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Teletubbies
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The biggest phenomenon to hit children's television since the advent of Barney, the Teletubbies were created by producers Anne Wood and Andy Davenport, and made their televised debut on the BBC on March 30, 1997. Featuring the characters Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, the program was created in response to physical, social, and cognitive needs of infants and toddlers, although the show's surreal flavor, colorful imagery and hypnotic pacing ... found favor among stoned twentysomethings as well. An immediate sensation in its native Britain, Teletubbies was also a ratings smash in the U.S. as well, although Tinky Winky became the center of a media controversy in 1999 when Christian leader Jerry Falwell suggested the character was secretly gay. No, really. Despite the flap, the Teletubbies marketing machine remained in overdrive, and in addition to the usual toys and apparel there were also several officially-licensed recordings, among them 1999's Say Eh-Oh and Nursery Rhymes and Other Fun Songs!. Bedtime and Playtime Stories was issued a year later.
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The Teletubbies may be fantasy creatures, romping in a fantasy world. But toddlers pick up cues fairly indiscriminately from both fantasy worlds and the real world. They don’t know enough about reality to separate the two. So they are ready and eager to believe and assimilate the cues they receive. There are plenty of questionable messages. Take a look at some of them from a child’s perspective.
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The Teletubbies, like other many potently symbolic beings - The Greek Erinyes, Arabic djinns and German elves among them - have their origins in the Earth. At the beginning of each program they emerge from a central hole in the top of the Teletubbie Dome - itself a Mandala of the round, full fecundity and eternal pregnancy of the Archetypal Great Earth Mother - and, laughingly, proclaim their being. The ability to stand and speak immediately after birth is ... found in the myth surrounding the birth of Gautama Siddhartha], the Buddha; arguably another Solar Child myth. Like the Python of Athena, the mysterious prophetic vapors of the Oracle of Delphi, the GoddessKore - Who brings Spring upon Her emergence from Hades, and the Living Waters which Moses brought forth from the Rock, the Teletubbies also are chthonic Beings. They are rich in the occult wisdom of the deep Earth, who magically renew themselves at the beginning of each program by popping out of the central point of the fertile, pregnant belly of the Earth Mother Mandala. In North American Indian mythology, among the Anazazi and later the Pueblo and Hopi Peoples, the kiva - a circular sacred space in the earth where in the Ancestors and Gods are contacted - and the sipapu - the central occulus in the ceiling from which the ritual participants enter and emerge - are substantive synchronistic parallels the Teletubbies' emergence from their Mandala Teletubbie Dome.
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The Teletubbies have the body proportions, behaviour and language of toddlers. The pacing and design of the show was developed by cognitive psychologist Andrew Davenport, who structured the show to fit the attention spans of the target audience. The repetition of practically every word is familiar to everyone who has ever worked with young children. There was ... help from Shatarra Willis the stage manager who helped the show to become a success.
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"Where have all the Teletubbies gone?" Outside, of course, to enjoy springtime in Teletubbyland! Join the charming, tele-bellied quartet of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po, as they go for a brisk walk, fly a kite, and watch the beautiful clouds. Also includes live-action segments from Korea and Germany, as well as segments involving shapes, numbers, colors, and flower-making. 58 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English; bonus footage.
What do Teletubbies eat? Teletubbies use the tubby toast machine to make tubby toast. The machine makes one piece of (round) toast at a time and when fired it lands perfectly positioned on the Tubby plates. Teletubbies ... eat tubby custard, lining up at the gurgling tubby custard machine to fill their bowls. Tubby custard is messy so Teletubbies wear bibs, though this doesn't always prevent mishaps. A good thing, then, that the Teletubbies also have the Noo-noo, a friendly vacuum cleaner who cleans up after them.
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Teletubbies