Line #23 YMMV/Teletubbies


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Once you read about the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BEAR_and_LION_ciphers BEAR and LION ciphers]] on Website/TheOtherWiki, the Lion and Bear skit suddenly becomes an allegory about espionage and counter-espionage.
3	** In 1999, a newspaper published by Jerry Falwell (not necessarily Falwell himself, contrary to popular belief) claimed that the show tries to normalize tropes and icons associated with [[AmbiguouslyGay homosexuality]], since the largest Tinky Winky is purple, carries a handbag "purse" and has a triangle on his head. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=015EXXqRQD8 The Talking Po toy]] doesn't help matters.
4	** There's also a theory floating around that the antennae of the Teletubbies carry occultic symbols...[[ThinkOfTheChildren meant to somehow corrupt]] the TargetAudience (babies and toddlers) [[MoralGuardians away from Christianty and towards "Satanic" (read: non-Christian) beliefs]]. Most likely, those who sincerely believe that have never seen Teletubbies; religion isn't even dealt with, and the antennae shapes were most likely chosen because they're interesting from a design point of view.
5	* ArchivePanic: 365 episodes for the original run alone, meaning (save for leaps years of course) you could watch one episode every day, for a whole year. Enough said. Luckily, [[SubvertedTrope BBC has kept the show well-archived]], with almost every episode being uploaded on the official [=YouTube=] channel.
6	* CommonKnowledge: The Netflix version of the show is often referred to as a new reboot of the series. It's actually a ReCut of various episodes from the first two seasons of the 2015 series that changes a few details, such as [[SameLanguageDub redubbing the narrator voice]] or having a different Baby Sun in each episode.
7	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Noo-noo, the vacuum cleaner, who, on Chris's website, got a FourthWallMailSlot, where you could speak to him, and he would respond with robotic noises.
8	%%ZCE * EveryoneIsSatanInHell: Especially the {{mondegreen}}-spewing Po doll.
9	* FanNickname:
10	** The 2015 series is known as "The Teletubbies Reboot" by fans. While nothing has come out saying whether or not it actually ''is'' a reboot, all the qualifications of it being one are there.
11	** Before "Tummy Tales" became the canonical term, fans would often call them "TV Events" or "Transmissions".
12	** The Magic Windmill is often called "The Magic Pinwheel" [[CallARabbitASmeerp for obvious reasons]]. The reboot makes it look more like a windmill, though.
13	** The UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash segments in the "Let's Learn English With the Teletubbies" [=DVDs=] are known as "Cartoon Magical Events" by fans. This is because the Magical Event cue plays before the crossfade into them.
14	** It wasn't uncommon to hear the voice trumpets being called "speakers". Their official names were never given outside of promotion material anyway.
15	* FirstInstallmentWins: The original 1997 series is more remembered and better known than the 2015 reboot, to the point that you will find many people who were not aware of the existence of the reboot, and are surprised to find that it exists. That said, it's no wonder people often mistake footage from the 2015 reboot with footage from the original 1997 series.
16	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The show is so popular in South Korea that exclusive merchandise for the show was produced for the country and it still airs there. Also, the Korean version of Series/SaturdayNightLive has a recurring segment about what the Teletubbies' lives would be like if they were adults.
17	* LGBTFanbase: Tinky Winky has a purse, purple fur, and a triangle antenna, which led to theories that he was gay. Despite WordOfGod debunking this, it led to him being a gay icon.
18	* MemeticMutation:
19	** The Baby Sun. For some reason, it spawned a whole bunch of images with faces of celebrities being superimposed onto a crudely drawn picture of the sun. Some which were used in {{Animutation}}s.
20	%%ZCE; doesn't explain why it's a meme ** Don't forget that infamous black and white picture made in ''VideoGame/GarrysMod''. As if they weren't creepy enough.
21	** Ever since ''Film/LaLaLand'' released, it's quite common to see Laa-Laa photoshopped on the movie's poster.
22	** In [=TikTok=], people having been posting videos with their pet/s wearing little paper antennas, drawings of the Tubbies, or other related things, all while [[https://www.tiktok.com/@andyarthursmith/video/6689118284182195461?lang=en this song plays]].
23	** [[https://i.redd.it/v324iylctzn21.jpg Bitch that's the tubby custard machine.]][[note]]Somebody on Tumblr once made a post regarding "pink slime" and mechanically-separated chicken...using a GIF of an overflowing bowl of tubby custard. Another user quickly shut it down with [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch this eloquent response]], with the replies quickly filling up with other users quoting the Teletubbies in AllCaps.[[/note]]
24	** Adult Teletubbies[[note]][[https://elodieunderglass.tumblr.com/post/167406264778/so-i-had-the-strangest-dream-this-weekend-and A Tumblr user posted]] about a dream where they encountered enormous mysterious aliens that were grown-up Teletubbies, inspiring fanart reimagining the cast as majestic yet ominous beings, essentially turning them into Pure Form versions of themselves.[[/note]]
25	%%ZCE; doesn't explain why it's a meme ** Comparing the Teletubbies to ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' crewmates. If you cut off their upper bodies, they look a lot like the crewmates.
