CBeebies icon Mr Tumble mourned by ‘pent up’ and ‘kinky’ mums with ‘tumble time’ fetish

Mr Tumble is stepping back from the CBeebies role after 22 years – and mums are in mourning. And it looks like some of them will be missing him for some naughty reasons

CBeebies legend Mr Tumble will be replaced after 22 years of fronting a popular kids show – but why are some particular mums so upset?

That’s right, Mr Tumble – or Justin Fletcher – is stepping back from Something Special after his long reign of educating and entertaining tots. Hoping to fill the big shoes will be presenters Maddie Moate, George Webster and Ben Cajee.

However, the mourning of Tumble’s departure will hopefully only be short-lived as he’s only having a breather from the long-time show.

This hasn’t stopped a public outcry from mums with a not-so-secret crush on the kids’ host. In most likely one of the more shocking revelations to come from the news, there’s a community of mums who have the hots for Justin’s Mr Tumble.

Whether that’s caused by some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, having to endure years of episodes of Something Special, we’re not entirely sure, but we do know that mums can’t get enough.

Back at the beginning of 2023, a social media post about the ‘Tumble fetish’ went viral and even ended up as a discussion point on Loose Women.

An anonymous man revealed his relationship woes as his wife became infatuated with Mr Tumble. Apparently, she even went as far as persuading her husband to dress up as the character for some, ahem, ‘tumble time’.

“My wife has developed a Mr. Tumble kink”, he shared on social media.

“Watching that stupid t**t on the TV is bad enough, but now at least once a week I have to dress up as him and give her ‘tumble time’. Making me want to leave her to be honest.”

But, it looks like the Mr Tumble fetish isn’t so shocking at all. Going back to 2012, we’ve unearthed a Mumsnet post where one woman admitted her ‘mummy crush’ on the CBeebies star.

The post was titled “So…anyone else here fancy Mr Tumble?’ where the mum continued: “It is extremely weird…just…my daughter (2) and totally non-verbal gives these huge giggles when she sees him that I have developed a wopping great mummy crush!”

Another mum replied: “Snort – hilarious! Before we joined the land that is special needs I used to find him really a bit creepy but now I’ve seen the progress that my two have made watching Something Special I’ve developed a teeny tiny soft spot.

“I get where you’re coming from.”

And back in 2017 publication Good To Know, penned as the ultimate online destination for busy women of all ages, published a piece titled: “9 reasons why CBeebies’ Mr Tumble is a TOTAL sex god (and we’re not afraid to admit it).”

The first line of the story reads, ‘hey, don’t pretend you haven’t thought about it’. They cite several reasons as to why they think Mr Tumble is a heartthrob, everything from ‘being good with his hands’ to thinking ‘he’d be great at role play’ and being ‘a bit of bad boy’.

Now since the announcement, social media has been flooded with devastation from mums hearing of Mr Tumble’s break from his duties. Could it be that they won’t be getting their ‘tumble’ fix anymore?

Well, to understand the Tumble hysteria a little more – we ask you to look back to last year when the ‘hear me out’ trend went viral on TikTok.

If you don’t remember or were simply living under a rock, the challenge saw – mostly women – admitting their ‘weird crushes’ where they would print out pictures of the men and stick them into a cake.

The bizarre trend saw thousands of women fawn over the likes of Mr Bean, Shrek, Simba and Sir David Attenborough.

At the time we spoke with Michelle Begy, MD and Founder of matchmaking agency, Ignite Dating, who explained: “While unconventional crushes are often a reflection of humour or values-based attraction, it’s important to keep a healthy balance and avoid slipping into obsessive or unrealistic fantasies.

“Unconventional crushes, whether on real-life celebrities or cartoon characters, may stem from a blend of humour, curiosity, and deeper psychological roots.

“If you think about it, having a crush on a public figure is often the ‘safe’ choice because the person is distant and unattainable which means that the emotional investment doesn’t carry the same real-world risks of rejection or vulnerability.

“Instead, it becomes a fantasy that exists in a controlled space.”

She used the example of Mr Bean to explain the phenomena even more, and added: “Mr. Bean, for example, is quirky, awkward, and innocent.

“He’s a symbol of childlike humour and simplicity, and some might be drawn to these characteristics, finding them charming or refreshing in a world where confidence and charisma are often prioritised.”

“Just like Mr Bean, a crush on a cartoon character may seem weird at first but it tends to be embodied in something much deeper.”

Maybe the fetishization of Mr Tumble shouldn’t be so surprising after all…