Teletubbies’ Po, originally played by Pui Fan Lee, stars in viral TikTok videos
By Isa Peralta
May 31, 2023
The Teletubbies have made an unexpected return — but this time, they’re blowing up on social media.
On May 1, 2020, the official Teletubbies TikTok account posted its first video. The account has slowly risen in popularity, with several recent videos garnering millions of views.
“Eh-Oh! Welcome to the official TikTok of Teletubbyland,” the account’s bio states. It now has over 962,000 followers and 14.1 million total views.
Some of the account’s most-watched videos feature Po, the red Teletubby.
Po was played by British Chinese actor Pui Fan Lee in the original “Teletubbies” series, which ran from 1997 to 2001 in the U.K.
In a popular TikTok video with over 5.2 million views and 809,000 likes, Po can be seen trying to move around on a scooter.
“The body is round. Her little legs aren’t designed for distance,” the clip’s onscreen text says.
“The fact that this isn’t a fan edit but the actual Teletubbies account is SENDING me,” one TikTok user commented on the video, while another wrote, “Po was always my girl growing up and this confirms it.”
In another video featuring Po, she can be seen eating Tubby Toast, one of the Teletubbies’ favorite foods, while thinking of Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us,” “The Mandalorian“) eating toast.
“Just me imagining what Tubby Toast tastes like with Pedro Pascal,” the clip’s onscreen text says.
Tinky-Winky (the purple Teletubby), Dipsy (the green Teletuby) and Laa-Laa (the yellow Teletubby) can also be seen in videos featuring TikTok trends and popular music.
In a May 17 clip, they promote self-care while Saweetie’s “My Type” plays in the background.
“Always deliver the best version of yourself. Work out, eat good, clean your room, take care of your mind, body and soul. Inner love translates to outer love,” Saweetie can also be heard saying.
“The teletubbies raised me,” one TikTok user commented on the video.
“[Laa-Laa] is literally the only reason I’m alive. Truly the icon I strive to be,” another user wrote.
“Teletubbies using this song was not on my 2023 bingo card,” another user said.
In another clip, which has garnered over 7.4 million views since it was posted on April 6, the Teletubbies can be seen driving around in a car.
The clip’s onscreen text says “I WOKE UP IN A NEW TUBBY CAR” while the hit 2013 song “Bugatti” by Ace Hound, Future and Rick Ross plays in the background.
“Teletubbies tiktok is elite,” one Tiktok user commented, while another wrote, “PO GOT A LICENSE????”
The Teletubbies were created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC and made their debut in 1997.
The four iconic characters, who live in Teletubbyland, have televisions on their stomachs and antennas protruding from their heads.
Their award-winning children’s TV series follows them as they go on adventures and find themselves in tricky situations, often caused by their anthropomorphic vacuum cleaner called Noo-Noo.
Another character in the show who has become a pop culture icon is the Sun Baby, the sun of Teletubbyland that makes baby noises and has a live-action baby face.
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