TV Events are segments that appeared in every episode and video of the original series.
Plot[]
Original Series[]
Each segment opens with the Teletubbies noticing the Magic Windmill spinning. They say "Uh-oh" where they currently are and then rush to a hill. They then have a big hug to celebrate, and they fall down around them, then each of their tummies and antennas begin to glow. The Teletubbies gather up to choose which of them have a TV transmission and the windmill sparkles (with some stars). They all run up to the top of a high hill to get a good signal. After their tummies and antennas glow one by one, and they each say their names, the Magic Windmill chooses which Teletubby might have a TV transmission. Once the Teletubby is chosen, their tummy lights up and everyone notices who is chosen. The Teletubbies cheer and shush as they gather up to watch the video clip. The video will play featuring real children of the world. At the beginning of the video, a kid (or more) will appear saying hello. The Teletubbies all wave to the kid and say "Eh-oh!" before the camera zooms into the video. Then the kid will show what he/she is doing. Sometimes, they will sing, act out, dance, or do daily activities, such as drawing, riding tricycles, learning about colors or numbers, or do daily routines. In some episodes, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will sing a nursery rhyme for the children in a jazz arrangement, the Funny Lady will tell the children a story, Alex Pascall will read a book, or sing a song with the children, or Andy Brown will take the children to look at animals. At the end of the video, the children will say goodbye. In episodes featuring King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys, the children applaud at the end of the video. Sometimes when this happens, if the video will play once, it will cross fade to the Baby Sun giggling, or if it will play again, the camera zoom back out to the Teletubbies saying "Bye-bye" to the children in the video before they sadly groan that the video is over. In most episodes (except the Funny Lady episodes), the other Teletubbies want to see this video again and chosen Teletubby will play the video one more time, but this time after it ends, the camera fades to the Baby Sun giggling. However, the clip is shown once in the Teletubbies home videos, as well as the Teletubbies Everywhere episodes.
Reboot Series {Tummy Tales}[]
Each segment opens with the Teletubbies noticing the Magic Windmill (now as a Farm Windmill) spinning. They say "Uh-oh" where they currently are and then rush to a hill. They then have a big hug to celebrate, and they fall down with flowers sprouting around them as The Magic Windmill chooses which Teletubby might have a TV transmission. They gather up to choose which of them have a TV transmission and the windmill sparkles (with some stars) changes the colour depending on the chosen Teletubby. As the chosen Teletubby have a TV transmission, a play button appears and the other Teletubby touches the screen on the tummy (acting like a touch screen tablet) and the video will play featuring real children of the world. Like the TV Events in the original series, after the video ends, the other Teletubbies want to see this video again and chosen Teletubby will play the video one more time. However, in the US version, the clip is shown only once. However, In International versions, the second time when the video plays, will be shorter than the first time. In the upcoming Netflix reboot, the segment will be retooled as a series of songs where kids can dance along to.
Trivia[]
- Click here for the List of Teletubbies tally up episodes.
- The video clips in TV Events and the Tummy Tales bear similarities to the Video Letters during the Mailtime segment in Blue's Clues and its revival, Blue's Clues and You.
- The movie clips in TV Events and Tummy Tales Bear is the size of the TV during Cartoons Segment in Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
- Whether the video clips will play once or twice is foreshadowed in each episode.
- The Teletubbies saying goodbye to the kids in the video, before sadly groaning (until the chosen Teletubby says "Again, again!") foreshadows that the video will play twice.
- The video cross fading to the sun giggling at the end of the video the first time it plays foreshadows that the video will only play once.
- The US versions of the TV Events have a child narrator (usually a girl) describing what the kids are doing. As another example, in the US version of the "Gingerbread Boy" segment, the child narrator tells the entire story instead of Oscar and Felix telling it.
- Laa-Laa is the only Teletubby to not have a TV Event exclusive to a VHS release, while she is the only one not to have an "exclusive from" event from a US aired of a Teletubbies Everywhere episode.
- In reboot series, the chosen's Teletubby's play button on the tummy screen is a reference to the YouTube play button.
- Tinky-Winky's belly screen plays the tuning note A, Dipsy's belly screen plays the tuning note D, Laa-Laa's belly screen plays the tuning note B, and Po's belly screen plays the tuning note E.
Chosen Teletubby[]
See the chosen Teletubbies for the list of episodes with Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po as chosen Teletubbies (both the original and reboot).