Tinky Winky back in the news

First it was the late Jerry Falwell who questioned the sexual orientation of noncom TV stalwart Tinky Winky, one fourth of the Teletubbies. Now a children's rights watchdog from Poland has weighed in on the topic. The BBC, which produces the show, denies any hidden agenda. Ewa Sowinska, the Polish watchdog in question, wanted the purple Teletubby to be investigated, and suggested that the program amounted to "homosexual propaganda."

The allegations trace to Tinky Winky's habit of carrying a handbag, but the BBC said it is simply a prop. In a statement, BBC responded, "Children love to play with bags of all kinds and this fascination is reflected in Tinky Winky's favorite thing. To suggest the series has a political agenda is simply not true." Sowinska is said to have withdrawn the request for an investigation.

TVBR observation: We have had two children exposed to the Teletubbies, and both - now ages 10 and eight - have moved on. The older, a girl, was fascinated at a very young age in a way she hadn't been with any other program up until that point. The younger, a boy, never warmed up to it so much. Why? Who knows. If the show has had any long term effect, perhaps it is a love of bunnies (the Teletubby landscape is absolutely infested with the long-eared critters). We currently have a baby rabbit hanging around our yard despite the best efforts of our dog to encourage alternative living arrangements, and our children will generally drop whatever they're doing at least for a few moments to watch it when it comes out into the open. But we are not ready to credit or blame the Teletubbies for that part or any other part of their personalities.

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