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Authors of this report
What's all the fuss about then ? Why is Teletubbies so popular ?
Why does the propgram enjoy a huge fan base amongst students and
adults ? Why are some people prepared to kill to get hold of a
Teletubbie doll ?
These are all questions we will attempt to answer going on what has
happened recently and what is expected to happen. We will look at
reasons why adult Teletubbies merchandise is dissalowed by Ragdoll,
and why Ragdoll denies that adults should watch the program.
A good place to start would be to describe ourselves, the writers of
this report. We are three 'A' level students from Bradford. Two
of us (*Baby-Boy* and Austin ) study psychology as an 'A' level.
We can therefore put forward ideas as to the motives behind some
bizzare behaviour, such as Trying To Stab Someone For A Teletubbies
Doll or Crying When You Touch A Teletubbies Doll. That isn't to say
we've got all the answers, but we've sure got some good ideas, and we
like to share them with you.
We all watch Teletubbies at 7:15 am whenever we can. We think it's a
really good way to start the day, because the program is happy,
upbeat, and uplifting. This is why we like it. When we are feeling
tired and unwilling to face another day, Teletubbies does an
excellent job of lifting our spirits with its innocent and
lively outlook on life. We go to Warwickshire to invade
Teletubbieland not because we are hardcore maniacs who can think of
nothing else. We like the day out more than anything and like to
tour the excellent Stratford pubs (especially one called the Pen +
Parchment - check it out ! ).
Basically, we think that there are three types of Teletubbies fan.
The first is Ragdoll's intended audience, namely young children. The
program is excellent for them, because of its undemanding pace and
repetition. It's basically good fun. Many parents have accused
Teletubbies of being little more than drivel, but we think this is
a rather short sighted and ill-evaluated opinion. Many parents
claim that the program holds little educational content, but we don't
think its the point. Children shouldn't be pushed to learn - it
should come naturally, and parents should realise that learning
social skills (such as being nice to one another) is just as
important as academic learning. This is the reason why children at
this level like Teletubbies - it forces nothing upon them, and even
gives gaps in the program in which they may respond to what is being
said and done. The set is real, the dome is real, everything is
real. Children can tell when a set is fake, and the
atmosphere, realism and involvement is lost.
Take the program Playday's for example. The set is a pathetic, two
dimensional cardboard cutout. The cast consists mainly of puppets.
Children do not attach to puppets because they are obviously unreal.
Did you, for exaple, see mass queues at toy shops for Wy bird ? That
infernal cat ? Or that other damn puppet ? No, I bet you didn't.
THE REASON WHY TELETUBBIES ARE SO POPULAR WITH CHILDREN IS BECAUSE
THEY CAN DO EVERYTHING THE CHILD CAN. THEY CAN DANCE, SING, EAT AND
SHOW EMOTION. PUPPETS CAN DO NONE OF THESE THINGS.
The second type of Teletubbies fan are adults who think that the
program has a sweet, uplifting, happy outlook to offer those who are
worn down by the trials of everyday life. People in this category
have no Social Skills problems, but find the Teletubbies an
interesting distraction, and something to be enjoyed. It also gives
many people an interesting twist to their personailties. This
category, I think, includes many students and members of Oliver's
mailing list. It also incudes the three authors of this report
THIS TYPE OF TELETUBBIES FAN LIKES THE PROGRAM AND ITS ASSOCIATED
MERCHANDISE BECAUSE OF ITS HAPPY AND UPLIFTING OUTLOOK ON LIFE.
A lot of readers will have seen the Here and Now program about toy
mania. This told of a man who was desperately obsessed with
Teletubbies, and more specifically, Teletubbies Toys. The man went
into a shop, and on discovering that there were no Tubby dolls left,
he desperately pulled a knife on the cashier. This is the third type
of Teletubbies "fan" - an obsessive who can think of nothing else.
Lacking the social skills to make friends in the real world, he
attaches to the Teletubbies because of their lack of inhibition and
universal acceptance. The Teletubbies are always happy, something
that the class 3 Teletubbies fan seldom is. To compensate for this,
he will buy any merchandise going that has the Teletubbies name on
it. He won't be able to think of anything else, in an attempt to
share this happiness.
THIS TYPE OF TELETUBBIES FAN LIKES THE PROGRAM AND ITS ASSOCIATED
MERCHANDISE BECAUSE HE LACKS THE SOCIAL SKILLS TO MAKE FRIENDS AND
TRIES TO SHARE THE TELETUBBIES' HAPINESS
This leads us onto another question we asked in the introduction -
why is adult merchandise banned ? The answer, most probably, is
because their is a minority of Teletubbies fans who will fall into
category 3. It would be very easy to make money from these people,
but this would hardly be socially acceptable. Remember, making a
fast buck is not the only way to making a lot of money. Look at the
Spice Girls, for example. They tried to make a fast buck by selling
themselves to the highest bidder. The little credibility they did
have left has now vanished, and they've been booed of stage and have
(reportedly) been arguing amongst each other. Teletubbies is a
controversial program as it is, and already lacks credibility in some
parents' eyes. Just when it has managed to win most parents over, it
would be very foolish, in the long term, at least, for Ragdoll to
destroy this credibility by making quick money by selling adult
merchandise.
To class 2 Teletubbies fans, as I'm sure many readers are, the lack
of adult merchandise is annoying. It is, however, necessary, to
protect those sad individuals in category three. This was
probably a sound decision by Ragdoll, but there remains no reason to
deny that ALL adults should watch the program. To many adults, it is
a harmless pick-me-up to set them up for the day.
I hope you've enjoyed reading our report, and have found our views
interesting. If you've got any comments, please e-mail *Baby-Boy* at the address
below
