The cult children's programme is making its debut in the continent in the New Year after being snapped up by two television channels.

"There is joy in Teletubbyland that all the children of the Americas - North, South and Central - will now be able to share in the laughter and fun which Teletubbies bring", said Teletubbies founder Anne Wood.

Tinky Winky, La-La, Dipsy and Po are to be shown in Brazil by the main broadcaster, TV Globo Network.

The satellite and cable company Discovery Kids Latin America will broadcast the programme to Spanish-speaking countries.

Under the initial agreement with TV Globo Network, 130 specially edited half-hour episodes will be dubbed into Portuguese to be shown in Brazil.

The show will be dubbed into Spanish by the Discovery channel, which has also signed up for 130 episodes.

The Teletubbies are rotund characters with aerials on their heads and television screens in their stomachs.

They were created by children's television company, Ragdoll Productions, targeting an audience as young as one-year-old for the BBC.