Why was a scene from ‘Teletubbies’ banned? It Was Deemed Too Scary For Kids

Meci

First, we encounter Bear, who clearly intimidates Winky and friends, stating, “I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, and I’m on my way.”First, we encounter Bear, who clearly intimidates Winky and friends, stating, “I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, and I’m on my way.”

While some might find Teletubbies Tinky-Winky, Po, Laa-Laa, and Dipsy scary, a scene from 1997 featuring a cut-out Lion and Bear on wheels was considered so frightening for children that it was banned!

Read on to find out why the 5-minute scene upset both kids and their parents. The good news is that you can see it today, and we have provided the full video below.

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So, why did the ‘Teletubbies’ scene get banned?

According to The New Zealand Herald, a 1997 segment titled “The Lion and The Bear” was prohibited in several countries globally due to its unsettling impact on young viewers.

The segment begins with the Teletubbies enjoying a tranquil setting of rolling hills adorned with trees, flowers, and shrubs.

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But then, cardboard cutout animals on wheels just make things super odd.

First we meet Bear, who clearly scares Winky and company, and who says, “I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, and I’m coming,” in the weird, echoing voice of a woman with a British accent.

Then, we hear Bear’s bizarre chilling laugh. To be fair, Bear next tells a joke, which is him rolling his eyes in a circle and wiggling his tongue — and the Teletubbies laugh.

He’s not done with his reign of terror, intoning, “I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, with brown fuzzy hair. I’m hiding from the Lion but he doesn’t know where.”

Next, small people would have heard ominous music and loud roaring coming from nowhere. It’s freaky for sure.

Spoiler alert: The growling is Lion.

He has a loud man’s voice that is creepy in a different way than Bear’s. “I am the scary Lion, with big scary teeth. I’m scary on the top and I’m underneath,” Lion calls out.

Um, what? The Teletubbies are clearly scared, especially when Lion goes on to say he’s scary in the front and back. Again, what?

Bear and Lion begin looking for one another, with Lion rolling throughout the landscape, and Bear appearing for a moment, giggling. It’s a maniacal scene to be sure.

The scene was apparently horrifying to enough kids and parents that it was subsequently banned until 2001.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A revised version of the scene was released later.

According to The New Zealand Herald, young children were deeply affected by the scene, with parents commenting that it was not suitable for their age group.

However, in my recent experience, I found that my children, aged 6 and 3, were not disturbed when I allowed them to watch the original Teletubbies scene. Could it be that its ability to frighten has diminished over time?

Considering today’s exposure to more intense characters like Chucky—although I haven’t let them watch those movies, they’ve seen previews and ads—perhaps a simplistic portrayal of a bear and a lion with unsettling voices isn’t enough to scare children nowadays.

The real test will be tonight: whether the kids sleep soundly or wake us in terror around 2 a.m.