Telestubbies Headline Canva's Cannes Pride Beach Party
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- Canva hosted the Canva Creative Cabana Pride party on the Croisette beach at Cannes Lions on Thursday night, with European drag queens performing to Katy Perry and Rihanna, plus ice cream, frozen Smirnoff drinks, and glitter face painting.
- Jimmy Knowles, Canva's global head of experiential, framed the event as a response to companies "leaning out" of DE&I, saying it "means the world to be at a company that is leaning in."
- The Teletubbies — Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po — closed the night dancing to Britney Spears' "Toxic" and jumping offstage to meet fans, celebrating their upcoming 30th anniversary through WildBrain Media Solutions.
- Tinky Winky was accused of being gay in 1999 by televangelist Jerry Falwell, a controversy the Pride appearance appeared to lean into as a deliberate symbol of inclusivity.
- Emma Witkowski, WildBrain's VP of Media Solutions, told Variety the Teletubbies' "DNA is about joy and inclusivity."
- Cannes Lions' week of panels also featured Oprah Winfrey, Colin Jost, and Carmelo Anthony, with Variety and Canva co-hosting executive interviews at the Canva Creative Cabana.
Why it matters: At a moment when many major brands are publicly retreating from DE&I commitments, Canva used one of the ad industry's biggest stages — Cannes Lions — to broadcast a high-visibility Pride event, and the choice of the Teletubbies, whose 1999 'gay Tinky Winky' controversy made them an especially pointed symbol, sent an unambiguous message to the C-suite crowd in attendance.
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