This little slut, adored by children, does not set a good example according to parents

Ask any child if they know of a seemingly cute pink pig that talks, and they will probably answer straight away: “Peppa Pig”, with a broad smile. This British animated series for children, created in 2004 by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, is a real success. In each episode, we follow the adventures of Peppa, a little pink sow, surrounded by her family and friends. The universe is colorful, the dialogues are accessible and the themes covered immediately speak to little ones (school, vacations, activities, friendships, shopping, etc.). In summary, this cartoon is intended to be both funny and educational for young people. It has also been very popular with children in recent years. You just have to see the joy in their eyes when they see an episode of Peppa Pig on television, or when they come face to face in stores in front of a soft toy or a product derived from the series. But lately, the character of Peppa Pig has been the target of criticism.

Across the Atlantic, several parents and educational professionals have denounced in The Wall Street Journal that Peppa would be a bad influence on children. The little pink sow would teach the youngest to “being mean and bossy, and would make ‘fat shaming’ acceptable” (a practice which tends to humiliate and stigmatize people based on their weight), our colleagues report. She would also instill in them “daddy shaming”, according to a teacher interviewed by the American daily: Papa Pig would only act as a clown while Mama Pig would have the role of thoughtful and serious mother. A representation that does not send the right message to children, especially in our time when we are trying to “getting away from the idea that dads are just there to play,” underlines the professor. A parenting coach even adds that Peppa is “rude and impatient”, two traits that would be normalized in certain episodes. For parents, the pig acts this way without teaching children that it is wrong to behave this way.

Criticisms that go down badly with defenders of the series. In the “Peppa” pro team, other parents see it as the opposite “a little pig who knows what she wants” and that “manifests human and innate reactions to life events”. Faced with this controversy, the director of the entertainment franchise of the Hasbro group, which owns Peppa Pig, Esra Cafer, declared to Wall Street Journal : “Some parents may find this too direct or rude. We see it as self-affirmation and a mark of self-confidence.”