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Cartoons are an indispensable part of childhood. Not only do they keep us entertained but are, sometimes, also a great learning medium. As such, the popular UK cartoon ‘Peppa Pig’ added some fresh faces to its diverse bank of animal characters. It is not what you think!
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During an episode titled Families, which first aired on Tuesday on Channel 5, the makers – British animators Mark Baker and Neville Astley – introduced a same-sex couple for the first time in the 18-year long history of the show.
In the episode, Penny Polar Bear tells Peppa about her two mothers. while drawing a family portrait. “I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti,” Penny said.
The move comes after a petition was filed on a US website, two years back which stated, “Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age, and excluding same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal.”
“This means that children of same-sex parents may feel alienated by Peppa Pig and that other children may be more likely to bully them, simply through ignorance,” it further read.
However, the news garnered mixed reactions from the netizens. While some were against the move, many applauded the makers for the change.
Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs at LGBT rights charity Stonewall, told BBC, “Many of those who watch the show will have two mums or two dads themselves and it will mean a lot to parents and children that their experiences are being represented on such an iconic children’s programme.”
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