Who Spilled the Tubby Custard?

Tinky Winky Walks — Tinky Winky follows a trail of Tubby Custard footprints down the path to the windmill.

Who Spilled the Tubby Custard? is a popular Teletubbies segment. It is featured in the UK Version of Painting with Hands and Feet, the US Version of Cows and Calves and in Here Come the Teletubbies.

Plot[]

Tinky Winky slides down the slide in the House and bumps to the ground. He walks when he suddenly sees Tubby Custard spilled all over the floor. He looks at it and then notices that there are footprints on the floor. Tinky Winky feels excited as the mystery begins with him following the footprints. Tinky Winky goes outside the back door and follows the footprints. It leads to the path to the Magic Windmill, and to a forest. Tinky Winky follows the footprints around the bush, then follows the footprints to a field, where he meets Dipsy, who is sitting with some rabbits.

Tinky Winky asks Dipsy if he spilled the Tubby Custard. Dipsy says "No!" Tinky Winky sees that the footprints carry on. Tinky Winky continues to follow the trail of footprints. Dipsy follows Tinky Winky. They follow the footprints over the hills, and they eventually meet Laa-Laa, who is dancing while wearing the skirt.

They ask Laa-Laa if she spilled the Tubby Custard. She says "No!", and the footprints carry on. Tinky Winky and Dipsy follow the footprints. Laa-Laa takes off the skirt and follows Tinky Winky and Dipsy.

They follow the footprints over the hills, in and out of the trees, across the path, around the Superdome, and indoors through the back door. They notice another pair of footprints, and as they follow them, they find Po sleeping in bed. Po's feet are covered in Tubby Custard. The hunt is over, and Tinky Winky, Dipsy, and Laa-Laa solve the mystery of who spilled the Tubby Custard. It was Po who spilled the Tubby Custard.

Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa-Laa all laugh when suddenly, the Magic Windmill spins, and Po wakes up (off-screen). They say, "Uh Oh!" and leave the Superdome to watch the Tap Dancing Teddy Bear for the very first time.

Alternate Ending[]

In the Here Comes the Teletubbies VHS, after the Teletubbies laugh at the end of the segment, it cuts to the Watering Can segment.
In the US version of Cows and Calves, the TV Receiver event replaces the Tap Dancing Teddy Bear, to add this, The Magical Event noise is replaced with the TV Receiver event whooshing when the Normal Window Animation appears and also the TV Receiver music has been added when the Teletubbies say Uh-Oh! and run out of the door.

Trivia[]

This segment is featured as a story in the Teletubbies 1998 Annual. In this, the story ends with Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa-Laa going to bed.
There is also one book that has the title of this segment and is a lift-the-flap book. It has also several additions and differences:
- Noo-Noo appears in this version.
- There is a question that asks if the rabbits, the flowers and the Noo-Noo spilled the Tubby Custard.
- Tinky Winky follows the footprints behind a tree and meets Dipsy there.
- Tinky Winky and Dipsy follow the footprints behind Laa-Laa’s ball and meet her there.
- When Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa-Laa return to the house, there is the question of whether Noo-Noo is the culprit, then the three follow the footprints behind the Tubby Custard machine where they find Po’s scooter.
- After Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa-Laa discover Po is the culprit, she wakes up and Noo-Noo tidies up all the Tubby Custard, including from Po’s feet.
- After the cleaning, it ends with the saying “The Teletubbies love each other and the Teletubbies love the Noo-Noo very much” with the Teletubbies hugging each other and the Teletubbies saying “Big Hug!” and also hugging the Noo-Noo.

Goofs[]

Tinky Winky followed the footprints up the path to the windmill. When Tinky Winky, Dipsy, and Laa-Laa walk around the house, the footprints are not on the path, to add this, they are still not there in the Windmill animation.

Transcript[]

[Tinky Winky slides down the slide and falls down]
Tinky Winky: Wa-hey! [PARP] [thingling] Eh-Oh! [Tinky Winky stops walking and notices a tubby custard spill on the floor] Uh oh.
Narrator: One day in Teletubbyland, Tinky Winky saw that somebody had spilled their tubby custard on the floor.
Tinky Winky: Somebody spilled the tubby custard. Uh oh!
Narrator: But whoever it was, had left footprints. Who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky: Who spilled the tubby custard? Oooh!
Narrator: Tinky Winky followed the footprints.
Tinky Winky: Footprints. [goes outside following the footprints, walks on the path]
Narrator: Tinky Winky followed the footprints over the hills.
Tinky Winky: Over the hills. [continues following footprints]
Narrator: And round the bush.
Tinky Winky: Around the bush. [goes around the bush and straight on. Dipsy is shown sitting with the rabbits]
Narrator: To the place where Dipsy was sitting with the rabbits. [Tinky Winky stops and walks to Dipsy]
Tinky Winky: Eh-Oh, Dipsy.
Dipsy: Eh-Oh, Tinky Winky.
Narrator: Was it Dipsy who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky: Dipsy spill the tubby custard?
Dipsy: No.
Tinky Winky: No.
Narrator: And sure enough, the footprints carried on. Who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky, Dipsy: Who spilled the tubby custard? [Tinky Winky moves on]
Dipsy: Who spilled the tubby custard? [gets up and starts following them]
Narrator: Tinky Winky and Dipsy followed the footprints over the hills.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy: Over the hills. [continues following, Laa-Laa is dancing with the skirt, Tinky Winky and Dipsy stop]
Narrator: To the place where Laa-Laa was dancing.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy: Eh-Oh, Laa-Laa.
Laa-Laa: Eh-Oh, Dipsy. Eh-Oh, Tinky Winky.
Narrator: Was it Laa-Laa who spilled the tubby custard?
Laa-Laa: [Gasps]
Tinky Winky, Dipsy: Laa-Laa spill the tubby custard?
Laa-Laa: No.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy: No.
Narrator: And sure enough, the footprints carried on. Who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Who spilled the tubby custard? [Tinky Winky and Dipsy move on]
Laa-Laa: Oooh. [takes off the skirt] Who spilled the tubby custard? [starts following them]
Narrator: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, and Laa-Laa followed the footprints over the hills.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Over the hills.
Narrator: In and out of the trees.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: In and out of the trees.
Narrator: Across the path.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Across the path.
Narrator: Around the house.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Around the house.
Narrator: And then, they went indoors.
Tinky Winky: They went indoors.
Laa-Laa: Indoors.
Dipsy: Indoors. [the footprints carry on, then they stop when they see Po sleeping with her feet covered with tubby custard.]
Narrator: To the place where Po was fast asleep.
Tinky Winky: Oh! Ha ha!
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Uh oh!
Narrator: Was it Po who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Yes. [giggling]
Narrator: Who spilled the tubby custard?
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa: Po! [all laugh, segment ends]