List 2008 – the 100|newspaper=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-2008--the-100-816335.html|url-status=dead|access-date=24 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422160042/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list-2008--the-100-816335.html|archive-date=22 April 2009}}</ref>

In response to this controversy, the gay community embraced the Teletubbies, with Tinky Winky leading pride parades<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herscher |first=Elaine |date=1999-02-12 |title=S.F. Gays Like Idea of Parading Tinky Winky / Teletubby gets votes to be grand marshal |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/s-f-gays-like-idea-of-parading-tinky-winky-2947221.php |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> and being featured on restaurant menus with themed items.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-08 |title=The Wholly Unsurprising Story Behind Tinky Winky's Elevation As A Gay Icon |url=https://junkee.com/gay-icon-tinky-winky/192924 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Junkee}}</ref> In 2021, WildBrain, owner of the Teletubbies brand, declared their support for the LGBTQ+ community with the statement "Teletubbies Love Pride." The company released a limited collection of merchandise with proceeds supporting [[GLAAD]]. In a statement, WildBrain said, "The Teletubbies have always embraced their own offbeat quirkiness and sense of style. This Pride Month, we're celebrating that 'love who you are' spirit through our Collection of ready-to-rave fashion that makes Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po very proud."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-20 |title=The Teletubbies embrace Pride, more than two decades after 'gay' Tinky Winky scandal |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teletubbies-embrace-pride-gay-tinky-winky-scandal-120005359.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Yahoo Life}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=TELETUBBIES CELEBRATE THEIR "LOVE WHO YOU ARE" SPIRIT WITH BIG HUGS AND READY-TO-RAVE FASHION DURING 2021 PRIDE MONTH |url=https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/wildbrains-teletubbies-celebrate-their-love-who-you-are-spirit-with-big-hugs-and-ready-to-rave-fashion-during-2021-pride-month/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=WildBrain |archive-date=30 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430174941/https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/wildbrains-teletubbies-celebrate-their-love-who-you-are-spirit-with-big-hugs-and-ready-to-rave-fashion-during-2021-pride-month/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was followed up by a 30-piece gender-fluid adult fashion collection commemorating Pride 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WILDBRAIN'S TELETUBBIES CELEBRATE PRIDE 2022 WITH COLORFUL ELLESSE AND GOGUY FASHION COLLABORATION |url=http://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/wildbrains-teletubbies-celebrate-pride-2022-with-colorful-ellesse-and-goguy-fashion-collaboration/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=WildBrain|date=27 June 2022 }}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:99%"
|-
! Year !! Presenter !! Award/Category !! Nominee !! Status !! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1997
| [[Birmingham|City of Birmingham Awards]]
| Best Midlands-Produced Children's Television Production
| rowspan="4" | [[Ragdoll Productions]]
| rowspan="4" {{won}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcworldwide.com/report/highligh/awards/page00.htm|title=BBC worldwide awards 97/98|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=27 May 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908193655/http://www.bbcworldwide.com/report/highligh/awards/page00.htm|archive-date=8 September 2015}}</ref>
|-
| [[Japan Prize (NHK)|NHK Japan Prize]]
| Grand Prize (Pre-School Education)
| <ref>{{cite web|title=1997 Japan Prize Winners|url=http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/1997/gprix.html|work=NHK.or.jp|publisher=[[NHK]]|access-date=12 January 2015|archive-date=27 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127184531/http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/1997/gprix.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Royal Television Society]]
| Children's Entertainment Award
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Educational Television Award Winners 1997|url=https://rts.org.uk/award/educational-television-awards-1997|work=RTS.org.uk|date=24 January 2011|publisher=[[Royal Television Society]]|access-date=12 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1998
| [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
| Best Pre-School Programme
| <ref name="bafta-1998">{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1998|title=Past Winners and Nominees&nbsp;– Children's&nbsp;– Awards&nbsp;– 1998|publisher=[[BAFTA]]|access-date=13 January 2010|archive-date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523180502/http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1998|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[American Marketing Association|Marketing Society Awards]]
| New Product of the Year
| [[Golden Bear Toys]]
|
| <ref>{{cite news|title=Teletubbies win award|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60918943.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911025738/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60918943.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 September 2016|work=[[Birmingham Mail|Birmingham Evening Mail]]|date=25 April 1998}}</ref>
|-
