A family of two-dimensional pink pigs with prominent faces, wearing colorful clothes and speaking with English accents, have gone from humble beginnings on a British TV show to becoming a global staple in families with young children.
The Peppa Pig brand celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday and continues to top most children’s entertainment charts.
Today, his influence extends beyond the television screen. Pepper Pig toys, theme parks and games are available in 180 territories. The franchise’s latest 2022 sales figures were $1.7 billion.
“Peppa Pig has already become a powerful brand with its own line of toys/merch and accessories—even a theme park,” said Benjamin Burroughs, assistant professor of new media at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Luck. “Peppa Pig stood out because it was a quirky and cute show.”
The staying power of the show and its characters has made it one of Britain’s most significant cultural achievements. Just ask one of the parents whose children watch the show outside the UK and suddenly the sound comes out: British, thanks to Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pigs. Even former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken at length about his love for Peppa Pig World in Hampshire, England, and encouraged people to visit it during 2021 speech.
Separating from the herd
show creatorsPhil Davis, Mark Baker and Neville Astley were already working in production and animation when they came up with the idea for Peppa Pig 20 years ago. They found a lack of family stories in children’s shows. Their answer? A four-year-old pig who loves to jump into muddy puddles. Peppa can be bossy, but loves her family and friends (some of whom aren’t pigs) and goes on little trips with them and her teddy bear.
The timing of the show’s popularity also helped: it became as popular as personal electronic gadgets, making it much easier for parents to distract their children with them.
“Peppa Pig really came at a time when parents were using mobile phones to shift their parenting responsibilities to screens, and children were adapting to using screens as their primary way of interacting with content,” Burrows said.
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The Peppa Pig episodes aren’t exactly Charles Dickens-esque – each is only five minutes long, and the storyline explores simple themes in a light-hearted, humorous manner, carefully avoiding villains and other characters. sources of conflict. Indeed, the playfulness and interaction between the characters resonated with both children and their parents.
“Peppa is a great example of animals who are real people to children, present in a positive family unit, doing normal activities that all children love to do, displaying a playful lifestyle with great sound effects (snort!). This formula has helped set it apart from other brands,” said Brenda Bisner, chief content officer of Canadian streaming platform Kidoodle.TV.
Kidoodle.TV, available in 160 countries including the U.S., U.K. and Australia, has gained enormous popularity for offering Peppa Pig on its service, Bisner said.
Still going strong
Thanks to its strong but simple formula, the show has grown from an experiment on the UK’s Channel 5 in 2004 to becoming ubiquitous on subscription services and YouTube. This has also been translated into more than 40 languages.
IN more unlikely example Due to Peppa’s enormous influence, pigs are considered something of a counterculture symbol in China, leading to thousands of cartoon videos being censored on social media site Douyin in 2018. But their character and the celebration of Chinese festivals continue to collect strong interest there.
As the brand’s reach and popularity grew, it caught the attention of US toy maker Hasbro, which acquired Entertainment One (eOne), the studio behind the series, in 2019 for a whopping $4 billion. The deal was aimed at supporting Peppa Pig and other eOnes. Distribution of the show on platforms around the world.
Peppa Pig was the fourth most popular children’s show in the world last year, according to consultancy Parrot Analytics. Luckand this year it was the most popular in the UK, US and France.
“Peppa Pig is a unique character that resonates with audiences because her bold, confident personality allows her to shine through. She is preschoolers’ first best friend, encouraging them to jump together and explore the world around them with confidence,” said Esra Kafer, Hasbro’s senior vice president of strategy and franchise management for preschool and fashion. Luck. Since purchasing Peppa Pig, it has become one of Hasbro’s top franchise brands.
Peppa Pig, her family and friends from the series of the same name are everywhere – from books to toys and attractions. Hasbro has entered into licensing agreements with other international brands such as Reebok and Audible to bring themed products and services to an even wider audience.
The first Peppa Pig theme park will open in Florida at Legoland in 2022. The second one opened earlier in Europe. this month in Günzburg, Germany, thanks to Investment of 30 million euros (32.7 million US dollars). Overall, more than 31 million people visited the attractions last year, Kafer said. Luck.
There’s more to come, including another attraction in Texas and the world’s largest Peppa Pig theme park in Shanghai. in 2027.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda – Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
The next 20 years
Of course, not only flowers and sun. The franchise had its fair share of problems as its popularity led to greater scrutiny.
After the series’ first episodes aired, viewers expressed concern that its characters were not wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets, leading to changes next episodes. In 2017, Australia banned an episode in which Daddy Pig says spiders “can’t hurt you” because encounters with spiders could be fatal.
Concerns Daddy Pig’s constant shaming has also been talked about over the years.
After viewers criticized the franchise for not reflecting the reality of different families other than a family of four consisting of a mother and father, in 2022Peppa Pig introduced a same-sex couple. The pair, made up of two female polar bears named “Mummy” and “Doctor”, have drawn both criticism and praise for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in the preschool show.
Like it or not, Peppa Pig is here to stay. Even if it was unintentional, the show has become an icon of British culture. According to Kafer, what has captivated audiences all these years will continue to attract new fans in the coming years.
“Peppa Pig is more popular than ever. The first 20 years have been incredible and 2025 will be the first of the next 20 years – we have big plans for the future,” she said.