Exploring Education, Children, and Media: The Teletubbies Phenomenon

This essay examines the children's television show Teletubbies, focusing on its role in education and entertainment. It delves into the controversies surrounding the show, particularly those related to gender representation, educational value, and entertainment aspects. The essay evaluates the legacy of Teletubbies, discussing its influence on subsequent children's programming such as Waybuloo and In the Night Garden, highlighting similarities and differences. It also explores how echoes of Teletubbies can be detected in current children's programming, and concludes by summarizing the show's overall impact on child development and media consumption. The essay draws on research and articles to support its arguments and provides an overview of the show's cultural significance.

Education, Children and Media
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................3
CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING TELETUBBIES....................................................................3
EVALUATION THE LEGACY OF TELETUBBIES .........................................................................4
ECHOES OF THESE PROGRAMS CAN BE DETECTED IN CURRENT CHILDREN'S
PROGRAMMING ...............................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................5
References............................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Education and entertainment both are equally important for a child to his overall
development. Teaching helps him to understand the things and enable them to make difference
between right and wrong. On the other hand, entertainment assists the child to develop several kinds
of skills such as literacy, social and numeracy skills (Grrl, 2004). Different children TV shows and
movies give the opportunities to the child to learn something new and extra. Parents of the children
must ensure that the content of the story should be good and it does not include any kind of violence
activities. Otherwise, it will affect the development of the children and they will learn those things
which they will watch in TV shows and movies (Sigman, 2010). The present essay is relating to
education, child and entertainment and to understand the importance of entertainment and education
on children, a most famous TV show Teletubbies is taking into the consideration. It is a British pre-
schoolchildren TV series and it is very popular among the children's (Kirkorian, Wartella and
Anderson, 2008). The objective behind writing this essay is to discuss the controversies relating to
Teletubbies and evaluation of legacy of this show. Along with this, it will help in determine echoes
of these programs on the children's.
CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING TELETUBBIES
There are different kinds of controversies facing by Teletubbies show in the present time in
which gender issue is major thing. The research shows that this TV series has promoted homosexual
life style between the children. Tinky Winky is one of the characters of this show which is having
the homosexual tendencies (Burdfield, 2015). One of the articles on this issue has stated that
Teletubbies show has attacked on American ideals self-determination, freedom and privacy. It has
found that this series has aimed the 1 to 4 age group children and it has affected the moral values of
them in the little age (Linn and Poussaint, 1999). The character Tinky Winky has wear purple
colour costume and it is a symbol of gay pride, he sports a triangle on his head that is another
symbol of gay pride. Although, he is male but he is all the time carrying a handbag. So, the
character of Tinky Winky in Teletubbies show has come under the controversies because of
promoting homosexual lifestyle between the children (Norris, Boyer and Martin, 2013).
Another controversy related to Teletubbies related show is educational and non-educational
issues (Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies, 2011). Some of the people are thinking
that it is a good source of education for pre-school children to learn new skills. With the help of this
series, they are able to go school in earlier age. It has enhances the educational values and prepare
them to learn the different knowledge and give them opportunities to acquire new skills and
knowledge. But on the other hand, there is a no evidence find that Teletubbies show is educational
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for one year children. Along with this, it is hard to say that this program has helped the babies to
learn how to talk. In addition to this, there is no document proof that this show has any educational
values to 1 to 4 year old children (Everhart, 1997). Hence, due to the lack of research and other
evidence, it has difficult to say that Teletubbies show has nay educational or non-educational value
for the children.
Rather than this, another controversial issue regarding Teletubbies show is entertainment.
From the report of BBC news, it has found that this series has affected the religious values.
Character of Tinky Winky has not a good role model for the children's because it has promoted the
homosexual life style in the community (Nunn, 2013). It is a not a right source of entertainment for
1 to 4 year old age children. The evidence shows that the children who are between the age of 1 to 6
years are spending average amount of time watching TV has faced physiological issues ('Gay Tinky
Winky bad for children', 2016). So, it can be said that Teletubbies is not a good entertainment series
for the children because it has affected the mental health of them.
