Peppa Pig

Background

Peppa Pig is a children's television programme broadcasting on Channel 5 and Nick Jr. in the UK, Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. in the USA, ABC 4 Kids in Australia and Discovery Kids in Latin America, including Brazil. Each episode is approximately 5 minutes long. The show revolves around Peppa, an anthropomorphic female pig, and her family and friends. Each of her friends is a different species of mammal. Peppa's friends are the same age as she is, and Peppa's younger brother George's friends are the same age as him. Episodes tend to feature everyday activities such as attending playgroup, going swimming, visiting their grandparents, cousins, going to the playground or riding their bikes.

The characters wear clothes, live in houses, and drive cars, but still display some characteristics of the animals on which they are based. Peppa and her family snort like pigs during conversations in which they are speaking in English, the other animals make their respective noises when they talk, with some exhibiting other characteristics, such as the Rabbit family's communications of squeaking sounds and their enjoyment of carrots. The Rabbits are also the sole exception to the rule of human-like habitation, in that they live in a burrow in a hill, although it does have Windows and is furnished in the same way as the other houses. The characters also blush when embarrassed and their mouths are used to express other emotions such as sadness, happiness, irritation, bewilderment and confusion. Although the mammals are anthropomorphic, other animals are not, for example, Tiddles the tortoise, Polly Parrot, and the ducks. In addition, the narrator of the series John Sparkes reinforces the action and humour, saying things like "Oh, dear" when something unfortunate happens (such as George starts crying) or "Look out!" when a character is doing something unsafe (such as Peppa riding her bicycle without looking where she's going).

The first series of 52 five-minute episodes started on Channel 5 on 31 May 2004, and had its American première as part of Cartoon Network's Tickle-U preschool television programming block on 22 August 2005, redubbed with American actors, and Noggin in December 2007 and January 2008. As of 2014, the series currently airs on the Nick Jr. channel in the US. In the United Kingdom, it can also be seen on Nick Jr., the same with Portugal, Italy, Benelux, Scandinavia and Australia. In Taiwan, the show can be seen on Playhouse Disney. The second series of 52 episodes began on Channel 5 on Monday 4 September 2006, with Cecily Bloom replacing Lily Snowden-Fine as Peppa, amongst other cast changes. The third series started broadcasting on the Channel 5 kids block, Milkshake! on 4 May 2009 with Harley Bird replacing Cecily Bloom and Lily Snowden-Fine as Peppa.

Books

There is a line of Personalised books in which any child can be added into the story with Peppa and her friends. There is also a series of books based on Peppa Pig, one of which, Peppa Meets the Queen was written to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Film and "cinema experience"

A 15-minute film called Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots was released on 14 February 2015 alongside several episodes of the TV series. To December 2015, it had grossed £2,326,328. A seond film, branded a "cinema experience" was released on 16 March 2017. It features the Queen for the first time in five years, among other significant in-universe firsts.

Peppa Pig World Theme Park

Peppa Pig World a family theme park located in the New Forest, Hampshire, opened on 9 April 2011 at Paultons Park, Hampshire, UK with 7 rides, an indoor play zone, a muddy puddles water splash park, smaller play areas and themed buildings.

Merchandise

Peppa Pig, the Entertainment One (eOne) brand, grossed over £200 million in UK merchandise sales in 2010, far exceeding the 2009 figure of £100 million. Additionally, for the first time in the brand's history, NPD figures for the year reveal that Peppa Pig was the number one pre-school property in the total toy market for 2010 – moving up four places from its previous position in 2009. Now in its seventh year, new licensees continue to join the Peppa Pig licensing programme, which currently has 63 licensees on board.

In addition to episode DVDs, a variety of licensed Peppa Pig products are available, play including video games and other toys such as playsets, playing cards, vehicles, and stuffed toys. Merchandise has also been expanded to include household items such as bathroom products, stationery, bed-linens, food, drink, clothing, and jewellery. Licensees include Holland Publishing in the United Kingdom.

Criticism, controversy, and safety concerns

Peppa and her family did not wear seat belts in the first two series. After receiving several complaints, Astley Baker Davies announced that all future animation would include characters wearing seat belts, and that the relevant scenes in the first two series would be re-animated to include them. Similar changes were also made to early episodes with characters riding bicycles to add cycle helmets, which were not included in the original versions.

In April 2010, during the UK General Election campaign, E1 Entertainment confirmed Peppa would not be attending the launch of the UK Labour Party's families manifesto "in the interests of avoiding any controversy or misunderstanding". Peppa had previously been used to promote the Labour government's Sure Start programme.

In 2012, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation received a complaint that the episode "Mister Skinnylegs" was not appropriate for Australian audiences, since it encouraged befriending spiders. Given the toxicity and widespread distribution of some dangerous Australian spiders, notably the common Redback Spider, the complaint was upheld and the episode not aired again.

In late May 2014, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Mark Scott expressed fears about the future of Peppa on Australian television, given Australian federal budget cuts to ABC funding that were said to affect its ability to pay for, and broadcast, overseas media products such as Peppa Pig. Australian media noted the character's appeal to Australian toddlers and echoed concerns about the future of her Australian distribution rights. Australian Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce made reference to the character as a menu item at a Thai restaurant, while conservative columnist Piers Akerman thought that Peppa "pushes a weird feminist line". On 28 May 2014, then-Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull quelled fears about the future of Peppa Pig on Australian TV, by tweeting that: "Contrary to media rumours, Peppa's is one snout we are happy to have in the ABC trough".

During September 2015, the cartoon once again entered the realm of political parody, as commentators referenced it when making light of the supposed Piggate scandal revolving around David Cameron. Earlier in 2015, former UK health minister Norman Lamb said that programmes such as Peppa Pig should include gay characters, as having arbitrary boundaries as to what relationships are acceptable in children's television was "not equitable".

Awards and nominations

Peppa Pig: The Game

Peppa Pig: The Game was developed by Ubisoft and published by Pinnacle Inc., it was released on 27 November 2009 for the Nintendo Wii console and Nintendo DS hand-held game system. It is a children's video game to learn and play, and it contains 11 games and activities.

Peppa Pig: Fun and Games

Peppa Pig: Fun and Games was developed by Ubisoft and published by Pinnacle Inc., it was released on 22 October 2010 for the Nintendo Wii console and Nintendo DS hand-held game system.