Teletubbies gay

“As a Christian, I feel that [Tinky Winky’s] role modelling of the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children.”

Anti-gay crusader Rev. Jerry Falwell clings to a Tinky Winky statue jokingly presented to him at a Baptist church in San Diego, CA (1999)

A few days later, he was given an opportunity to wax his theory on NBC’s “Today” show.

Luckily, the sweet moment made baby Jess laugh so much that she was instantly cast in the coveted BBC role.

Speaking to BBC South East in 2017 about landing the role, Jess explained: "I was being weighed at the hospital. Dave, who was the first to play the purple giant left the series after viewers started to question Tinky Winky's sexuality.

Hardline US evangelist Jerry Falwell once attacked the show, saying: "Tinky Winky is purple, the gay pride colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the gay pride symbol."

The official line was that he walked due to “creative differences”, but it was later reported that the show's production company felt the actor had misinterpreted the role by "implying" Tinky Winky was gay.

“I am proud of my work for them.

By the end of the first season, nearly $800 million in merchandise — pajamas, toys, and videos — had been sold, garnering the interest of networks across the world. “Literally the only story that got more global [attention] was Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress.” Similarly, the TInky Winky controversy became political: While ultra-conservative pundits sided with Falwell, and agreed that the show was “sexually edgy,” Democrats maintained that attacking a children’s show character was “simply mystifying.”

The more reasonable sector of the media pointed to the absurdity of the entire debacle: Teletubbies, as non-gendered, non-sexual creatures, could be neither gay nor straight.

But a scenario in a later episode paints a sad picture.

Tinky Winky hobbles on screen and looks around: He’s alone. As Thompson’s firing became public information, the media gave it a sensational spin: The actor had been let go for “acting too gay.”

At the same time, the show’s popularity soared. People spotted my little wink to my culture and I’m proud of that."

John never hid from the truth of how hard and sweaty it was to work in the big suit they had to wear.

At the time, producers let the baby Jess sit in front of a mirror and a camera while she watched her dad play with toys. Even the program’s theme song, “Teletubbies say ‘Eh-Oh,’” saw explosive dividends — it sold over a million copies and topped the UK Singles Chart for 32 weeks. After pursuing the idea for a week, Sowinska announced her findings to the media, as if revealing some groundbreaking study: “The opinion of a leading sexologist, who maintained that this series has no negative effects on a child’s psychology, is perfectly credible; as a result I have decided that it is no longer necessary to seek the opinion of other psychologists.”

With these “findings,” Sowinska came under heavy criticism and began to backpedal.

And then, with a defeated squeal, he voices his dilemma: “Uh-oh!”

His bag had become too big of a burden to carry.

This post was written by Zachary Crockett; you can follow him on Twitter here. There’s none to suggest that it facilitates motor development in 12-month-olds. “However, we think it’s a great thing that the Teletubbies portray human diversity and that children love the Teletubbies and appreciate the diversity of expression that the Teletubbies represent.”

Like most tittle-tattle, Tinky Winky’s perceived orientation didn’t die away: For years, what started out as mere speculation became an accepted truth.

Poland’s Anti-Tinky-Winky Crusade

By 2001, Tinky Winky rumors were still in circulation (the character’s sexuality became an everlasting topic of discussion at dinner tables and schoolyards), but Teletubbies controversy began to transition to a more pressing concern: Did the show actually have any educational merit?

The “outing of Tinky Winky” would become, in the words of the show’s producers, the second biggest news story after “Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress.”

This is the true story of how Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby, incited a decade-long homophobic panic.

The Rise and Fall of Tinky Winky

Dave Thompson, the original Tinky Winky actor, on the Teletubbies set (1996)

When a casting call for Teletubbies went out in the Spring of 1996, more than 600 actors auditioned for the role of Tinky Winky.

Stranger, non-scientific accusations were also made: Did the colorful, repetitive nature of the show provide an ideal experience for college kids tripping on psychedelic drugs?

And then, sparked by the grumbles of parents and pundits, the strangest accusation emerged: Tinky Winky, the purple teletubby, was gay. “So even in the ones with him, I am actually in the show more — though I don’t get paid a penny for it!”

Thompson eventually returned to comedy, and became known for his “naked balloon dancing” — particularly the routines he acted out in public parks in Bath, Somerset.

“The mistake was that adults projected adult sexuality onto these pre-sexual creatures,” he reflects. The controversy surrounding Teletubbies highlights the importance of clear communication and avoiding unnecessary speculation in children’s media.

Whether you’re a nostalgic adult who grew up watching Teletubbies or a parent introducing the show to your child, it’s crucial to approach the series with an open mind and focus on its intended message of friendship and imagination.

In the end, the controversy surrounding Teletubbies serves as a reminder of the importance of critically examining media representations and avoiding assumptions based on personal biases or misunderstandings.

Just as Teletubbies continue to capture the imagination of children and nostalgic adults alike, our Teletubby-inspired headbands offer a delightful way to embrace the spirit of childhood wonder.

You will be the cutest Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa or Po when you wear these beautiful headpieces!

The characters, says the network, will be “revamped” and modernized, though it’s unclear whether he will sport his trademark accessory.

It would be difficult to imagine the exuberant creature without his red magic handbag. “All [Falwell] has done is make a mockery of himself,” said Jim Silver, a toy industry insider, told the New York Times. “What kind of person can take the obvious innocence and turn it into something else?” she asks.

The evangelical Southern Baptist pastor had spent his life championing the values of the extreme Christian right: He’d caroused with shady politicians, crusaded against secular curriculums in the classroom, and, most notably, established himself as “the founder of the anti-gay industry.” 

When the news finally came around to him that a children’s show character was purportedly gay, he wasted no time opining.