On the other hand, theme song of Teletubbies has one of the controversial issues. It song has
no sense for the children and they do not understand the meaning of it. But on the other side, the
research reflects that the theme song of the TV show has motivated his little fans to dance on its
beats. It is a good for the daycares and parents to keep busy their infant babies and children's. It has
gained the attention of them and makes them their body more active in the infant stage (Calderon,
2015). Beside this, the face of Sun in Teletubbies show has another controversy because some
people consider the Sun as a small baby who likes to look down on the Teletubbies and then laugh
on them. But for the someone, it has just like a Sun because sometime it entry in the show has
created the fear in the children specially infant babies (Groen and et.al., 2012).
EVALUATION THE LEGACY OF TELETUBBIES
After the great success of Teletubbies among the children group, two new shows have
explored. One is Waybuloo and In the Night Garden. Both are BBC television series for the
children. Major reason behind establishment of these TV shows is some weaknesses of Teletubbies.
One out of the four characters has appealed to the audience to live homosexual life that is not
accepting by the community as well as against the religious beliefs and values. So, this is the major
legacy that has contributed by Teletubbies led to the establishment of Waybuloo and In the Night
Garden shows. Although, these are the replicate of Teletubbies series but the intention of these TV
series are completely different. These have motivated the children's to understand their own feelings
and make them happy.
There are some characteristics of Waybuloo and In the Night Garden shows which has
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contained some similarities with Teletubbies. ‘Waybuloo’ has been regarded as a positively five-star
entertainment. However just like teletubbies hit has been found to be a bit weird. It still has made an
attempt to explore the emotions and relationships by taking the kids on a journey via stories that are
full of co-operation, friendship and enjoyment (Ballin, Aylett and Delgado, 2012). On the other
hand, ‘In The Night Garden’ has been found to be loved by adult audience due to its soothing
mesmeric quality that makes an attempt to calm the frayed nerves. In this regard, Waybuloo’ and ‘In
the Night Garden’ have found to bear striking similarities with Teletubbies in terms of being a
demented show the kids. In this four colorful aliens that are facing severe learning difficulties
scamper a spacecraft that is present in the middle of golf course. It has further been suggested that
three of the programs are bad for children as they have been promoting a baby talk that has no
elements with respect to the real world (Burdfield, 2015). The three of them have further taught
good things such as stealing is bad, every creature is special as well as person should not be judged
for being different. All of them have further presented a same ideology that Everybody Can Get
Along.
Differences
Teletubbies portray the worst of relation with god. This is as god has given us infinite
freedom but still people tend to supplicate before the lord due to a fear of retribution. Waybuloo on
the other hand has made an attempt to offer an entirely different philosophy which f having a Taoist
“being with the world” approach. In The Night Garden has focused on necessities of life. In terms
of Confucian order (Burdfield, 2015).
ECHOES OF THESE PROGRAMS CAN BE DETECTED IN CURRENT
CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
Teletubbies during the times of late 1990s were unstoppable and also had a ubiquitous
presence in the minds of people. They were near to inescapable. Same aura is depicted in the
present times since they have been sired from 2001. It is being watched by 65 million people on
YouTube every month in form of old episodes (Ballin, Aylett and Delgado, 2012).
CONCLUSION
From the above essay it can be concluded that education and media, both are playing an
important role in development of the children's. With the help of this, new skills and knowledge
have increased in them. Along with this, it has delivered the new opportunities to them so that they
can learn the extra knowledge from the external world. The following essay has based on
Teletubbies TV show that has prepared for infant and children of the age of 1 to 6 years. This TV
series has faced some controversies such as languages used in this program, gender issues.
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Educational and non-educational, entertainment etc. On the other hand, their some legacy delivered
by the this show to Waybuloo and In the Night Garden.
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REFERENCES
Online
'Gay Tinky Winky bad for children', 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/276677.stm>. [Accessed on: 31st March, 2016].
Ernde, L., 1998. Teletubbies popular despite controversy. [Online]. Available through:
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[Accessed on: 31st March, 2016].
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<http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teletubbies>. [Accessed on: 31st March,
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<http://prospect.org/article/trouble-teletubbies>. [Accessed on: 31st March, 2016].
Sigman, A., 2010. Teletubbies is as bad for your child as a violent video game, says leading
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Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies, 2011. [Online]. Available through:
<http://articles.earthlingshandbook.org/2011/09/20/why-my-child-is-not-allowed-to-watch-
teletubbies/>. [Accessed on: 31st March, 2016].
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Calderon, M., 2015. The Impact of Popular Media on Infant/Toddler Language Development:
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and Buitelaar, J.K., 2012. Visual scanning in very young children with autism and their
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