Right up there on the list of things I never thought I’d write about is Peppa Pig – and yet, here we are!
The TV series which first aired over 20 years ago has always focused on four year old Peppa Pig and her two year old brother, George.
A very clever marketing team announced on Mother’s Day that Mummy Pig was expecting a new little bundle of joy. And just a few days ago, she gave birth to a girl piggie named Evie.
The joyous news was announced live on ITV’s Good Morning Britain breakfast news programme, with reporters declaring that Mummy Pig gave birth in St. Mary’s Hospital – the same hospital where Kate Middleton gave birth to all three of her children.
I’m not even joking; it’s all very over the top, but then again, Peppa Pig is a billion euro industry with books, films and even entire theme parks under her belt. Who are we to judge, mere mortals that we are?!
This new addition to the Pig family will certainly breathe new life into the series – and hopefully we’ll see Peppa and George embracing it all.
The first ten episodes following Evie’s arrival are currently being shown in the cinema. We’ll have to wait with bated breath until Autumn to see Evie’s debut on TV. The corporation isn’t missing a trick when it comes to capitalising on the situation, that’s for sure!
Rumour has it that George Pig was a little bit shy and quiet when he met his new baby sister, but he did extend his beloved dinosaur for her to see, so that’s a positive sign.
As for Peppa, she’s thrilled to have a new baby in the house and has declared that she’s going to teach Evie everything she knows.
And seeing as Peppa knows everything, we can assume that the future is bright for little Evie.
Some parents don’t approve of their kids watching Peppa Pig because the titular character is such a little madam. While I wholeheartedly agree with that, I didn’t stop my own kids from watching it. It’s a short-lived phase anyway and they’ve long since outgrown it.
Mine never launched themselves into muddy puddles because of what they’d seen the pigs do. Furthermore, Peppa’s squabbles with her bestie, Suzie Sheep, led to some valuable discussions about kindness and patience and saying sorry when you’re in the wrong.
One of my favourite Peppa Pig episodes is when Daddy Pig gets stuck in the soft play area and Miss Rabbit attempts to rescue him with a winch on the helicopter.
I think we’ve all felt a bit like Daddy Pig at some point; bums wedged into a tiny slide or wading around helplessly in the ball pool. It’s relatable content!
Then there’s crafty Mr Fox with his genuine antique plastic and the Wolf family who need to be reminded not to even think about blowing the Pig’s house down. To top it all off, there’s the crèche teacher, Madame Gazelle’s, deep-rooted hatred for glitter because it gets everywhere. More relatable content there.
I’ve heard the relatively new TV show, Bluey, is a massive hit with preschoolers and their parents these days.
It’s a similar concept to Peppa Pig; colourful animation and short episodes. I’d say baby Evie’s arrival was dreamed up in an emergency boardroom meeting because of Bluey muscling in on their territory.
Anyway, hopefully Mummy and Daddy Pig will cope well with the mayhem of three kids under five. As my mother would say, “They’ll know what’s sticking to them!”
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
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