26	* NightmareFuel:
27	** You can count on it that many children were probably freaked out by the Baby Sun's occasional squawking or loud laughs. ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' put it best: "Oh, ''GOD!''"
28	** The "lion and bear" segment, which features uncanny puppetry and menacing music. Understandably, the sketch was [[BannedInChina banned in four countries, including the USA]], and a new version was created with silly sound effects and comedic gags like the lion meowing for some reason.
29	** The Teletubbies themselves can be creepy, with their unmoving UnintentionalUncannyValley faces and blank, staring eyes.
30	** The Magic House sketch was also rather unnerving to some, especially in the original UK broadcasts where the puppet inside the house made very weird noises and sang off-key.
31	** The voice trumpets are benevolent, microphone-like beings that recite songs and nursery rhymes, and are liked by the Teletubbies themselves. However, the loud microphone feedback sound that they make before they speak, and the fact that [[ParanoiaFuel they can pop up seemingly anywhere, whether indoors or outside]], frightened some children. It's also not helped by the fact that, in a word where even the sun and vacuum cleaners have eyes, they are completely faceless.
32	** Noo-Noo is the TeamPet who cleans up the messes the title characters make. But the fact that he can suck up seemingly ''anything'', from clouds to Laa-Laa's beloved ball, scared some kids; some now-grown fans claim that they feared Noo-Noo would suck up ''them''. Noo-Noo also frequently [[AsideGlance looked into the camera]], which was likely meant to be humorous, but came off as unintentionally creepy due to the fact that, unlike the Teletubbies, he doesn't talk and thus would be staring in silence.
33	* PeripheryDemographic:
34	** The show is popular with young adults who are into rave culture, probably because of its surrealism.
35	** The people who make personifications of the characters also count, as well as some people in their early teens.
36	* PeripheryHatedom: As with ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'', the Teletubbies is often reviled for being a "baby" show by people who are most definitely not babies. Though a lot of the hatedom derives from the UnintentionalUncannyValley look of the titular characters and the Sun Baby. Look up "Teletubbies" on sites like Urban Dictionary and you'll find answers like "Four reasons why I should own a gun".
37	* RonTheDeathEater: It's common in Fanon to imply that the Teletubbies are BitchInSheepsClothing that hide their true EldritchAbomination forms. [[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/klQXVn Elder Sunbaby]] and ''Fanfic/CharlesMansonVsTheTeletubbies'' take this concept and run with it.
38	* SelfFanservice: It's surprisingly common for people to make human versions of the Teletubbies. Invariably they'll be fashionable and attractive young adults. At least one of them will almost always wear a hoodie.
39	* SpecialEffectsFailure:
40	** Most of the magical events made with CGI (Animal Parade, Dancing Bear, Three Ships, Magic Tree,...) haven't aged well technically. Those still look gorgeous in their own surreal way however.
41	** The snow episodes, instead of shooting new footage, lazily ChromaKey the stock footage. Needless to say, it's very noticeable. You can even still see bits of green sticking out in some parts.
42	* SweetnessAversion: The show is overly saccharine, even compared to other preschool shows.
43	* TearJerker: For those who are not desensitized, the last 15 seconds of the end credits in the show and the ending of the original extended music video can be depressing, the whole feeling that the fun is over and it's time for bed.
44	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
45	** A lot of fans aren't happy with some of the changes made in the 2015 reboot. These include the removal of Magic Events, cutting the length of episodes in half, and the dramatically changed writing style.
46	** When the Netflix revival was first shown off, there was a sizable outcry over the change made to Baby Sun. Not because the head itself was changed to a different baby, but because there's no yellow filter over it, making it look extremely gaudy and out of place.
47	* UnintentionalUncannyValley: The Baby Sun, which is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a baby's face on the sun]], can be ''creepy''.
48	* ViewerGenderConfusion:
49	** Po is often mistaken for a male due to her fur being red and for her tomboyish antics.
50	** So is Laa-Laa to a lesser extent, though she's more girly.
51	** Tinky Winky is sometimes mistaken for a girl due to his habit of carrying a purse, despite his masculine voice.
52	** The Bear is a woman (voiced by Creator/PenelopeKeith), but in some languages, like Swedish and Italian, [[ShesAManInJapan she's a man]].
53	* ViewerPronunciationConfusion: The second "e" in "Teletubbies" is long, not short. This is {{Averted\|Trope}}, and becomes AscendedFanon in the Netflix version of the reboot, where it ''is'' pronounced with a short "e".
54	* VindicatedByHistory: The show was a common source of mockery during the TurnOfTheMillennium, being nothing more than something for parents sit their children in front of to keep them quiet. Nowadays, you'll find plenty of people that will openly admit to liking it, whether it's [[PeripheryDemographic authentically]] or [[GuiltyPleasure ironically]]. Even those who weren't fans of the original will say the reboot is [[ImprovedSecondAttempt at least an improvement]].
55	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome:
56	** Arguably one the most memorable segments from the show is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyEdWz2rQZ8 The Tubby Toast Accident]]" from Feeding the Chickens. It's not hard to see why.
57	** "Falling Down Dance" has [[https://youtu.be/TeqydvZnFOw?t=76 a really nice panning shot of the Magic Windmill starting to spin]] that was only used once throughout the entire show.
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Context YMMV / Teletubbies