Peppa - the pig people love to hate

One of the best things about being a parent is the fact you have a legitimate excuse to regress back to childhood and indulge in the guilty pleasure of watching children's television shows.
Peppa PigPeppa Pig
Peppa Pig

However, one of the worst things about parenthood is being forced to endure daily doses of the same programme on a loop because it happens to be your child’s favourite and listening to the same annoying voices while sitting through inane plots.

It’s funny how something as innocuous as children’s telly can stir up strong emotions in adults but some grown-ups would sooner rip off their own ears and stick pins in their eyes than sit through another episode of In The Night Garden.

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Peppa Pig seems to be a divisive children’s television character who people seem to love or hate – and it’s mainly the little people who love her while the adults would happily throttle the irritating porker.

And poor Peppa has now found herself banned in China and removed from the country’s equivalent of YouTube for the bizarre reason that the cartoon is associated with “society people” – a slang term for low lifes and gangsters.

For those of you who are in ignorant bliss about the identity of Peppa Pig, she’s a little cartoon piggy who loves nothing more than jumping in muddy puddles.

The episodes follow the antics of Peppa and her friends such as Suzy Sheep and Rebecca Rabbit and each episode ends with Peppa’s family clutching their bellies with mirth.

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The China ban isn’t the first time Peppa Pig has come in for a roasting.

Last year the cartoon was criticised by a GP for portraying unrealistic and inappropriate use of the doctor.

Peppa and her family seem to get unrivalled medical support from GP Dr Brown Bear who carries out home visits for the slightest little sniffle.

It’s definitely unrealistic when most people struggle to get an appointment at their doctors nowadays.

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Aside from being outlawed in China and berated by medics, Peppa Pig is detested by many parents who would happily turn Peppa and her entire family into sausages.

So why do people loathe Peppa so much?

“She’s a jumped up bossy madam who is mean to her little brother and always falling out with her friends and is a downright annoying brat” explained one friend with unusual venom.

Another declared: “She’s a spoilt and obnoxious swine with behavioural issues.”

One colleague admitted they didn’t like the way Peppa “fat shamed” Daddy Pig by constantly poking fun at his “big tummy” or rudely chanting: “Silly Daddy!”

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When our own children were younger, they went through a phase of being obsessed with Peppa Pig and I have to admit I didn’t mind it and it wasn't a children's programme which provoked murderous tendencies in me.

Hubby was more indignant than me. He didn’t like the way Daddy Pig was portrayed as a complete buffoon who is utterly hopeless and makes a real pig’s ear out of any DIY work.

One friend confessed he has banned Peppa Pig in his home for entirely different reasons. “Every time I watch it, it makes me crave a bacon butty ... and I’m on a diet.”