| Online Film & Television Association
| Best Children's Series
| rowspan="10" | [[Ragdoll Productions]]
| rowspan="2" {{nominated}}
| <ref name="Awards-17">{{cite news|title=Ragdoll Productions Awards|url=http://www.ragdoll.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Awards-17-Nov-15.pdf|work=Ragdoll.co.uk|date=17 November 2015|access-date=30 December 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701102800/http://www.ragdoll.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Awards-17-Nov-15.pdf|archive-date=1 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Television Critics Association]]
| Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
| <ref name="Awards-17" />
|-
| UK Independent Television Productions Awards
| NATS Children's Award
| {{won}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/dhx-media-announces-licensing-deals-in-china-for-teletubbies-and-in-the-night-garden/|title=DHX Media Announces Licensing Deals in China for Teletubbies and In the Night Garden...|publisher=[[DHX Media]]|date=24 April 2014|access-date=2 December 2014|archive-date=7 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607181251/http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/dhx-media-announces-licensing-deals-in-china-for-teletubbies-and-in-the-night-garden/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1999
| [[Daytime Emmy Awards]]
| Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series
| {{nominated}}
| <ref>{{cite news| title=Teletubbies Nominated for Emmy Award|url=http://www.cwn.org.uk/business/a-z/r/ragdoll/1999/04/990408-emmy.htm|date=8 April 1999|access-date=4 January 2014|publisher=Coventry & Warwickshire|last=Bates|first=Chris}}</ref>
|-
| Licensing Industry Merchandiser's Association
| Overall License of the Year
| rowspan="2" {{won}}
| <ref>{{cite news|title=Itsy Bitsy fulfills license 'Po'-tential|url=https://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-54852759/itsy-bitsy-fulfills-license-potential|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805013513/https://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-54852759/itsy-bitsy-fulfills-license-potential|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2016|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=8 June 1999}}</ref>
|-
| Independent Television Productions Awards
| Nickelodeon UK Children's Award
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/agreements-signed-with-bbc-worldwide-asia-and-shanghai-v-pop-for-china/|title=Agreements signed with BBC Worldwide Asia and Shanghai V-Pop for China|publisher=[[DHX Media]]|date=24 April 2014|access-date=2 December 2014|archive-date=12 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712015309/http://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/agreements-signed-with-bbc-worldwide-asia-and-shanghai-v-pop-for-china/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Television Critics Association]]
| Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
| {{nominated}}
| <ref>{{cite news|title=TV Notes: WPXI to add anchor; where is Avedesian?|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/tv/19990615tv4.asp|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=15 June 1999|access-date=30 December 2015|last=Owen|first=Rob|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065930/http://old.post-gazette.com/tv/19990615tv4.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2000
| Independent Television Productions Awards
| Audiocall Indie Children's Award
| {{won}}
| <ref name="Publications2003">{{cite book|author=Europa Publications|title=The International Who's Who 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&pg=PA1830|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-217-6|pages=1830–}}</ref>
|-
| [[Daytime Emmy Awards]]
| Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series
| {{nominated}}
| <ref>{{cite magazine| title=Teletubbies shortlisted for daytime Emmy|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/teletubbies-shortlisted-for-daytime-emmy/1192638.article|date=29 March 2000|access-date=4 January 2014|magazine=[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[Royal Television Society]]
| Education Award
| rowspan="5" {{won}}
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Educational Television Award Winners 2000|url=https://rts.org.uk/award/educational-television-awards-2000|work=RTS.org.uk|date=24 January 2011|publisher=[[Royal Television Society]]|access-date=12 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
| [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
| Outstanding Contribution in Children's Television and Film
| [[Anne Wood]]
| <ref>{{cite news| title=Children's favourites honoured|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1020282.stm|date=12 November 2000|access-date=4 January 2014|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>
|-
| 2002
| [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
| Best Pre-School Live Action Series
| rowspan="3" | [[Ragdoll Productions]]
| <ref name="bafta-2002" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014
| rowspan="2" | Prix Jeunesse
| "Most Edgy" Programme of the Last 50 Years
| <ref name="PJWinners">{{cite news|date=12 November 2000|title=PRIX 2014 Prize Winners|publisher=Prix Jeunesse International|url=http://prixjeunesse.de/images/PDF/PRIX_2014_PrizeWinners.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=4 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127190114/http://prixjeunesse.de/images/PDF/PRIX_2014_PrizeWinners.pdf|archive-date=27 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| Greatest Impact Programme of the Last 50 Years
| <ref name="PJWinners" />
|}

