In 2012, Icelandic television viewers were in for a major surprise when a showing of Teletubbies featured an NSFW subtitle-dubbing from HBO’s The Sopranos. Eh-Oh!
The shows couldn’t be more opposite. For one, Teletubbies is geared towards children; therefore, Laa-Laa, Po, Dipsy, and Tinky-Winky speak in a language only toddlers could understand. The Sopranos, on the other hand, is a crime drama following members of the mob in New Jersey, often featuring language of a different sort.
While it was definitely a major error on the station’s part, funnily enough, the stark contrast really works?
In 2012, an Icelandic television station (Channel 2) accidentally broadcast an episode of Teletubbies with Icelandic subtitles intended for The Sopranos. pic.twitter.com/WRqWCuZzl5
— Sopranos Central (@orange_peelbeef) January 29, 2026
How a minor mistake led to an epic meme
The dubbing over the Teletubbies episode was from Season 4, Episode 10 of The Sopranos, “The Strong Silent Type”. Unlike the Teletubbies fighting over the last slice of Tubby Toast or the Tubby Custard flood, the family is holding an intervention for Christopher. They’ve become increasingly fed up with his drug use. Adriana brings up the fact that he recently killed their dog, Cosette, by sitting on it while he was high.
“Last week when I came home to learn that you had killed our dog that was the final straw,” a tearful Adriana starts before she’s cut off by Tony. “You killed the dog? What’d you do that for?”
Eventually, Carmela Soprano chimes in with her own quips about Christopher’s drug problems. “I happen to know that you were high at my mother-in-law’s wake.” The quotes were laid over a scene of Laa-Laa and Po conversing in their bedroom.
Both shows are hits with their respective audiences, but this crossover is one nobody knew they needed. The Sopranos ran for 6 seasons, from 1999 until 2006. Teletubbies, meanwhile, ran from 1997 until 2001. A live-action reboot was greenlit in the mid-2010s, with the last episode airing in 2018.
The post 14 Years Ago, an Icelandic TV Station Accidentally Aired ‘The Sopranos’ Subtitles Over an Episode of ‘Teletubbies’ appeared first on VICE.
