It happened in 1997. Thousands of toddlers sat cross-legged in front of heavy, glass-screened televisions, expecting the usual gentle rolling hills and giggling Sun Baby. Instead, they got a mechanical, screeching nightmare. The sketch, officially titled "See-Saw," introduced the world to the Teletubbies bear and the lion, and it basically changed the trajectory of children's television history.
Parents didn't just complain. They panicked.
The segment featured a wooden-looking Lion with rolling eyes and a Bear that moved with a jerky, stop-motion gait that felt distinctly "off." It wasn't just the visuals, though. The music was a discordant, terrifying mess of woodwinds and high-pitched squeals. For a show designed for the developmental stage of one-to-four-year-olds, it felt like a psychological horror experiment gone rogue.
The Bizarre Origins of the See-Saw Sketch
Ragdoll Productions, led by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport, generally knew exactly what they were doing. They were masters of child psychology. Most of Teletubbies was carefully calibrated to be soothing, repetitive, and bright. So, how did the Teletubbies bear and the lion make it past the editors?
The sketch was intended to teach children about tension and chase. The Lion (voiced by Eric Sykes) would "hunt" the Bear (voiced by Penelope Keith). In the original version, the Lion’s voice was a raspy, predatory growl. He’d say things like, "I am the scary Lion, and I'm looking for the Bear!" while his tongue flicked in and out of a mouth filled with jagged wooden teeth.
The Bear wasn't much better. She would giggle manically while zig-zagging across the screen, chased by a predator that looked like it was carved from a haunted shipwreck.
Why the 1997 Version Was Banned
It’s actually pretty rare for a BBC show to be "banned" in the traditional sense, but the Teletubbies bear and the lion earned that distinction in several territories. After the initial broadcast, the BBC was flooded with letters from parents claiming their children were genuinely traumatized. We aren't just talking about a little crying; we are talking about kids who refused to watch the show ever again.
The "uncut" 1997 version was deemed too frightening for the target demographic. By 2001, the production team had to go back to the drawing board. They edited the audio to make the Lion sound "silly" rather than predatory. They added giggles. They lowered the volume of the screeching music. If you grew up after 2000, you likely saw the "tame" version. But the internet never forgets the original.
The Psychology of the Uncanny Valley
Why did this specific sketch hit so hard? It’s basically a masterclass in the Uncanny Valley. This is the concept where something looks almost human—or in this case, almost like a friendly toy—but some small detail is deeply wrong.
The Bear’s movement is the biggest culprit. It used a specific type of puppetry and stop-motion that felt unnatural. When the Teletubbies bear and the lion appear on the horizon, they don't walk. They slide. They glide. The Bear’s eyes don't focus; they just stare into the middle distance while she emits a high-pitched "I'm the Bear, I'm the Bear!"
Children at that age are just learning to process social cues. When they see a face that looks "wrong" or hear a voice that sounds threatening, their fight-or-flight response kicks in. The Teletubbies bear and the lion triggered that response in a whole generation.
Looking Back at the Legacy
Honestly, the sketch has become a bit of a cult phenomenon. It’s a rite of passage for Gen Z and Millennials to go back and watch the original 1997 clip on YouTube to see if it was as bad as they remembered. It usually is.
What’s interesting is how the show's creators defended it. Anne Wood has often spoken about how children need to experience a little bit of fear in a controlled environment to learn how to manage it. While that makes sense in theory, the execution here was arguably a bridge too far. The Teletubbies bear and the lion weren't just "scary"; they were visually unsettling in a way that defied the logic of the rest of the show.
How to Revisit the Sketch Today (If You Dare)
If you're looking for the original footage, you have to be specific. Most official BBC releases use the edited 2001 version. To find the "cursed" one, you have to look for archives of the original 1997 UK broadcasts.
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- Look for the eyes: In the original, the Lion’s eyes roll all the way back into his head.
- Listen to the voice: If the Lion sounds like he’s trying to eat the Bear, you’ve found the original.
- The Music: The original score features a discordant flute that sounds like it’s being played out of tune on purpose.
Actionable Takeaways for Parents and Nostalgia Seekers
If you are a parent today, you probably don't have to worry about the Teletubbies bear and the lion popping up on modern streaming services in its original form. The "rebooted" Teletubbies is much more sanitized. However, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding media consumption for toddlers:
- Monitor "Legacy" Content: Just because a show is rated for kids doesn't mean it fits modern standards of "appropriate." 90s kids' TV was wild.
- Validate the Fear: If a child is scared of a specific character, don't force them to "face their fear" at age two. Their brains literally aren't ready to process the difference between a puppet and a real threat.
- Check the Version: If you are buying old DVDs of Teletubbies at a thrift store, check the copyright date. 1997-1999 discs are the ones containing the "scary" edits.
The Teletubbies bear and the lion remains one of the most fascinating "mistakes" in children's media. It serves as a reminder that the line between "whimsical" and "nightmarish" is paper-thin, especially when you are two feet tall and watching a wooden lion chase a bear across a neon-green field.