Have you seen my tinky winky? (Teletubbies)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Teletubbies
Date:	13/02/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: nice for the little ones

Disadvantages: adults may get annoyed with it

WHAT IS IT ABOUT:
Set in a landscape of rolling hills, the Teletubbies are creatures that live in a futuristic dome. Each episode, screens on their tummies show videos of children engaging in different activities, with each video usually repeated later in the episode. The show is aimed at pre-school aged children.

IS IT ANY GOOD:
This show works for many reasons, some more bizarre than others:

1) Bright colours and odd shapes - each Teletubby is a different colour, and they all have different shapes on their heads; these features make the show very visually alluring for little ones.

2) Ritualistic format - the show always follows the same format, with the intro, opening and repetition of the video always coming in the same way. This allows even the smallest babies to recognise the show, increasing enjoyment and focus from pre-school viewers.

3) Non English verbal communication - "eh-oh" and other odd verbal communication is very cleverly used on this show: it encourages verbal experimentation in young viewers who cannot talk in English, but suggests any verbal communication is important. Some have criticised the dialogue as a bad example, but I don't agree.

4) Repetition of the video - studies show you will learn a lot better when something is repeated studies show you will learn a lot better when something is repeated, and this show repeats each video, increasing the learning.

THE DOWNSIDE:
For a (sane) adult, the odd language and repeating videos can be really annoying!

IF YOU LIKED IT:
'In The Night Garden' is a BBC kids show that follows a lot of the same rules, including repetition, bright colours and non-English verbal communication.

TRIVIA:
In different countries, the video on the Teletubbies tummys is from those specific countries.

IN CONCLUSION:
A cult show that little ones love but be warned it may annoy adult viewers!

Summary: one for the kiddies