X

Even Teletubbies are getting COVID vaccines

"This complicates the Teletubby lore immensely."

Meara Isenberg Writer
Meara covers streaming service news for CNET. She recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she wrote for her college newspaper, The Daily Texan, as well as for state and local magazines. When she's not writing, she likes to dote over her cat, sip black coffee and try out new horror movies.
See full bio
Meara Isenberg
2 min read
teletubbies-sc.png

The Teletubbies are vaxxed.

 Video screenshot by Meara Isenberg/CNET

Teletubbies took to Twitter  on Wednesday to share some important news : They've been vaccinated, and they're ready for "a Tubby hot summer."

In a set of photos, the four humanoid creatures made popular by the British children's TV show grip their "COVID-19 Vaccination Tubby Cards," which display information about their "tubby vaccines." The cards -- presumably a public service announcement for getting vaccinated -- reveal facts about the Teletubbies that perplexed some Twitter users. 

For one, each card lists the same birthday for all Teletubbies: Feb. 20, 2003. The date, which makes them 18 years old, is also six years after the Teletubbies premiered on the BBC. One user admitted being bothered by the news for more than one reason: "Not only was the show originally out six years before this date, but if this is their birthday, I'm only a day older than them and that makes me so very uncomfortable," the tweet reads.

Another discrepancy that caught the eye of Twitter users had to do with the shots listed on the cards. The cards conveyed that the Teletubbies had received two shots of "Noo-nson & Noo-nson," one on July 1, 2021, and another on July 22. "NOOO YOU'RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO GET 1 DOSE OF THAT ONE," wrote a user. "How did they get a second dose on a day that hasn't even happened yet," wrote another.

Teletubbies first aired in 1997. It featured Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, who were purple, green, yellow and red, respectively, and who inhabited the tranquil Teletubbyland. The show ran for 365 original episodes, ending in 2001, and it was revived with new episodes appearing from 2015 to 2018. Designed to help young children develop physical, emotional and cognitive skills, the popular series followed the Teletubbies as they interacted with others in their world, and spawned toys and other merchandise.

Whoever runs the @TeletubbiesHQ Twitter account was apparently unfazed by the storm of people overanalyzing the Tubbies' announcement. On Thursday, the account tweeted that Noo-noo, the Teletubbies' cleaning companion, had gotten vaxxed too.

See what eagle-eyed Twitter users had to say about the announcement, and what it means for "Teletubby lore." 

Many focused on the Teletubbies' apparent age

"Why not just make that their birthday?"

"Are the teletubbies time lords?"

And their 'Noo-nson & Noo-nson' shots

Others surmised the tweet had broader implications for the Teletubbies

"This complicates the Teletubby lore immensely."

Others attempted to explain the discrepancies more rationally