‘Peppa Pig’ draws backlash from conservatives after introducing same-sex couple

For the first time in its 18-year history, the cartoon Peppa Pig has introduced its firsts same-sex couple.

The episode “families” aired on Channel 5 on Tuesday and featured a scene where Penny Polar Bear introduced Peppa Pig to her two moms.

In her scene Penny draws herself holding hands with two polar bears, who are wearing dresses, as she explains: “I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor, and one mummy cooks spaghetti.”

The scene divided many viewers. Many viewers embraced the inclusion whereas others were less fond of the idea of a same-sex couple in a cartoon which is largely aimed at preschoolers.

British safeguarding organization Safe Schools Alliance tweeted: “Really nice to see age-appropriate representation of same sex couples on @peppapig with Penny & her two mummies.”

Another viewer tweeted: “That’s the end of the Peppa Pig phenomenon. What a shame. Education, not indoctrination.”

In 2019, a petition was created, which asked for a same-sex parent family to be featured on the show. The petition garnered over 24,000 signatures.

“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,” the petition read. “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.”

They added, “Peppa Pig is not just for entertainment, children are inevitably learning from it too.”

Peppa Pig is shown in 180 countries and translated into 40 languages. The Peppa Pig franchise also has toys, clothing lines and a Peppa Pig World, which is a tourist attraction.

The website www.peppapig.com also features an app where children can watch old episodes and also create their own scenes.