16 Things You Never Wanted To Know About The Teletubbies, But We're Going To Tell You Anyway

    They had kids with one another?!

    Greta Alvarez
    by Greta Alvarez

    BuzzFeed Staff, Español

    1. The Teletubbies are nearly 10 feet tall. They're much taller than the average human.

    BBC

    You might think that the Teletubbies were small, or at the very least the same size as people, but no. They're much, much taller in real life. Although Po (the red one) is only about 6 feet tall, Tinky Winky (the purple one) is well over 11 feet tall.

    2. The rabbits in the Teletubbies' garden are actually a gigantic species (and they did it in front of the camera a lot).

    BBC
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BHaJ8sBApFl/?tagged=flemishrabbit

    Because the Teletubbies are so big, the rabbits they play with in their garden also needed to be large. They're Flemish Giant rabbits, and they're much larger than normal rabbits.

    They actually had to reshoot a lot of the garden scenes because the rabbits would get it on right in front of the cameras pretty frequently.

    3. Apparently there's racial diversity among the Teletubbies.

    youtube.com

    The Teletubbies' costumes are meant to reflect the actors inside the suits to a certain degree. Dipsy (the green one) is actually played by a black actor named John Simmit, and Po (red) is played by an actress of Chinese descent named Pui Fan Lee. Po occasionally uses Cantonese words when she speaks, too.

    Tinky Winky (purple) and Laa-Laa (yellow) are played by a British actor and actress, respectively.

    4. In the new version of the show (which debuted in 2015), we're introduced to the Tiddlytubbies, whom people think may be the offspring of the Teletubbies.

    Twitter: @lyenkrenz

    It's horrifying to think about, but could the Teletubbies have reproduced? Like, with each other? For now, the rumors are unfounded, but we do know that the eight babies are named Mi-Mi, Daa Daa, Baa, Ping, RuRu, Nin, Duggle Dee, and Umby Pumby, and they live with the Teletubbies.

    5. Taylor Swift was a huge fan.

    6. The Simpsons references the Teletubbies ALL THE TIME.

    FOX
    FOX

    They've been mentioned on 10 episodes of The Simpsons. You can check out more references to the Teletubbies in popular media here: Teletubbies in Popular Culture.

    7. The actor behind Tinky Winky compared his experience to what the Beatles went through in the '60s.

    Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images / Via giphy.com

    It wasn't until the 10th anniversary of the show that the actors and actresses in the suits were finally revealed, and Simon Shelton (Tinky Winky) did a tour, gave interviews, and on one occasion said: "It was incredible, just like being one of the Beatles. Marvelous."

    8. One episode titled “See-Saw” has actually been banned in several countries because the lion and bear characters scared children too much.

    BBC
    BBC

    Many children found the way the characters sounded, looked, and moved to be very unsettling. You can check them out for yourself here.

    9. A black-and-white short featuring a Joy Division song being played over footage of the Teletubbies once went viral.

    youtube.com

    You have musician Christopher Brown to thank for all the nightmares you'll have tonight. He uploaded the video in 2015, and it has been viewed over 3.5 million times since then.

    10. This year, the Teletubbies are 20 years old.

    BBC / Via giphy.com

    The first time Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po went on air was March 31, 1997. Feeling pretty old? You're not alone.

    11. The Sun Baby is 21 years old now.

    https://twitter.com/JessicaSmithSun/status/763335434218995712
    BBC

    Her name is Jessica Smith, and she revealed that she was the Sun Baby during her first year at college when she was 19.

    12. March 28 is Teletubbies Day.

    Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

    At least it is in New York City. In 2007, Mayor Mike Bloomberg awarded the Teletubbies the keys to the city and declared March 28 as "Teletubbies Day."

    13. Officially, Tinky Winky's purse has nothing to do with his sexual preference.

    BBC

    When it first aired, many thought the character Tinky Winky was associated with the LGBTQ community, because he is purple, used a purse, and had a triangle for an antenna. But according to an official statement, "Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag."

    14. They may look a little like aliens, but Teletubbies are actually inspired by astronauts.

    BBC / Via giphy.com

    According to series cocreator Andrew Davenport, the characters movements were inspired by NASA crews. To him, footage of astronauts always looked like "children exploring a new world."

    15. They were also created in response to the violence seen on shows like Power Rangers.

    Fox Kids / Via giphy.com

    The show's creative director, Anne Wood, said that she wanted to "create a program with an opposing message [to that of the Power Rangers] — where big hugs and loving one another was the most important thing."

    16. And because we know you're wondering...Tubby Custard is mashed potatoes...with some other additives.

    BBC

    It's a mixture of mashed potatoes with red and yellow acrylic paint.

    This post was translated from Spanish.