==Other media==
===In popular culture===
* In 2012, during both the second and third series of [[TVN (South Korean TV channel)|TVN]]'s ''[[Saturday Night Live Korea]]'', the programme was referenced as ''[[Yeouido]] Teletubbies'' (여의도 텔레토비) to portray the [[2012 South Korean presidential election|2012 presidential election campaign]]. This experimental skit caused the popularity of SNL Korea's "Crew", [[Kim Seul-gi]] and [[Kim Min-kyo]], who acted major candidates respectably, to skyrocket.<ref>[http://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?code=710100&artid=201211071443357 Laugh and Enjoy a Satire of the Presidential Election, "Yeouido Teletubbies"], Kyunghyang Shinmun, 7 November 2012, Retrieved on 19 January 2013.</ref>
* A parody of the series was featured in the 2013 ''[[Regular Show]]'' episode "[[Regular Show (season 4)|Sleep Fighter]]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regular Show: "Sleep Fighter"|url=https://www.avclub.com/regular-show-sleep-fighter-1798177516|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The A.V. Club|date=30 July 2013 |language=en-us}}</ref>
* On 28 May 2022, to promote the franchise's 25th anniversary, the Teletubbies made an appearance on ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'' in the [[London Palladium]], where they "auditioned" by performing covered songs from their "Ready, Steady, Go!" album, as well as other songs such as Beyonce's “[[Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)|Single Ladies]]” and One Direction's “[[Best Song Ever]]”.<ref>{{cite web|title=WILDBRAIN'S TELETUBBIES SURPRISE SIMON COWELL WITH A TUBBY-TASTIC AUDITION ON THIS WEEK'S "BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT" TO CELEBRATE THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY|url=https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/wildbrains-teletubbies-surprise-simon-cowell-with-a-tubby-tastic-audition-on-this-weeks-britains-got-talent-to-celebrate-their-25th-anniversary/ |website=[[WildBrain]]|access-date=8 September 2023|language=en |date=28 May 2022}}</ref> At the end of the performance, they gave [[Simon Cowell]], who helped them release their song that got to number 1, a big hug onstage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Tina |title=Britain's Got Talent: The Teletubbies surprise Simon Cowell by auditioning for show |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/britains-got-talent-2022-the-teletubbies-audition-simon-cowell-b1002881.html |website=Evening Standard |access-date=9 January 2023 |language=en |date=29 May 2022}}</ref>

===CD single===
{{Main|Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"}}
In December 1997, [[BBC Studios]] released a CD single from the series, based on the show's theme song, called "Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!{{' "}} It is the only single from ''Teletubbies'', making the characters a [[one-hit wonder]] in the United Kingdom. The song was written by [[Andrew McCrorie-Shand]] and [[Andrew Davenport]], and produced by McCrorie-Shand and Steve James. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1997, and remained in the Top 75 for 32 weeks after its release.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/37712.stm|title=Teletubbies top the charts|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=7 December 1997|access-date=29 December 2008}}</ref>

===Games===
In 1998, [[BBC Multimedia]] released ''[[Play with the Teletubbies]]'' for [[Microsoft Windows]]. It was later ported to the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] in 2000, and was later released in the United States by [[Knowledge Adventure]].

