Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Teletubbies Take Over Williamsburg LinkNYC Kiosks, Hungry For Data
By
Claire Lampen
Published Sep 24, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist Tipster
View all 4
By
Claire Lampen
Published Sep 24, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Excuse us, please, but what is that weird disembodied giggling we're hearing over Williamsburg? What's that jaunty, tinkling tune beaming out across North Brooklyn? Could it be that with summer's official ending, the Mr. Softee LinkNYC prankster found a new and innovative way to haunt us? And sorry, potentially unrelated, but since when does the sun have the face of a human baby?
Reader, there's still so much we just don't know.
What we do know is that someone took the liberty of dressing up an untold number of local LinkNYC kiosks in Teletubby smocks. A tipster submitted four photos, all taken Sunday. Each featured a different data-sponging station, located either on Berry Street or Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, outfitted to look like one of the enormous alien toddlers from your favorite British children's show.
Unfortunately, whoever made the costumes does not appear to have spent much time bringing the eyes alive, resulting in unsettling, dead-eyed monoliths that stare freakishly into the middle distance. Fortunately, at least for those of you who find yourselves unsettled by this spectacle, the suits have now been removed.
But! As you can see, all four Teletubbies — Tinky Winky (the purple one, "a little indecisive but ... also very thoughtful," per the official website); Dipsy (the green one, "funky and groovy, always doing dance moves with his arms"); Laa Laa (the yellow one, "a bundle of good, fun energy"); and Po ("red, cute, and little!") — were represented, at a towering scale that unfortunately reflects their actual height: The original Teletubbies reportedly ranged between 6 (Po) and 11 feet (Tinky Winky) tall, because all beloved children's characters must be alarmingly large, we guess??
Anyway, LinkNYC told Gothamist they had nothing to do with this particular stunt, and that while the company "appreciate[s] New Yorkers’ creativity," it "wouldn’t want Teletubbies to interfere with anyone using Link’s super fast free Wi-Fi and community services." Which, again, may absorb a high volume of your internet information in the process.
We do not currently have any viable leads as to who might have architected this makeshift Teletubbyland. However, since their previous landlord deliberately flooded the scenic pasture where their hovel used to live, perhaps the Teletubbies were just seeking a new home. (And then we had to go and run them out of town!) Or maybe they want to harvest all your data for their own Teletubby purposes! Impossible to say at this juncture, but if you unleashed these mumbling brutes into our streets — or if you know who did — please let us know on our confidential Teletubbies hotline ([email protected]).
And while you're here, bow to your new overlord, the Sunbaby:
Update: This article has been updated to clarify that the Mr. Softee hacker was technically more of a prankster, in that he never wrested control of LinkNYC systems from the company, but instead commandeered the speakers on individual kiosks to blast his carnival-type jingle into the ether. Also, LinkNYC would like to emphasize that it will not "store web browsing history or track the websites of Wi-Fi users." FWIW!
Tagged
why
brooklyn
williamsburg
kiosks
linknyc
Claire Lampen
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
In 1972, legendary documentarian William Greaves filmed a party he threw for Harlem Renaissance luminaries. With help from his family, "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" brings that decades-old footage to theaters.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 1:07 p.m. ET
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .