'Teletubbies' Sun Baby Shines On: Welcomes Daughter With Sunny Name!

The iconic “Teletubbies” Sun Baby is a mom!

Jess Smith, the face of the baby in the sun on the children’s show, “Teletubbies” from 1997 to 2015, recently welcomed her first baby, a daughter whose name gives a nod to her popular role on show. 

Children of the 90s are feeling this news! The iconic Sun Baby has her own baby now, and her sweet name pays tribute to the show that put her face in the sky for so many years.

Smith announced her daughter's arrival on Instagram a week after she was born with a photo of her daughter's little fingers. A week after that, she shared her name.

"12 days in our lives, 7 days at home, 2 very lucky parents," she captioned a photo of her partner Ricky Latham carrying their daughter in a car seat in the hallway of the hospital. "Please welcome Poppy Rae Latham."

Poppy's middle name, Rae, is a sunny reference to the show her mom spent her childhood on, lighting up 90s children's television screens with her adorable sunshiny face and sweet giggle.

Smith knew what fans of "Teletubbies" have been waiting to see, and she shared that on Instagram on Saturday.

In a carousel of two photos, Smith shared a photo of Poppy with a Po doll taken at one month old and another taken at two months.

Many fans dropped into the comment section to share their thoughts.

"Little sun, big smile!!!" one person wrote. Another added, "Too Tooooo much cuteness...I'm gonna cry."

One person shared their personal "Teletubbies" story with Smith.

"My daughter was born in 1996 and adored her Teletubbies many years, for her 3rd bday we redone her room to a tubby room and back then it was hard to find things here in the states Teletubbies so we had to order from England. Then after some time they started getting things here in the states and now at 27yrs old we still have those special treasures."

For many years, Smith was uncredited on the show as the Sun Baby. It wasn't until 2014 at the age of 19 that she publicly revealed it's her!

The former child actor from Chatham, Kent, was chosen for the coveted role to be the giggling baby sun when she was just 9 months old. And while her face was quite well known, only her family knew it was her.

Smith revealed her childhood secret during a game with college friends where they all had to admit something about themselves that no one else would guess.

According to the Daily Mail, Smith said, "I thought I may as well tell them as I'm going to be spending the next three years with them. My mother is really chuffed."

She then made the news public on Facebook, writing, "So I've recently celebrated my 19th birthday and after a lot of thought, I've decided it's time to tell everyone. I used to hide it but after a lot of encouragement from my friends at university, I've gained the confidence to come out with it."

She continued by revealing that she is "the sun from 'Teletubbies.'

"There has been quite a few people pretending to be 'the sun' but only I could tell you the real story," she wrote. "Everyone says they can see the likeness between my face now and me as a baby. I still have a baby face. I haven't changed much either. I am still giggly."

Smith also recalled watching the popular children's show as a child.

"When I was young, I used to laugh along with the sun but it was only when I got older that I understood it was me," she said. "My close friends and family knew, but it just never interested me before to tell everyone."

When asked why she was chosen to be the iconic Sun Baby, she said, "I am not sure why they picked me. I assume because I was more giggly than everyone else."

When a health visitor had been asked by Ragdoll Productions to find smiley babies, Smith's name was given. She was put in a highchair for filming so she would appear to be looking down like the sun. The iconic giggle happened because her father would play with a teddy bear behind the camera.

No one expected the role and the show to blow up the way it did, so she wasn't paid a lot of money for her part and was given a box of toys.

Fans of the show can keep up with Smith and see photos of her sweet baby on Instagram.

She's been keeping fans in-the-know since announcing her pregnancy with her ultrasound photos captioned, "When two becomes three."

Many "Teletubbies" fans leave Smith comments on the impact she's had on their lives and how happy they are that she's now a mom.

"That cute little face and laugh still plays in my house since my oldest son, who has special needs, still watches the original Teletubbies," one person wrote in the comments of her ultrasound pregnancy announcement.

Another person added, "Congratulations! Our Sun baby is now having her own Sun baby!"

And now seeing her baby, Poppy, many more positive and reminiscing comments have flooded her posts.

"Awe I remember watching you when you were a baby and now you have a baby of your own," one fan wrote. "I can hear the laugh already," wrote another.