With makeover and speaking Putonghua, Teletubbies returns to China
Series aimed at new generation of preschoolers will be shown on iQIYI and Youku, beginning on Thursday
Over the hills and far away, the Teletubbies have come back to play – in mainland China.
New episodes of the popular show aimed at preschoolers will be available in Putonghua on streaming platforms iQIYI and Youku from Thursday.
The programme quickly became part of the global cultural fabric after its launch in 1997, with the bumbling antics and rhyming chatter of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po enthralling children, while often antagonising any adult within earshot.
The Teletubbies arrived in China in 2002 as the first Western-made show aimed at children. It was known as Tianxian Baobao or “Antenna Babies”, a reference to the distinct shapes atop the heads of the characters, who were renamed Dingding, Dixi, Lala and Po.
The four return in the new season but to a show updated in look and feel, according to Canadian firm DHX Media, which owns the show and is selling the 60 new episodes to markets around the world.