‘Teletubbies’ Show Fans Furious at KCET Stores

A promotional event at KCET’s Glendale store turned into a marketing fiasco early Saturday when the store was unable to produce life-sized characters from the popular Teletubbies television program, disappointing hundreds of young children and their parents.

Glendale police were called in to maintain order when some in the crowd of more than 600 got loud, shouting charges like “false advertising” and “scam.”

The large crowd, and a similarly sized gathering at the KCET Store of Knowledge in Thousand Oaks, was drawn by weeks of heavy on-air promotion of the event, billed in ads as a “play day.”

The ads promised activities like story readings and, according to many of the parents, a chance to see life-sized Teletubbies.

The small, round characters sport television screens in their tummies and antennae on their heads.

Problem is, according to June Miller, vice president of marketing for the KCET stores, there are no life-sized characters because the firm that holds the license, itsy bitsy Entertainment, has yet to authorize them.

“This is just a huge misunderstanding,” said Miller, who recently joined the company. “There are no Teletubbies licensed characters. The Teletubbies live in Teletubbyland. That’s their [itsy bitsy’s] position right now.”

But for hundreds of parents dealing with frustrated, bewildered children, it was more of an underhanded trick than a misunderstanding.

Armando Alvizo, who brought his two young daughters and two nieces from Whittier, saw the event as an attempt to lure thousands of wallet-carrying parents into KCET stores stocked wall-to-wall with Tubby gear, everything from backpacks to hats.

“To be totally misled like this so they can sell things is wrong,” said Alvizo. “I watch that damn show everyday. I saw what the ads said everyday.”

The assistant manager at the Thousand Oaks store said nearly all of the 570 visitors to her store had also come expecting to see the chubby Tubbies.

To placate irate parents, many of whom vowed to never shop at a KCET store again, the sales staff handed out discount certificates and some free gifts.