Peppa Pig is like the cartoon equivalent of Marmite among parents — you either love it or totally loathe it and there is no middle ground.
Parents in America recently accused the pre-school favourite of being “harmful to children” and teaching them “rudeness”, but that seems a bit ironic for a generation who grew up on a diet of The Simpsons, South Park and Ren and Stimpy.
My three-year-old son, like others born during lockdown, has experienced a speech delay and gravitates naturally towards the bright, colourful and music-filled antics of Peppa and her friends.
In addition to watching on screen, he enjoys reading the books and making up his own stories using the toy figure playsets. We’ve also seen the theatre shows and have an annual pass for the Peppa Pig World theme park — yes, we’re all in.
Do I mind him randomly singing the Bing Bong Song or think that him announcing that he’s “digging up the road” à la Mr Bull makes him a “brat”? No. Certain episodes such as Peppa’s little brother George learning potty training and visiting the dentist for the first time have actually been really useful when trying to explain the unfamiliar.
People have accused Peppa of ticking boxes and going woke — she can’t really win, can she?
As for arguments that Peppa pushes negative stereotypes, yes, Daddy Pig is depicted as being large, lazy and often bumbling, which my ex was known to take umbrage over, but Mummy Pig is not infallible and sometimes gets it wrong too — we all do as parents if we’re honest and that’s not a negative thing.
The muddy puddle jumping enthusiast celebrates her 20th anniversary this year and while she remains perpetually four-years-old, has attempted to move with the times by introducing a wheelchair-using character as well as a same-sex couple. While some applauded the show for helping to advance disability visibility and LGBTQ+ rights, others accused Peppa of ticking boxes and going woke — she can’t really win, can she?
As much as we would like to, our job as parents is not to shield them from the realities of the world or to sugarcoat it. People do come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, which children are naturally curious about and will often innocently point out differences. If it’s done in a mean way however, such as referring to another person’s size negatively, that’s when you explain it’s wrong and use it an example of what not to do and encourage kindness instead. The key is taking an active interest and working with what they are being exposed to rather than leaving them to just get on with it.
