Loki on Disney Plus is less than a month from release, and the marketing and PR campaigns for Marvel's next TV series is full flow as a result.
Fans got another glimpse at the show, which will star Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief, on Sunday night (May 16) during the MTV Movie and TV Awards ceremony.
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The minute-long clip, which you can watch below, introduces Owen Wilson's Mobius A. Mobius, but doesn't provide any new information about what Loki's TV show is about. Even so, it's a solid reminder of the charisma and sarcasm that Hiddleston's Loki brings to the MCU.
However, in a new Entertainment Weekly interview with series head writer Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron, we've been given an idea of what inspired the show's aesthetic - and one such influence is a surreal kids TV show from the 1990s.
Check out the new Loki clip, and then read on for more on its strange influences:
Loki on Disney Plus is partially influenced by The Teletubbies
Yes, you read that right - Marvel Studios' Loki was influenced by the British children's TV show The Teletubbies, which ran from 1997 to 2001 before being revived in 2015.
Waldron recently sat down with EW's print edition (picked up by the Tabloid TOC Tumblr account and princloki Twitter account) to discuss Loki in more detail, and one particular quote from the series' lead writer hints at the potentially bonkers escapades that Thor's brother will get up to.
When asked what time periods Loki would visit throughout his series' six episodes, Herron refused to reveal where exactly he would be sent. Waldron did, however, offer up the major inspirations behind the series, which includes The Teletubbies.
As EW's article states: 'While the creative team couldn't reveal any of the time periods they'll visit, they did share some of the show's very different inspirations, which include Blade Runner, Mad Men, and, most curiously, The Teletubbies. Says Herron about how that last one plays out, "You're just gonna have to wait until June 11".'
Of course, Herron's interview took place before Loki's new June 9 release date was announced, so we'll find out how The Teletubbies factors into the series two days earlier than planned.
Analysis: Loki has a cartoon character that could be inspired by The Teletubbies
As for how The Teletubbies has inspired Loki, there is one character whose appearance may be based on their unusual premise. On Wednesday, May 12, Marvel Studios dropped the official poster for Loki, and there is a cartoon-esque individual on the A4 sheet that teases how The Teletubbies has influenced the show.
Check out the poster below:
Time to begin the countdown 🕰 Marvel Studios' #Loki arrives in four weeks with new episodes every Wednesday starting June 9 on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/QrpGax7HG1May 12, 2021
See the cartoon clock character in the bottom left of the poster? That's Miss Minutes, the mascot of the Time Variance Authority.
Given its cartoon or kid TV show look, Miss Minutes could be The Teletubbies reference that Herron alluded to. There's lots you can do with a cartoon character, including having Miss Minutes act out utterly bizarre moments. After all, just look at the weird things that go on in The Teletubbies.
Miss Minutes appeared in the most recent Loki trailer (which you can view below) at the 0:58 minute mark. Here, the character appears on a TV screen locked behind a jail cell door:
It's possible that Miss Minutes could appear as the MCU's version of Mr. DNA, the cartoon character from Jurassic Park that taught kids about how dinosaurs were recreated.
If that's the case, Miss Minutes could be used as a humorous way for the Time Variance Authority to reveal more about their motives to Loki (and other new recruits), or use it as a comedy foil to Loki himself.
This is all speculation on our part, of course, and The Teletubbies may have inspired Loki's TV show in another way. After all, this is going to be a time-traveling, reality-bending adventure for the God of Mischief, so who knows what weird worlds and surreal realities he'll wind up in.
Either way, as Loki once told Thor, the Sun (in this case, The Teletubbies' creepy version) will shine on them again. We'll find out how The Teletubbies influenced Loki when the first episode arrives on Disney Plus on June 9.
