When I first saw Teletubbies, a British TV show created to make preschoolers comfortable with technology, I turned to my friend and asked, "Acid?" He nodded.
Dressed in fruity technicolor Dr. Denton-style sleepers, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po are the Teletubbies. Their adventures bring them over the hills and far away, watched by windmills, voice trumpets, and young viewers.
More than a handful of England's mums and pops are concerned that Teletubbies is more appropriate for pillheads than for their children. Besides criticizing the psychedelic feel, parents are peeved that the Teletubbies do not speak in proper sentences. The show's creator counters that it uses TV as a magical tool to cultivate a child's imagination.
Yet Teletubbies is a hit with tots. One woman reports, "My niece tries desperately to get inside the telly when the show is on, and she won't watch any other television." Hmm, maybe I was wrong about the psychedelic aspect of the show. It's obvious that the Teletubbies appeal is more magnetic.
Teletubbies. Ragdoll Productions: +011 44 (181) 576 9485.
This article originally appeared in the February issue of Wired magazine.
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