Teletubbies prank the crypto world with TubbyCoin joke – all for charity
Popular kids’ TV show the Teletubbies gave a chuckle to the crypto community after teasing a possible foray into cryptocurrency that ended up as a charitable April Fool ruse.
The pesky pranksters set tongues wagging yesterday with a tweet on the official Teletubbies account which declared “Eh-Oh…what could the Teletubbies be possibly hiding from us? Stay tuned for something BIG this week”.
Characters Po and Tinky Winky even sported crypto-supporting laser eyes in an image that sent jaws dropping.
Even industry leviathans Binance and Kraken joined in the fun by responding to the ‘news’ with their own tweets back to Teletubbyland.
Although obvious to most that it was the build-up to the annual joke-fest of April Fools Day, plenty of tongues were set wagging as people tried to decipher what the colourful crew were up to.
Popular theories ranged from Teletubbies tokenisation or NFTs of original episodes.
Some even suggested the characters in the 25-year-old global phenomenon had partnered with an exchange to become figureheads – similar to the Shiba Inu dog associated with Dogecoin.
Gotcha!
However, all was revealed in a press release from WildBrain Labs which ended with the admission “GOTCHA! HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY!”.
The release claimed that users could mine tokens by sharing #TubbyCoin on social media with anyone who needed a hug, allowing the fake crypto to grow in value as it collected good vibes.
The joke was all in the name of charity, with WildBrain kicking off a donation of $5,000 (CAD) to ‘Kids Help Phone’ – a Canadian organisation that gives millions of youngsters a safe, trusted space to talk over the phone or through text or in self-directed support in any moment of crisis or need.
Michael Riley, Chief Brands Officer of Teletubbies owner WildBrain, confessed to the comedy crypto con earlier today, and hoped the yarn had raised awareness for the charity involved.
“I’d like to wish everyone a Happy April Fools’ Day,” he began.
“Although TubbyCoin is not really a cryptocurrency, our hope is that you’ll still enjoy sharing TubbyCoins with friends, family and anyone who needs a hug – all to bring some very real smiles to faces.
“And the part about WildBrain’s donation to charity is no joke. To help ensure kids have the assistance they need in these difficult times, we’ll be making a $5,000 donation to Kids Help Phone and adding one dollar to our donation for every TubbyCoin shared on social media up to a total of $10,000.”
In 2020, Kids Help Phone had 4.5 million connections with young people, reflecting a 137% increase over 2019.