Teletubbies: Why are they so much questioned?

By Palazzetti Ivanna – Bustingorri Guadalupe

Teletubbies is a TV show which was specially created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for babies and little children. Its first appearance on television was in 1997. The characters of this TV show are Tinky Winky and Dipsy, whose blue and green colours respectively are proper of male characters, Laa-Laa and Po, who apparently are females, and the Sun, which is a smiling baby face. The setting is a great garden full of coloured flowers.

What is the reason why Teletubbies are so hypnotizing for children? What do these ETs have that call children's attention so much? Why are they so successful among young audiences? What is the reason why adults hate and mock on Teletubbies? We are sure that the answer to the first three questions is that this TV show makes children laugh and have fun. However, the last question seems to be harder to answer. That is why we will try to explain and justify our agreement with the social prejudice as regards the stupidity of these modern ETs.

To start with, we think Teletubbies are not based on something real. They seem to be strange aliens or something like that, and as far as we know, science has not still proved the existence of extraterrestrial subjects.

Apart from that, these four ETs show stupid movements and speak with a very basic vocabulary. In fact, these four telly-characters repeat actions and words at least two times in a row in only thirty minutes. However, the use of repetition is a great and powerful tool to get children engaged with the TV show.

We should not forget about the shiny sun. We do not understand quite well the meaning of the baby´s face which is constantly smiling. It seems to be diabolic and overexcited. Why does he laugh all the time? What is that makes him laugh? It is quite abnormal. Why does not he cry? Would not it be more normal if he would also cry as all babies do?

In addition, one of the Teletubbies called Tinky Winky can be seen playing with a pink bag. This seems to show homosexual features since it is apparently a boy using a girl’s stuff. For us, it is completely unnecessary to display situations or images to little children that can be discovered and experienced by themselves in future time. It does not mean that we are against the free election of sexuality, but the fact that Tinky Winky plays with a female handbag, looks like made on purpose for getting kids asking questions which are difficult to be answered at their ages.

As if this was not enough, during the TV show, a video is played with the objective of teaching something useful to the audience. But it is still something meaningless and out of the real world since people in it repeat actions and words like parrots, and what is funnier, they celebrate a birthday party to a teddy bear in one of the programmes. 

But all these arguments can be justified if we bear in mind that Teletubbies was made for babies or very little kids. Perhaps their parents turn the TV on and select this TV show in order to keep their children distracted for a while. Perhaps children enjoy watching such strange silly ETs moving all the time and saying things that are senseless. Maybe little kids get fun with those kinds of TV programmes and their parents find them very interesting for their children´s growing.

Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport´s creation seems to underestimate children´s capability and intelligence. It does not help neither complement the knowledge the school tries to transmit. Putting it all together, this TV show is not recommendable for children. It is prohibited for people who are looking for something interesting and at the same time entertaining on TV. We think it is obvious why Teletubbies are so questioned.