DIPSY! Tinky Winky! Laa-Laa! And Po! If you're already singing the next line to the song (or groaning with recognition) you're probably the parent of a child born during the 1990s.

Yes, it's 10 years since the Fab Four appeared on our screens, with their Teletubby House in its improbably verdant Teletubby Land, with its Noo-Noo, Tubby Toast and the laughing baby in the sky.

At their height the Teletubbies were described as "bigger than Shakespeare". Simon Shelton, who played Tinky Winky, believed they were "the Beatles or the Take That of children's television".

And if you think that's a gross exaggeration, then know this: today has been declared Teletubby Day in Manhattan, where the original cast are currently visiting on their American reunion tour.

The show was first screened in March 1997 and became an instant hit. Mums adored it because it gave them that "Teletubby moment". "You knew you were safe for half an hour for a sit-down with a cup of coffee and the paper," said one.

The series, created after much educational research, was criticised for the Teletubbies' "nonsensical" style of speech but it rapidly became a global hit.

In 1999 Britney Spears was pictured holding a Teletubby toy on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Two years later Goran Ivanisivec won Wimbledon and claimed watching the show had helped him to relax.

Angelina Jolie has been spotted shopping for Teletubbies and movie star Johnny Depp has said how sorry he is that his two children are growing out of the show because he enjoys watching it so much.

In September 1997, when the Teletubby toys were released, there was no debate as to what would be the must-have present for anyone under five that Christmas.

More than 100 parents queued from 7.30am at Poole's ToysRUs to ensure they would get their Teletubby.

Yellow Laa-Laa proved to be the favourite, followed by little red Po. Because of his propensity for toting a handbag, Tinky Winky became a gay icon. The madness soared to new heights when a Birmingham couple named their baby daughter Laa-Laa and the show became cult viewing for "Teleclubbies", zonked-out clubbers who arrived home just in time for the morning screening.

Simon Shelton says: " We would spend six months at a time filming, working 11-hour days and the suits were very hot. It was physically very strenuous and we had to keep in shape."

Simon "Tinky Winky" Shelton was a ballet dancer and choreographer. John "Dipsy" Simmit was a stand-up comedian, Nikky "Laa-Laa" Smedley was a dancer and Po was actress Pui Fann Lee.

Better known was presenter Toyah Wilcox, who told youngsters at the start of every episode: "Over the hills and far away, Teletubbies come to play." Eric Sykes and Penelope Keith also starred in the Lion and Bear sequences.

The series is not without its critics but psychologist Dr Guy Cumberbatch said the programme was far better for little children than violent cartoons because it highlights "the positive in human relationships".

Big Hug, as the Teletubbies might say

  • The Teletubbies Happy Birthday DVD is out now, priced £15.99.