A dozen important questions I have for Peppa Pig
In the last six months Peppa Pig has become an important part of my life. Baby MSE is only allowed to watch TV (max 15 mins a day) when we watch it with her, so it’s a social activity – and its Daddy’s job to do so. That means as she loves the little pink girl, I’m getting close-to-PhD level knowledge in piggery.
Now, while I may be accused of somewhat overanalysing what is a pre-school TV show, I believe there are some things we have the right to know.
- Why isn’t George called Paul?
- Why can only the mammals speak?
- Why don’t the rabbit family live in a house?
- Why do Peppa’s cousins refer to their parents as Uncle and Aunt Pig?
- Is Miss Rabbit in a union?
- Can Miss Rabbit ever become a mummy?
- Is the darker side of animals’ predatory nature truly hidden just beneath the surface?
- Where are Daddy Pig’s parents?
- Is Daddy Pig channelling Lauren Bacall’s seduction?
- Are some of the animals taking growth repressants?
- Why isn’t the Queen called Queen Human?
- Where did Grampy Rabbit’s cheese fetish come from?
In every single other case in the children’s series, names are alliterative – Rebecca Rabbit, Candy Cat, Pedro Pony. Even Mrs Zebra has daughter Zoe and twins Zuzu and Zaza. Yet uniquely, Peppa’s brother is George Pig.
The sheep, pigs, ponies, gazelle, squirrels and more are all anthropomorphised, talking away and living in homes. Even the random Mr Potato can talk. Yet ducks, parrots, spiders and others are simple animal life. Why such discrimination?
The fox lives in a house, the pigs, sheep and more. Yet the anomalous (or more accurately animalous) rabbits for some reason live in a burrow.
When Peppa’s cousins come and visit, their parents are referred to as Uncle and Aunty Pig. Surely this is outrageously Peppa-centric. Those children have a right to a mummy and daddy too.
This poor doe seems to do every single job going; she pilots the helicopter, works the supermarket checkout, drives the train and is ticket clerk at every venue from the ice rink to the aquarium and more.
Frankly it’s a labour relations disgrace – her work ethic is being abused – and certainly she falls foul of the Working Time Directive (never mind the fact that surely there are huge pay ranges in those jobs, shouldn’t she be focusing on just a few?).
No surprise she’s still single…
Her twin sister is Mummy Rabbit and she has four children. Unlike Peppa (see above) they refer to their aunt as Miss Rabbit not Aunty Rabbit.
I do fear greatly for her – what happens if she meets a hunky buck (or doe)? I suspect she is incapable of having a family of her own because her twin sister already has the title.
When Grandpa Pig is putting the chickens away in the hen house, who should amble along to say goodnight? No one but Mr Fox. He exchanges pleasantries with Daddy Pig, who sends him off with a firm goodnight.
In the aquarium episode, who should the pig family meet there? Yes it’s the cat family who repeatedly tell us "we like fish" with a wicked glint in their eyes – little pussies!
Grampy and Grandma Pig are Mummy Pig’s parents. We never hear reference to Daddy Pig’s family. Have they been apple sauced?
While teaching Peppa to whistle, Daddy Pig tells her to "Put her lips together and blow". Nuff said.
All the animals are the same size – elephant, pig, donkey, sheep, rabbit. Surely this is a perversion of nature?
In this animalistic world, bizarrely, our own Queen still appears. There is no reference of her humanity though she clearly is a human being. Surely she should be Queen Human. Does our species not merit a mention like the others?
Without doubt my favourite character is Grampy Rabbit. His song "Woke up this morning, the sea was still there, and so was the sky. The sea. The sky. The sea. The sky" should be up there among the Stock, Aitken, Waterman classics for catchiness – plus his literally blessed voice.
He has a huge penchant for cheese, but why? All the other rabbits are solely carrot focused. At one meal they had carrot soup to start, carrots for main and of course carrot cake for dessert. So where on earth has Grampy Rabbit’s cheese fetish (or fetaish) come from?
I shall stop there, without asking why all the houses are on hills or even what the rules are to the rather boring looking Happy Chicken game. Peppa is a much loved character, in my view the lack of drama and hum-drum normality is what truly appeals to little ones – but even so, I demand answers.
Your thoughts below please…
