Jess Smith, the original Teletubbies sun baby, has revealed she earned just $335 for becoming one of the most recognizable faces in children’s television.
The Kent, England native, now a mother of two, opened up to the outlet about the unlikely path that landed her the role at only nine months old. Her casting began with a routine doctor’s appointment rather than a traditional audition process.
“My mom took me to the hospital for a general check up, the staff were asked if they could forward any baby names to the production company to appear in a new TV series,” Smith explained. “My mom agreed. From there I had a couple of auditions, I’m assuming to make sure I could laugh on cue and what my laugh sounded like, and eventually was shortlisted and received the part.”
That modest payday came with a few plush toys thrown in, hardly a fortune considering the show’s massive global success. The original Teletubbies series premiered on BBC in 1997 and ran for four years before ending in 2001, making Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po household names worldwide.
Smith shared what little she knows about the actual filming conditions during her brief time in front of the camera. “There’s only two facts I know – I filmed my part in the house of one of the producers, and the original film set is now filled in with water as the land owner was annoyed with the visitors,” she added.
Despite her face beaming down on countless preschoolers for years, Smith herself never developed any personal connection to the program. “I have no memory of watching it at all, believe it or not,” she said. “I’ve never been one to talk about the show or my appearance on it. It’s always been part of my life and something I hold on to.”
The Teletubbies property has proven remarkably resilient since Smith’s original run ended. CBeebies revived the colorful quartet for a new run beginning in 2015 that lasted three years, and Netflix launched a 26-episode reboot in November 2022 narrated by Tituss Burgess of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame.
Smith’s own life took a dramatically different trajectory from show business. She has settled into full-time motherhood and expressed deep satisfaction with that choice.
“Now I am a full-time mom and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Smith said. “I love being at home with my girls and I hope it stays this way, my children are aware of the Teletubbies, we put it on occasionally.”
Her daughters have begun making the connection between the giggling baby on screen and the woman raising them. “They both recognise that it is me in the sun, by saying ‘mommy’ and pointing at it,” she added.
The original Teletubbies filming location in Warwickshire, England became a minor tourist attraction during and after the show’s initial run, though the flooded field Smith described suggests those days have long passed. The series was created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for Ragdoll Productions, becoming a phenomenon that generated hundreds of millions in merchandise revenue.
Smith’s story stands as a notable case study in child acting compensation, where even iconic roles frequently yielded minimal direct payment to the young performers involved. Her £250 fee, equivalent to roughly $335 at current exchange rates, came without any residuals or ongoing royalties from the show’s decades of profitability.
The Netflix reboot that premiered in late 2022 introduced the sun baby to a new generation, though with a different infant in the role.