You probably remember the rolling green hills of Teletubbyland. It was a bizarre, neon-soaked fever dream that somehow defined an entire generation of preschoolers. At the heart of it were Tinky Winky and Po. One was the towering, purple leader with a penchant for a red handbag; the other was the tiny, red firecracker who zoomed around on a scooter. They were the bookends of the group.
It's weird to think about now, but Tinky Winky and Po weren't just characters. They represented the two extremes of early childhood development that Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport, the show's creators, studied so intensely before launching the series on the BBC in 1997.
The Tinky Winky and Po Dynamic: Big Brother, Little Sister
Most people don't realize how much thought went into the height differences. Tinky Winky was massive. Dave Thompson, the original actor inside the suit, stood alongside a character that was essentially ten feet tall when you factored in the antenna. Then you had Po. She was small. Pui Fan Lee, the actress who played her, had to convey a sense of "toddlerhood" even though the suit itself was still over six feet tall in reality.
They had this specific bond. Tinky Winky was the experimental one. He was the first to try things, often stumbling but always maintaining a gentle, almost protective vibe toward Po. Po, meanwhile, was the "baby" of the family. She was the most relatable to the target audience because she was often the one struggling to keep up or the one who wanted to do things "again, again!"
Actually, the "Again, Again!" catchphrase mostly came from Po. It perfectly captured that repetitive loop toddlers love. It's how they learn. If you've ever spent ten minutes watching a two-year-old drop a spoon just to see it hit the floor, you've seen the spirit of Po in action.
That Infamous Red Handbag
We have to talk about the bag. Honestly, it’s one of the strangest "controversies" in television history. Tinky Winky loved his red bag. He carried it everywhere. To a child, it was just a cool prop—a magic container for things. To certain adults in the late 90s, specifically Jerry Falwell, it was a political statement.
Falwell famously claimed that Tinky Winky was a "gay role model" because he was purple (the pride color) and carried a bag that looked like a purse. It sounds ridiculous today. Because it was. The BBC's response was legendary in its simplicity: "Tinky Winky is simply a sweet, technological baby with a magic bag."
The red bag was actually a "carpet bag" and was meant to show Tinky Winky's role as the explorer. He was the one who went on journeys. He was the one who gathered items. Po, on the other hand, had her scooter. This contrast between the "traveler" (Tinky Winky) and the "athlete" (Po) helped differentiate their personalities in a show that barely used any real language.
Behind the Scenes: The People in the Suits
Being Tinky Winky or Po was a physical nightmare. The suits were heavy. They were hot. They were filled with carbon dioxide if the actors stayed in them too long without the internal fans running.
- Dave Thompson (The first Tinky Winky): He was actually asked to leave after the first season because the production felt his performance was too "eccentric." His take on the character was a bit more flamboyant than what the BBC eventually wanted.
- Simon Shelton: He took over and became the definitive Tinky Winky. He was a trained ballet dancer, which explains why Tinky Winky moved with a certain grace despite being a giant purple blob.
- Pui Fan Lee: She brought a very specific Cantonese influence to Po. Sometimes, if you listen closely, Po says "Cantonese" words for "fast" (Fai-di!) while she's on her scooter. It was a subtle nod to her heritage that most Western viewers completely missed.
The actors worked 11-hour days in a field in Warwickshire. It wasn't CGI. Those were real people tripping over real grass while rabbits (which had to be a specific giant breed to look "normal" next to the Teletubbies) ran around in the background.
Why the Tinky Winky and Po Relationship Worked
Children don't see gender or politics; they see scale. Tinky Winky represented the "Big Kid." He was who the toddlers wanted to be—someone tall enough to reach things. Po was who they were—someone small, fast, and occasionally stubborn.
There’s a specific episode where Tinky Winky tries to ride Po’s scooter. It’s a disaster. He’s too big. He falls. Po laughs. It’s a basic lesson in physical comedy, but it also taught kids about boundaries and individual strengths. Po was the master of the scooter; Tinky Winky was the keeper of the bag. They didn't need to compete.
