Sadly, it seems that not only Teletubbies megastar Tinky Winky has to deal with slurs against his putative attributed ’sexual orientation’ in children’s television.

For example, note the controversy about Toombliboo
“Ooo” , a character in the popular BBC toddler’s series In the Night Garden.  After complaining about dislocating his pelvis in an allegedly designed faulty animatronic suit, gay actor Nick Blake was sacked from the series, and called “a bitch and a faggot.”  To add spice to the story, as Ooo, Blake had to (…) “bend over” a number of times while in costume (…). 

He’s currently taking a case for unfair dismissal, although there have been counter-comments about allegedly sexist and harrassing language that he is purported to have used.

From Australia, two pendulous, jutting yellow-hued children’s television stars, who asked not to be named, have also expressed their sympathies to Ooo. They had to face terrible harrassment in Queensland when they appeared at a Mardi Gras Parade several years ago, the couple added.
 

However, Melbourne Age media reviewer Jim Schlembri thinks we’ve got the wrong end of the Pontypine here. He believes that one In the Night Garden denizen, “Makka Pakka” bears closer scrutiny. He may be a larval version of a more menacing alien abductor:

“In the case of In the Night Garden, this suspicion is compounded by the distinctly extra-terrestrial appearance of these so-called “loveable”, allegedly “friendly” characters. Look closely. When somebody gets abducted by aliens they come back and undergo hypnosis to uncover all the suppressed memories about their experience and do a drawing of what the aliens looked like, and they always have over-sized heads and huge, saucer-shaped eyes. That’s what these characters look like. The cast of In the Night Garden so closely resemble those ancient cave drawings of aliens in Chariots of the Gods it’s positively freaky. But let’s not panic just yet. Chances are I could be wrong on this whole thing and In the Night Garden is, in fact, just a quality, award-winning show for children that teaches them about shapes and colours and hygiene and what-not. But if I could just ask all the parents out there to do me a favour: when you plonk your children in front of this program, keep an eye open and monitor their responses, just in case. It may be nothing but when Makka Pakka stares into the camera and sings his “Makka Pakka” song it totally creeped me out. What is he saying?”

Hmm. He scuttles around a lot and speaks gibberish. Why is it that I suspect that we’re not dealing with an alien here, but a dimunitive offshoot of Marc Ellis, the infamous rugby larrikin? Who is also nicknamed “Makka?”

Recommended:

“Gay In the Night Garden Star Actor Branded A Faggot, Accused of Calling Women Totty.” This is London: 16.01.05: http://www.thisislondon.com

Jim Schlembri: “In the Night Garden” Melbourne Age: 24.04.08: http://www.theage.com.au