Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po. Teletubbies, Teletubbies. Say hello! Eh-Oh!
Teletubbies is a British pre-school live-action children's television series created by Ragdoll Productions' Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport. The programme focuses on four multi-coloured creatures known as "Teletubbies", named for the television screens implanted in their abdomens. Recognised throughout popular culture for the uniquely shaped antenna protruding from the heads of each character, the Teletubbies communicate through gibberish and were designed to bear resemblance to young children.
A reboot was made in 2015. In the US, it airs on Nick Jr.
Plot
Tinky-Winky in violet, Dipsy in lime green, Laa Laa in yellow, and Po in red frolic and play in the idyllic Teletubbyland, a world full of love and laughter. The Teletubbies have televisions in their stomachs on which they watch real children. There are also Voice trumpets, which rise from the ground to interact with the Teletubbies. A large, pinwheel-shaped windmill begins a magical event during episodes, which encourage kids to explore and investigate the world around them. The show's colorful setting is designed to appeal to young children.
Why It Rocks
- The Teletubbies are really cute and entertaining creatures.
- It teaches children about social skills and friendship.
- The Teletubbyland set was designed specifically to appeal to the attention spans of toddlers and unlock different sections of the mind while also educating young children of transitions that can be expected in life.
- The theme song is pretty catchy.
- The 2015 reboot stays true to the source material.
- The Sun Baby is really adorable.
- Fun and entertaining segments such as the popular Tubby Toast Accident segment.
- Naughty Noo-Noo!
- The settings look pretty cool.
- The CGI animated models looked good using Alias Wavefront PowerAnimator software in episodes 1-260, and then Alias Wavefront Maya software in episodes 261-365, and later Autodesk Maya in the reboot series.
- Well-done camera work.
- Spawned several internet memes.
Bad Qualities
- The Teletubbies and the Sun Baby can be seen as creepy due to how their faces look.
- The Magical Events aren't in the reboot. Speaking of which, the reboot had some trouble with the following changes:
- Tinky Winky now sounding too much like Barney.
- The Tubby Dome not being metal and having a Tubby Custard train.
- Every actor is different from the original.
- The infamous lion and bear segment.
- The CGI (especially in the magical events) looks very dated. They look like they're from old CD-ROM games.
Trivia
- The actors of the Teletubbies reboot also worked on the BBC series ZingZillas. Nick Kellington, who plays Dipsy, also played Igglepiggle in fellow Ragdoll series In the Night Garden... (even though the reboot has nothing to do with Ragdoll)