Right?
Peppa Pig makes children cheeky
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She is the heroine of every two-year-old, lives in a brightly colored world, is small, very pink and every parent’s nightmare. Because Peppa is one thing above all: cheeky.
Maybe we were a little naïve when we first hired Peppa Pig to babysit our granddaughter about seven years ago. But while we found the show kind of weird for toddlers, she absolutely loved it. So she was happy with the pink pig girl and we were happy for a few minutes of rest. And then the whole thing somehow – I don’t really know how that could have happened – became a sure-fire success. Probably a mixture of inconsistency and our own fascination with this somewhat strange television format that has been with us, now one more child, for around five years, straining our nerves and taking up brain capacity because I can now recite various episodes by heart. Just the title tune: Peeeeeppppppaaaaa Wutz…
Sausia, Luzie Locke and Co: Why are the kids so into the pig gang?
Above all, because Peppa Pig’s world and language are adapted exactly to those of the children and Peppa is not mum and dad’s well-behaved little favorite pig, but also cheeky and non-conformist at times. Peppa sometimes laughs at the adults when “stupid” Papa Pig, as she likes to say, drives around aimlessly again. She thinks tidying up is terrible and sometimes her best friend is just really stupid. For some critics, this is too much: they find Peppa too cheeky and disrespectful. Others see Peppa’s greatest strength in this. And children especially find them really funny.
In China, Peppa is even more, namely a symbol of rebellion against the head of state, which is why there is a movement critical of the regime around Peppa Pig.
A status that Conni, Caillou and Co will never achieve. Because in contrast to Peppa, they are adapted without any problems. They correspond to the stereotypical image of the good child. Just like their mothers and fathers and grandmas and grandpas. But do you really want to convey that to your children today? A stale, stereotypical role and gender image and the educational goal dear, well-behaved child?
But: Is Peppa a good role model?
Peppa also has the stereotypical gender image. A different distribution of roles would have done the series really good. And, of course, children reenact scenes from their favorite series, use them as a guide and learn the messages conveyed there. One more reason to take a look at the series before you open Pandora’s box and then can’t get the lid on. Because children, especially the little ones, find it difficult to distinguish real from fake. In this case, uncooperative behavior and swear words, which my children find very amusing. And at least I’m funnier than Conni and Caillou.
When Peppa spoils the kids…
…the parents definitely did something wrong. Parents have to decide for themselves how much Peppa is ok, what they let their children see, what values they convey and how they want to deal with media in general. Luckily, a child isn’t only socialized through the television, at least in the best of cases, and I personally prefer it, my child says “sh*t” when it finds something exactly like that and will hopefully become a strong, self-confident one later on woman instead of a good one.