In December 2017, ''Teletubbies Play Time'' was released worldwide for mobile devices by [[Built Games]].<ref>{{cite web |title=IT'S PLAY TIME WITH THE NEWEST TELETUBBIES APP FROM DHX BRANDS |url=https://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/play-time-newest-teletubbies-app-dhx-brands/ |website=dhxmedia.com |access-date=3 October 2018 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003221121/https://www.dhxmedia.com/newsreleases/play-time-newest-teletubbies-app-dhx-brands/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Spinoffs==
===''Teletubbies Everywhere''===
'''''Teletubbies Everywhere''''' is a spin-off of ''Teletubbies'' that aired on [[CBeebies]] on 1 July 2002. In the United States, the segment premiered on 20 January 2003 on PBS Kids,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-08-15 |title=New Teletubbies series to debut in January |url=https://www.giftsanddec.com/business-news/new-teletubbies-series-to-debut-in-january/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Gifts & Decorative Accessories |language=en-US}}</ref> usually replacing the original first half of the Teletubbies episodes.

''Teletubbies Everywhere'' are 10-minute episodes that teach about colours, shapes, numbers, simple concepts such as up and down or big and small, and culture.

''Teletubbies Everywhere'' does not take place in Teletubbyland. Instead, it takes place in a variety of coloured backgrounds that change between segments. Each episode follows the same format which includes 4-5 segments (between the intro and ending).

===''Tiddlytubbies'' animated web series===
{{primary sources section|find=Tiddlytubbies |find2=animated series |date=April 2021}}
In 2018, a spin-off animated web series featuring the Tiddlytubbies characters debuted on the official Teletubbies [[YouTube]] channel.<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=Teletubbies ★ NEW Tiddlytubbies Cartoon Series! ★ Episode 1: The Baby Bouncer ★ Cartoons for Kids| date=20 April 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwCXCyR9hdQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/zwCXCyR9hdQ| archive-date=2021-10-30|publisher=[[WildBrain]]|language=en|access-date=2020-02-13|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> These shorts are animated by [[WildBrain Spark Studios]], a subsidiary of [[WildBrain]] that produces content for the [[WildBrain Spark]] network.

===''Teletubbies: Ready, Steady, Go!''===
A CGI-animated music-focused spin-off titled ''Teletubbies: Ready, Steady, Go!'', produced by WildBrain Spark Studios, premiered in September 2021 and was eventually pre-sold overseas.<ref name="wildbrain.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/wildbrain-says-eh-oh-to-the-enduring-popularity-of-the-teletubbies-celebrating-a-wave-of-new-partnerships-and-activations/ | title=Wildbrain Says "Eh Oh!" to the Enduring Popularity of the Teletubbies, Celebrating a Wave of New Partnerships and Activations| date=16 May 2023}}</ref>

The series tied into an album that was released digitally and on CD on 15 October 2021, and was made to prepare for the franchise's 25th Anniversary. Universal Music Canada and Virgin Music Label & Artist Services handled global distribution rights to the album.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/teletubbies-rsg/ | title=Wildbrain's Teletubbies Get Ready to Rave with New Music Album Ready, Steady, Go! | access-date=8 September 2023 | archive-date=8 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908192257/https://www.wildbrain.com/newsreleases/teletubbies-rsg/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===''Teletubbies: Let's Go!''===
A CGI-animated spin-off called ''Teletubbies: Let's Go!'' was announced by WildBrain on 15 September 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.c21media.net/news/wildbrain-says-teletubbies-lets-go-in-cg-animated-preschool-spin-off/ | title=WildBrain says Teletubbies, Let's Go! In CG-animated preschool spin-off}}</ref> and premiered in October of that year on the show's YouTube channel. As with the other online spin-offs, it was produced by WildBrain Spark Studios, and consists of 52 five-minute shorts.

The spin-off was also pre-sold internationally, with [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] obtaining UK broadcast rights.<ref name="wildbrain.com"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{BBC programme}}
{{Sister project links|v=no|s=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|d=Q41403|n=Category:Teletubbies|b=no}}
* {{facebook|teletubbies}}
* {{twitter|teletubbieshq}}
* {{instagram|teletubbieshq}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOk55dAgB8VnMlhaTEMeX5A Official YouTube channel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061004150928/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/teletubbies/ ''Teletubbies'' on CBeebies]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160510180754/http://www.nickjr.com/teletubbies/ ''Teletubbies'' on NickJr.com]
* [http://www.nickpress.com/series/teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' on Nickelodeon Press] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616121956/http://www.nickpress.com/series/teletubbies|date=16 June 2017}}
* {{IMDb title|0142055}}

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{{Former PBS Kids shows}}

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