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Tinky Winky started a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 because of his carrying a bag that looks much like a woman's handbag ( although he was first " outed " by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to The Face ).

He aroused the interest of Jerry Falwell in 1999 when Falwell alleged that the character was a " gay role model ".

Falwell issued an attack in his National Liberty Journal, citing a Washington Post " In / Out " column which stated that lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres was " out " as the chief national gay representative, while trendy Tinky Winky was " in.

" He warned parents that Tinky Winky could be a covert homosexual symbol, because " he is purple, the gay pride colour, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle: the gay pride symbol.