Kids love Peppa. Parents love that they can shut their kids up for five minutes during Peppa. And the general public? They love to hate Peppa.Â
Peppa has made her grand return to the media spotlight, this time thanks to Dr Brown Bear. The always-available doctor is being accused of setting up unrealistic expectations for real medical professionals.
How can one seemingly innocent (albeit annoying AF) pink pig and her cartoon mates cause so much drama? First Peppa Pig was criticised for daddy-shaming and not wearing a helmet. Then she was slammed for suggesting spiders are not dangerous. Now, the popular kids’ TV program is in the doghouse again.
And it’s all Dr Brown Bear’s fault!
The too-good doctor
Like all the characters in Peppa Pig, Dr Brown Bear is a talking animated animal. He also happens to be a doctor, which is quite surprising considering Mummy Rabbit’s sister currently holds 97% of the occupations in Peppa Pig land.
Anyhow, Dr Brown Bear is an ace doctor. He makes house calls. He is available 24/7. Plus, he answers phone calls right away. He’s the doctor you’d want your kids to have. And real life doctors are frustrated because Dr Brown Bear is making them look bad.
In fact, there’s even an article published in the British Medical Journal all about Peppa Pig’s inappropriate use of primary care.
Author and doctor Catherine Bell writes, “Dr Brown Bear, a single handed GP with whom the Pig family is registered, appears to provide his patients with an excellent service – prompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and a low threshold for home visits. But could this depiction of general practice be contributing to unrealistic expectations of primary care?”
According to the article, Dr Brown Bear’s unrealistic expectations are rubbing off on the real world with people expecting the same level of care from real life medical practitioners.
After all, if it’s on TV, it has to be true, right?
Don’t worry, it’s all just a bit of fun!
But before you freak out and assume society has officially lost the plot, the article was written as a joke more than anything else. It is part of the journal’s Christmas edition which often features tongue-in-cheek articles.
Catherine concludes her study with, “Dr Brown Bear was approached for his perspective on the cases discussed; however, he is unable to comment pending the outcome of a fitness to practise investigation.”
Who will be the next Peppa character to be shamed by society, jokingly or otherwise? My money’s on Madame Gazelle. She’s just too good at reciting those ABCs…
Want another kid favourite show that drives parents round the bend? Take a look at our article about the tot making $15 million a year reviewing toys on YouTube.
