Peppa Pig, one of the most popular TV shows for preschoolers, sparked debate after featuring its first female same-sex couple.
The animated series, which follows the adventures, misadventures and friendships of the titular character and his friends and family, first aired in 2004 and is now in its seventh series. In a new episode called Families, which airs on Channel 5 on Tuesday, Penny Polar Bear introduces her two mums to the titular character.
Another scene sees Penny drawing with her school friends Suzi Sheep and Danny Dog. In her sketch, she draws herself holding hands with two polar bears in robes, as she explains, “I’m Penny Polar Bear, I live with my mum and my other mum.
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“A mom is a doctor and a mom cooks spaghetti. I love spaghetti.”
The decision to introduce a same-sex couple follows a 2019 online petition that attracted nearly 24,000 signatures. The historic moment was hailed by some social media users who welcome LGBT characters.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Anyone talking about peppa pig now that he has two lesbian polar bears? I find it very sweet that peeps pig is lgbtq friendly.”
Another user said: “Ok let me start by saying I have a 4 year old cousin lol… THERE ARE LESBIAN MOMS IN PEPPA PIG???????”
Robbie de Santos, of LGBT+ charity Stonewall, told The Sun: “It’s fantastic that same-sex families are making an appearance in Peppatown. Many who watch the show will have two mums or two dads themselves and that will mean a lot to have their experiences represented on such an iconic children’s program.”
Another person wrote: “Well what do you know? My kids saw the first same sex couple on Peppa Pig and the world didn’t end. Penny Polar Bear said she was living with her ‘ mom and her other mom’ and the four horsemen of the apocalypse did not storm the horizon to put an end to humanity.”
However, the same-sex couple’s introduction also drew criticism from others, with one Twitter user writing, “You’ll never see me watching Peppa Pig again.”
Another wrote: “Now the children are indoctrinated – leave the children alone to live their simple, innocent lives.”
A third said: “It’s the end of the Peppa Pig phenomenon. What a shame. Education, not indoctrination.”
Another added: “Ffs leave our fucking kids alone.”
It comes after children’s TV show Thomas & Friends announced it was featuring its first autistic character. The new role of Bruno the Brake Car will be played by nine-year-old autistic actor Elliott Garcia from Reading, who the National Autistic Society helped cast.
Bruno is a “cheerful, pundy brake car” who is detail oriented and loves schedules, routine and knows where all the tracks lead in the area. The character and storylines were developed by Mattel Television in conjunction with American autism organizations, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and Easterseals Southern California, as well as autistic writers and advocates.
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