The Evolution of the Show
When the show was rebooted in 2015, people were worried. Would the charm of Tinky Winky and Po be lost to digital effects?
The new version used more modern tech—the screens on their bellies became touchscreens—but the core dynamic stayed. Tinky Winky remained the slightly clumsy leader, and Po remained the inquisitive "little sister." The show even introduced the Tiddlytubbies, which sort of shifted the hierarchy. Suddenly, Po wasn't the smallest anymore. She had to step up and be a "big sister" to the smaller CGI babies, showing a bit of character growth that fans of the original show found surprisingly touching.
Facts Most People Forget
- The Heights: Tinky Winky was actually nearly 10 feet tall in suit form. Po was about 6'6". They look small on TV because the set was built on a massive scale.
- The Food: Tubby Toast was actually made of foam, painted to look like bread. Tubby Custard was a mixture of mashed potato and pink acrylic paint, which apparently smelled terrible under the studio lights.
- The Sun Baby: Tinky Winky and Po always looked up to the Sun Baby, played originally by Jess Smith. The actors had to look at a mirror on a stick to get the eye lines right.
- The Voice: Po had the highest-pitched voice, often ending sentences with a "pop" sound, while Tinky Winky had a deeper, more resonant "Eh-oh!"
What We Can Learn From Them Today
If you look past the bright colors and the "nonsense" language (which linguists actually found beneficial for pre-speech development), Tinky Winky and Po taught some pretty solid life lessons.
Acceptance is the big one. Tinky Winky carried that bag regardless of what anyone said. He liked it. It made him happy. There’s a quiet confidence in that character that we probably didn't appreciate enough in the 90s. He was just being himself.
Resilience is the other. Po fell off that scooter constantly. She’d tumble into the grass, get back up, yell "Again!" and keep going. In a world that’s increasingly obsessed with perfection, there’s something genuinely refreshing about a red creature that celebrates the "do-over."
Final Takeaways for Parents and Nostalgia Seekers
- Watch for the physical cues: If you’re introducing the show to a new generation, notice how Tinky Winky uses larger, more sweeping gestures while Po uses quicker, more frantic movements. It’s a masterclass in non-verbal character building.
- Embrace the "Again, Again!" phase: Instead of getting frustrated when a kid wants to watch the same three minutes of a video on repeat, remember Po. Repetition is how their brains wire themselves.
- The "Bag" Lesson: Let kids play with whatever props they want. Tinky Winky’s bag wasn't a gender statement; it was a tool for imaginative play.
- Check out the 2015 Reboot: If the grainy 90s footage is too much for your 4K TV, the reboot actually keeps the spirit of the Tinky Winky and Po bond alive without losing the "weirdness" that made the original a hit.
The legacy of Tinky Winky and Po isn't just about merchandise or "Teletubby land." It’s about two characters who represented the clumsy, joyful, and repetitive nature of being a human at the very beginning of the journey. They were different sizes, different colors, and had different interests, but they always ended the day with a "Big Hug."
To dive deeper into the history of the show, check out the BBC's archives on early childhood programming or look for interviews with Pui Fan Lee, who has spoken extensively about how Po influenced her later career in children’s media. You can also find behind-the-scenes clips of the original Warwickshire set, which has since been turned into a pond after the landowner got tired of tourists trespassing on the "Home Hill."
Next Steps for You
- Compare the Eras: Watch a clip of Tinky Winky from 1997 and one from 2015. You'll notice the movements in the newer suits are much more fluid due to lighter materials.
- Research the "Language": Read Dr. Ian Roberts' thoughts on "Teletubbese" to understand why the "simplified" speech was actually a calculated educational tool rather than "dumbing down" for kids.
- Look for the rabbits: Try to spot the giant Flemish Giant rabbits in the original series; they were used specifically to make Tinky Winky and Po look like the size of normal toddlers.
