Peppa’s been naughty. Well, actually it’s Daddy Pig who is in the dog house for sending Aussie kids an “unsuitable message”.
What did Daddy Pig do? Did he chuck a sickie? Did he swear? Perhaps he yelled at George for being a whinging little turd?
Nope. Daddy Pig is in terrible sh*t because he befriended a spider.
The Peppa Pig episode in question, known as “Spider’s Web”, features a harmless spider named Mr Skinnylegs. Daddy Pig tells Peppa, “Spiders can’t hurt you”. So Peppa brings the spider into her bed, which, according to the ABC, sends a message to children that spiders aren’t dangerous. Cue an official Australian Peppa Pig episode ban.
In the UK where spiders are harmless, this message may be okay. But, Daddy long legs aside, in Australia deadly spiders like the redback and funnel-web are pretty much the norm. So it’s probably not a good idea to teach kids to play with them. Or sleep with them.
Of course, in the middle of this Peppa Pig episode ban business, some parents might say it’s also probably not a great idea to teach kids that Pigs (as well as all sorts of other animals) talk, attend school and live like humans (George Orwell would be so proud).
And, let’s not forget that some of the main characters, such as Freddy Fox, Mr Brown Bear and Wendy Wolf, are based on dangerous predators, all of which would attack a child in a heartbeat…
But we won’t get into that.
Peppa Pig episode banned again!
This is the second time Mr Skinnylegs has copped a ban in Australia for sending the wrong message to our kids. The Australia Broadcast Corporation first banned the episode in 2012, but it aired again in late August 2017 on Nickelodeon channel Nick Jr. The station has since agreed to remove the show, but we tracked it down on YouTube, in case you want to see what all the fuss is about.
Hey ABC, while you’re banning TV shows, perhaps have a look at pulling the plug on those godawful Small Potatoes that won’t stop singing? Just a thought…
And while we’re in Peppa bashing mode, take another look at our article about the super disturbing Peppa Pig episodes that sparked a BBC investigation.
