Jim, don't forget the Tele tubbies. Could get Big Birds feathers ruffled.
O T
Falwell warns Teletubby may be gay
TV producers call charge
‘outlandish'
The Teletubbies, from left, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po are shown in this 1998 publicity photo.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROANOKE, Va., Feb. 9 — The Rev. Jerry Falwell is trying to out Tinky Winky, suggesting that the purple, purse-toting character on television's popular “Teletubbies” children's show is gay. A spokesman for Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., which licenses the Teletubbies in the United States, said the purse is actually Tinky Winky's magic bag.
Choose 4 audiobooks for 1 penny when you join! Save over $100 off retail prices.Choose from over 70,000 titles in 30 categories including bestsellers, self-help, fiction & mystery, inspirational, health, and science fiction.
‘He is purple — the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay-pride symbol.'
— NATIONAL LIBERTY JOURNAL
“THE FACT that he carries a magic bag doesn't make him gay,” Steve Rice said. “It's a children's show, folks. To think we would be putting sexual innuendo in a children's show is kind of outlandish.”
The February edition of the National Liberty Journal, edited and published by Falwell, contains an article warning parents that the rotund Teletubby with the triangular antenna may be a gay role model.
To support its claim, the publication says Tinky Winky has the voice of a boy but carries a purse. “He is purple — the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay-pride symbol.”
Falwell contends the “subtle depictions” are intentional and issued a statement Tuesday that said, “As a Christian I feel that role modeling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children.”
TV TUMMIES
The British show aimed at toddlers began airing on U.S. public television stations last spring. The Teletubbies are portrayed by actors in oversized, brightly colored costumes. They all have television screens on their tummies.
Rice said Falwell was attacking “something sweet and innocent” to further his conservative political agenda.
Falwell's spokeswoman, Laura Swickard, said the founder of the now-defunct Moral Majority agreed with everything that was in the NLJ article and would not comment beyond his one-paragraph statement.
© 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
MSNBC VIEWER'S TOP 10
Would you recommend this story to other viewers?
not at all 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 highly
MSNBC is optimized for
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Windows Media Player • MSNBC Terms,
Conditions and Privacy © 1999
Cover | Quick News | News | Business | Sports | Local News | Technology | Living & Travel | Health
On Air | Opinions | Weather | MSN | Comics | Find | About MSNBC | Help | Index | Cool Tools
Write Us | Advertising on MSNBC | Terms, Conditions, and Privacy
|
