Teletubbies were a big part of many children’s lives growing up in the 90s. In fact, most of us sitting in front of the TV in the morning to catch a glimpse of Dipsy, Tinky-Winky, Po, and Laa Laa frolicking around, all without a care in the world. However, there has been a single instance where an episode was so creepy that the broadcasting channels banned it from being shown in 1999. Despite this blot, the BBC Two show was a smashing hit and went on to have nine seasons, with around 485 episodes.
If one recalls, the scene set for the show was a psychedelic-style grassy, floral landscape with just birds and rabbits. And along with the four characters, one could find the Voice Trumpets, the iconic Sun baby, and Noo Noo- the anthropomorphic blue hoover. One can almost consider this a stoner’s greatest achievement.
Although the cast was quite weird in itself, most parents didn’t have a problem with most of the Teletubbies episodes. But one such episode did bring out a bunch of concerned guardians, who considered this particular episode to go beyond a line. A Twitter page- Horror4Kids that brought this episode, titled ‘The Lion and The Bear’, back from the darkness of the past, shared the footage on the social media platform. The episode was deemed too scary and creepy for the target audience of the show- who were between the ages of 1 and 4.
The only creepy character in this episode that brought all the trouble was the cartoon lion with extremely unsettling darting eyes. The show highlighted him being wheeled over the meadows whilst he kept roaring at the screen.
Read: 30 Of The Most Twisted Tweets Of 2022 That Made Us Smile In The Most Sinister Way
The Teletubbies Episode Has Resurfaced On Twitter
Soon, a bear enters the scene and shouts ‘Boo’ at this lion. The lion then utters, “I am the scary lion, and I am looking for the bear. I know she’s hiding, but I don’t know where.” The camera then pans toward the Teletubbies, who are watching the entire ordeal without caring a big deal. The lion goes on to repeat, “I’m looking over here and I’m looking over there.”
The determined lion doesn’t stop looking around the grassy hills. This then leads to the bear giggling in an extremely eerie way, which serves to irritate the lion further. The lion then demands, “Where’s the bear?” to which the bear responds, “Catch me!” The clip ends with the pair getting wheeled around the hills, while they are making noises that shouldn’t be anywhere near a kid’s show.
Needless to say, most of the parents found several troubling elements within this Teletubbies episode, including the theme, the horror element, the bear’s laugh, and finally- the lion itself. And hundreds of Twitter users, 20 years down the line, agreed to it. One user commented, “It is the Freddie meets Jason equivalent of children’s stories. Dear God!” While another user posted, “This was genuinely my first experience of horror as a child. I don’t even need to watch the clip because I had nightmares about that bear for months.” Finally, a third user went on to comment, “The only time I was scared by Teletubbies was the music from this segment.”
Keep Reading: Marijuana vending machine opens in Colorado