The phenomenal Teletubbies that made today's 20 somethings swoon with delight will soon return to TV.

Welcome back, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po. The BBC has ordered 60 new episodes of the much loved pre-school series that made its debut in March 1997 and ended January 2001 in the United Kingdom. It was shown in the US from 1998 until 2008.

Like Us on Facebook

That span saw the show originally intended for British youngsters morph into a cross continent phenomenon that generated good vibes, a raft of awards and controversy.

Teletubbies was a critical and commercial success and won a BAFTA in 1998.

The original Teletubbies ran for 365 episodes and was broadcast in more than 120 countries in 45 languages. Teletubbies changed the landscape of children's television.

The Teletubbies will return to TV via CBeebies, the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at encouraging learning through play in a consistently safe environment for children aged 6 or under and providing high quality, mostly UK-produced programs.

The new Teletubbies will be filmed on a replica set instead of at its original location in Warwickshire, England. It will be enhanced by CGI to give it a more contemporary look.

"I think that now is the right time to create new episodes of this much-loved, iconic show for the current CBeebies audience," said Kay Benbow, controller of CBeebies.

"Early development and test shoots have persuaded me that CBeebies viewers are in for a wonderful treat."

There is as yet no word when the new Teletubbies episodes will be broadcast.

For those of you who've forgotten, Tinky Winky is the largest and oldest of the Teletubbies. He's colored purple and has a triangular antenna on his head. He carries a red bag, a habit that led some fanatic American Christians to label him a homosexual.

Dipsy is colored green and is named Dipsy because his antenna resembles a dipstick. Laa-Laa, a female Teletubby, is colored yellow. She is likes to sing and dance.

Po, another female, is the smallest and youngest of the Teletubbies. She is colored red and has an antenna shaped like a stick used for blowing soap bubbles. She is perceived as being Chinese.

TagsTeletubbies, return, BAFTA, back