Peppa Pig Sucks, But She’s Really Not That Bad!

Yes, yes…Peppa Pig is a sensation.

She’s also, the worst children’s television character ever. And, so are her friends.

But luckily, you don’t have to be so quick to ban her from the home.

With some effort, one can easily turn her bad behaviors into learning experiences for their own children!

What makes Peppa Pig so bad?

Ask any parent who’s had to sit through a few episodes, and you’ll see the loathing seep out of their pores like sweat on a piggy. Pun intended.

Now for clarification, yes, we watch Peppa in this house. And we have several Peppa toys and books. My son is in love with her, and he’s very picky with his cartoons.

If they don’t have an English accent, or search for sea creatures like The Octonauts, he will try it, but doesn’t Stan for them.

That being said, we have watched quite a bit of Peppa Pig episodes, and here’s a few things that I noticed, that creates a real disdain for dear Peppa…

She’s Bossy, Rude, And Petty AF

Now before I dive into this assessment, let’s point out one key factor that any people don’t know – Peppa is only 4 years old.

YES! Four years of age…so really, she has a lot of growing up to do. And part of that, is making mistakes.

Peppa is regularly rude and bossy to her friends. And her parents. Which, to play a bit of devil’s advocate…most toddlers and preschoolers are. To a point, at least.

Getting mad at your friends and deciding not to play with them anymore, telling stories on your little brother, and disobeying your parents. These are all things that all children do from time to time – whether their parents want to admit it or not.

Like all children, Peppa needs guidance and discipline when she’s misbehaving. But, could it be that Peppa Pig is merely a product of her environment?

The Adults Are Pretty Bad Too…

Daddy Pig is often the butt of many jokes. Not just with the children, but fellow adults as well!

He’s shamed for being a bit round in the tummy. He’s ridiculed for relaxing and watching television on his days off. And there’s a lot of hinting that he might not be as smart as he thinks.

Mummy Pig makes fun of him. The other adults around town tease him. Even his own in-laws. Poor Daddy Pig really gets no respect.

Even though Daddy Pig works to pay the bills, (and actually has a pretty sweet job as an architect). Mummy Pig is more than likely a fellow blogger, but isn’t seen working on the computer very often (can’t relate).

Quite a bit of the adults on the show aren’t very nice people-er, animals. Miss Rabbit is possibly the rudest of them all, shaming Mummy Pig into doing things she isn’t comfortable with, and poking fun at Daddy Pig’s weight.

So, it’s possible that Peppa is exposed to a lot of toxic behaviors, and doesn’t have the proper influence she needs. Kids pick up on everything, ya know?

At it’s heart, Peppa Pig is a cute show about a family and community that loves one another. It’s incredibly relateable for the parents that are watching with their kids, an plenty of jokes inserted to keep them entertained as well.

Now, Peppa is annoying – and even downright petty. But really, no worse than any other children’s television character. 

Yes, I’m going to defend her because, well, someone needs to! And it’s a little unfair to place the responsibility of influencing the bad behavior of children squarely on one 4 year old little piggy’s shoulders.

Because she isn’t the only cause of bad behavior from kids, yet lately, Peppa is getting all the blame.

“Well, I don’t like Peppa. Should I ban Peppa from my house? Because I don’t want my kids being a brat like her…”

Well, if we’re banning kids tv shows we don’t like as parents, lets first be fair, and quickly run through everything wrong with some of the other kids shows too.

Because that’s only fair, right? This isn’t a pighunt…another pun intended.

• Daniel Tiger is a victim of the worst kind of helicopter parenting, which results in emotional breakdowns over every. Single. Task. The male figures don’t wear pants – which is weird – and they encourage young Daniel to stomp around when he doesn’t want to do something. So in 20 years when you see a Gen Z adult pissed off for needing to stock shelves at Target and stomping his feet, you can thank Daniel Tiger.
• Caillou is 100% worse at whining and being a general brat than Peppa Pig, and probably any character imagined. He’s a legitimate asshole to his little sister in more ways than poor Georgie Pig endures, and uses manipulation to get his way as well.
• Max and Ruby are neglected and abandoned by their parents. Left to their own devices, they gorge themselves on sweets, and Ruby routinely leaves her little brother to fend for himself. When she isn’t bossing him around.
• Uncle Grandpa – just the name alone is cringe worthy enough. But there’s nothing educational here, and the characters are either really dumb, or really narcissistic.

Here’s what parent’s need to remember…

You can ban all the Peppa Pigs, Uncle Grandpa’s, and Daniel Tigers all you want. Hopefully these characters aren’t shown to your kids at a friend’s home or school.

But I think it’s important to remember that these are literally cartoon characters. Character’s our children, adore, yes. But they aren’t real.

The fear many parents hold, that their children will pick up on the bad habits exuded by these characters (but namely, Peppa Pig for the sake of this post) is legitimate.

My son adores Peppa Pig, but I haven’t once seen him reenact the behaviors the fictional children exude – other than the occasional snort. Not all children copy what they see on tv.

That being said, My son does mimic what he sees his Mother & Father do, which is extremely typical of a small child. And a more likely scenario of any family.

What’s sad, is that so many parents think they don’t have as much influence over their children , as the cartoon characters on the television do.

Peppa may have very well learned her behaviors from the adults around her. But if you actually pay attention, she is reprimanded when she does wrong. She learns. And that’s what all kids must do throughout the course of growing up.

But I do find it funny that Peppa’s parents can talk to her and explain things, when so many real parents can’t….

I’m not saying you shouldn’t remove bad influences from your home, to protect your kids.

But given that children also do learn behaviors from their peers, and their family, I think all parents should ask themselves if they are being the examples they want their children following.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen any Mommy Shaming on this animated show. But I have seen countless acts of Mommy Shaming in real life. That says a lot of the human Mommies…and the Pig Mommies as well.

Use Peppa as a Learning Experience

Instead of cutting the tablet off when Peppa comes on YouTube, why not have a discussion with your child, and explain why the things Peppa said were so rude and hurtful? Why not turn negative experiences into positive ones?

Using adored characters is just another way to engage children, and if it keeps them happy and you (the parent) feeling better, why not try it out before exiling poor Peppa Pig? Or Daniel Tiger? Or…anyone?

Believe it or not, our kids learn more from their parents, than they do the cartoons they are watching.

How to turn showcases of bad behavior into positive examples

• Explain to your child why the character is actually being naughty in their actions; “It’s not nice to fight over toys with your brother/sister.”
• Point out what the character should be doing instead; “They should be taking turns when they play with the doll.”
• Emphasize when the character does something good; “See, he/she learned it’s not nice to call someone names!” Or, “Look how much fun they are having when everyone plays together?”
• When the lesson/moral of the episode isn’t clear enough, explain it to your child. “They had a disagreement, but they apologized, and now everyone is friends again.”

If we simply remove the problem without addressing it, the problem doesn’t go away. Our kids don’t learn anything.

If in the end you feel it’s better to just remove bad influences altogether without any explanation, then go for it. You are the parent and you know what’s best for your child.

But try to give yourself some credit too. Parents really are a child’s biggest influence – not characters or celebrities.

Because after all, the television isn’t raising our children…we are.