By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The surprisingly controversial Teletubbies have just released a new fashion collection for Pride Week 2022 in a collaboration with GoGuy and ellesse.
Rights holder Wildbrain says it has teamed up with the Italian sports and lifestyle brand ellesse, and festival and streetwear clothing brand GoGuy, for a limited-edition Teletubbies adult fashion collection.
The gender-fluid collection launched on June 24 and encompasses five colorful trend stories, reflective of each Teletubby character and a hero sticker print, Wildbrain says. The deal with ellesse was brokered by WildBrain’s dedicated licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG.
The launch of the Teletubbies x ellesse x GoGuy range will be celebrated by an influencer launch event in the British city Manchester with social media activity and a featured appearances at Pride in London.
The collection was designed by GoGuy’s Founder and Director, Sophie Guy, who leads an all-female team of four creatives, who work tirelessly to produce the most unique and original apparel.
The Teletubbies became a surprising but durable icon for the LGBTQ+ movement in 1999, when evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell accused the character Tinky Winky of being gay in a magazine he owned, the National Liberty Journal.
“PARENT ALERT . . . PARENT ALERT,” blared the magazine headline. “Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet.”
“He is purple — the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol,” Falwell wrote.
Falwell’s accusation was that the genderless character could corrupt young minds, but rather than destroying the show, the article ended up cementing the Teletubbies as a symbol of inclusion.
“The Teletubbies are recognized around the world as icons of inclusivity, togetherness and acceptance, so we’re hugely excited to once again be embracing Pride and celebrating with fans in true Teletubbies style,” said Melissa Goodrich, Director of Brand Management at WildBrain. “Ellesse and GoGuy have done an amazing job at capturing the joy and ‘love who you are’ spirit of the Teletubbies and creating a range that is on-trend while brimming with fun and playfulness. We can’t wait to see fans wearing this ‘tubbytastic’ collection during Pride celebrations and beyond.”
Sophie Guy, a founder at GoGuy, said the chance to work with the Teletubbies brand was a dream come true.
“Pride is something I have always been passionate about, as I am a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Guy. “The collection is gender fluid and has been designed with everyone in mind. I believe if you love it, you should wear it no matter what the gender! Teaming up with my favorite major sportswear brand and my childhood icons has not disappointed, and I’m sure you will feel the same after seeing the collection. Do dreams come true? Yes, they do!”
The Head of Marketing for ellesse UK, Jennie Bianco, said her company’s participation in the Teletubbies collection comes directly from its customers.
“The idea of a collaboration between ellesse and Teletubbies actually began as an April Fools’ prank a few years ago, but we ended up having such a high demand from ellesse customers, so we decided to make it happen,” Bianco explained. “We have also been keen to team up with GoGuy for a while, and to all work together on something to celebrate Pride 2022 has been so exciting.”
Wildbrain also notes this is a major anniversary for the Teletubbies brand, something that is once again driving popularity of the brand as adults who watched the show as toddlers now buy Teletubbies merchandise for themselves and their kids.
“As they are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, the Teletubbies are working their way back into our hearts and now our wardrobes!” said Bianco.
The new collection includes separate ensembles based on the four characters from the show, including:
- A Tinky Winky purple range inspired by ellesse’s tennis heritage, with pleated skirt and crop-top combination.
- A Dipsy range that nods to the Teletubbies’ roots and Dipsy’s favorite hat, with a bold green and monochrome graphic cow print on cargo pants, bucket hat and cropped vest.
- Laa-Laa’s iconic sunshine yellow is encapsulated in the ‘Big Love’ dress, a celebration of all love and unity.
- Po’s red range is in recognition of GoGuy’s festival roots, with crop top and co-ord tracksuit featuring the signature ellesse jet strip detail.
- The fifth part of the collection is a bold and vibrant print, which includes all elements of the collaboration—a mashup of Teletubbies’ imagery as well as GoGuy and ellesse logos are emblazoned across a shirt, shorts, head scarf and fan.
The collection is now available to purchase at www.goguyclothing.com.
WildBrain also says this collection is just the beginning of a year-long celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Teletubbies, with activity encompassing fashion, art and music.
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