'Teletubbies' win the hearts of kids
Teletubbies; Indosiar: Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.; Sunday: 9.30 a.m.
JAKARTA (JP): Cautious about the bad impact of gruesome animation and cartoons on your toddlers? Tune in to Indosiar every weekday morning at 10 a.m, when parents may have a more suitable choice of TV program designed especially for pre- schoolers, Teletubbies.
One of the most favorite children's programs in Britain, the colorful dolls Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Poo finally greet Indonesian children with their cute faces from their Teletubbyland.
Created and developed by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport of Ragdoll Productions (UK) Ltd, Teletubbies captured the hearts of young audiences and adults as well when it was launched by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Independent Television Network in March l997. A survey reveals that in l998, around 2 million people in Britain watched the program every day.
Teletubbies received warm reviews from the international media. The acclaimed Time magazine writes: "Children are able to take their own interpretation from it." The creators say in the magazine, "We don't have an adult there telling them what to think."
Anne Wood is a prominent children's television program-maker. She founded Ragdoll Productions in 1985 with the motto "Ragdoll Works for Children." Andrew Davenport is a trained speech therapist and former performance artist.
Teletubbies tells the story of four psychedelic high-tech alien toddlers named Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po who live happily in Teletubbyland, actually the 2.5 hectares of farmland outside Stratford-upon Avon, England, which cost millions to build. Tinky Winky is purple and he is the tallest Teletubby. He is around 3 m high and never leaves his red bag.
Dipsy, the second largest, is green. His favorite thing is his black and white hat. Laa-Laa, the second smallest, is yellow. She likes her orange ball. The smallest Teletubby is the red 2-meter tall Po. She likes riding her pink and blue scooter. The costumes used by them weigh more than 13 kg each.
Teletubbies' unique format and characters are designed to nourish young children's thinking skills, teach them to listen, help build their curiosity, expand their imagination, and increase their confidence.
Each program features the Teletubbies in Teletubbyland which hums with the play technology that supplies their every need: tubby toasts, tubby custard, and a conscientious comic vacuum cleaner, Noo-noo.
Four years after the Tubby quartet swept Teletubbymania around the world, local private TV station Indosiar aired the program last November six times a week.
According to the program division on Indosiar, many viewers asked for the show to be on for longer. They want their children see this series after school.
Teletubbies were firstly introduced to Indonesian children in l999 through a large variety of merchandise, including dolls, books, shoes, clothes, bags and other toys, all of them imported items.
Following the success of the program in Indonesia, PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama published a book series on Teletubbies in February 2001. At present it has ten titles. Besides books, there are also magazine and coloring activity books on Teletubbies. PT. Prima Media Pustaka, is the publisher of those two. The company is also going to produce Teletubby stickers in April. The magazine first appeared in February 2001 and the coloring book in January.
Despite its mission, parents should think first whether the program is suitable for their toddlers. If they agree, then they should be prepared to spend extra money on the Teletubbies merchandise their children are bound to ask for. Welcome to Teletubbyland! (Lies Sartika)