After becoming a national obsession in Britain, the Teletubbies are now trying to conquer the world.

With their faces on sides of skyscrapers from Hollywood in California to Times Square in New York, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po are the most talked about children entertainers in North America.

The cuddly foursome are reaching a new audience with their appearance on television screens across North America.

Teletubby mania is expected to get bigger when a new line of toys, different from those available in Britain, is launched in American shops in August. Newspapers in North America have dubbed the stars, with aerials on their heads and televisions in their tummies, the Fab Four. Canada's The Globe and Mail described them as "Barney on drugs", "Care Bears on a hippie commune" or "Ewoks after a lobotomy".

The Washington Post compared the Teletubbies phenomenon to the success of Sesame Street. It said the Fab Four appealed among American children and adults because of their ethnic diversity. "Dipsy is black, Po Chinese. And they have somewhat distinct personalities," it said. "The cloying Laa-Laa is somehow a little harder to take than others. Tinky Winky, the heaviest, looks like an eggplant with cellulite. He also sometimes carries a red purse, which has won him popularity among gay viewers."