Teletubbies - Overview

Overview

The series focuses on four odd, multi-colored toddlers of a mythological species known as "Teletubbies," named for the television screens implanted in the abdomens of the characters. Recognized throughout popular culture for the uniquely-shaped antenna protruding from the head of each being, their respective names and signature colors, the four Teletubbies depicted in this program include Laa-Laa, Po, Dipsy, and Tinky Winky. Communicating through infantile gibberish or babbling, the Teletubbies were designed to bear resemblance to actual toddlers dwelling within a beautiful, grassy floral landscape that is also populated by rabbits with bird calls audible in the background. The main shelter of the four is a grassy dome (known as the "Tubbytronic Superdome," though the name of the residence is not mentioned at all during the entire course of the series) implanted in the ground accessed through sliding down a hole at the top. The creatures co-exist in Teletubbyland (the name of their home environment) with a number of odd contraptions such as Noo-noo, the group's anthropomorphic blue vacuum cleaner with the tendency to suck up the Teletubbies' possessions and the voice trumpets, devices resembling periscopes that rise from the ground and interact with the Teletubbies, serving as either supervisors for the beings who often arise to engage in games with them. The show is noted for its colorful, psychedelic setting designed specifically by the creators to appeal to the attention spans of infants or unlock different sections of the mind while also educating young children and toddlers of transitions that can be expected in life.

Throughout the course of every episode, an assortment of rituals are performed that are sometimes revamped differently each time, such as the playful interactions between the Teletubbies and the voice trumpets, the mishaps caused by Noo-noo, the footage of live children displayed on the screens in the creatures' stomachs, and, particularly, the "magical event" that occurs once per episode. The event differs each time and is often caused inexplicably, and is frequently psychedelic and strange, yet whimsical. Often the Teletubbies engage in games with one another, with Noo-noo, or the voice trumpets in many episode segments, and the episode is closed by the narrator and voice trumpets to the disappointed, reluctant, but eventually obedient Teletubbies, who bid the viewer farewell as they disappear into the Tubbytronic Superdome yet again.