The two-dimensional family of pink piggies, with their protruding noses, colorful clothes and British accents, have gone from an obscure British TV show to a staple for families with young children around the world.
The Peppa Pig brand celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday and remains at the top of most children’s entertainment charts.
Today, its influence extends beyond the television screen. Pepper Pig’s toys, theme parks and games are sold in 180 territories. The latest data shows that the franchise’s sales reached $1.7 billion in 2022.
“Peppa Pig has become a powerful brand, with its own line of toys/merchandise and accessories, and even a theme park,” said Benjamin Burroughs, associate professor of emerging media at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. ” wealth. “Peppa Pig stands out for its quirky and endearing show.”
The staying power of the show and its characters has made it one of Britain’s most important cultural exports. Just ask a parent whose child, watching the show from outside the UK, suddenly sounds British, thanks to Peppa Pig, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Even former Prime Minister Boris Johnson detailed his love for Peppa Pig World in Hampshire, England, in a 2021 speech and urged people to visit it.
set yourself apart
The show’s creators Phil Davies, Mark Baker and Neville Astley came up with the idea for Peppa Pig 20 years ago. Already started working in production and animation. They found a lack of family-centered stories in children’s programming. What’s their answer? A four-year-old sow likes to jump into mud puddles. Peppa Pig can be bossy, but she loves her family and friends (some of whom are not pigs) and goes on little trips with them and her teddy bear.
The timing of the show’s popularity also helped – it was as popular as personal electronics, making it easier for parents to use them to distract their children.
“‘Peppa Pig’ really comes at a time when parents are using mobile phones to shift parenting to screens, and children are adapting to using screens as their primary way of engaging with content,” Burroughs said.
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The Peppa Pig episodes aren’t exactly in the style of Charles Dickens – each episode is just five minutes long, and the storylines cover simple themes in a light-hearted, humorous way, carefully avoiding bad guys or other sources of conflict. In fact, the playfulness and interactions between the characters resonated with kids and parents alike.
“Peppa is a great example of animals becoming real people to children, represented within a positive family unit, doing ordinary activities that all children enjoy doing, and displaying a fun lifestyle brand and great Great sound (huh!). This formula helps it stand out from other brands.
Kidoodle.TV, which is available in 160 countries including the U.S., U.K. and Australia, has gained significant traction by offering “Peppa Pig” on its service, Bisner said.
Still going strong
With its powerful yet simple formula, the show has grown from an experiment on Britain’s Channel 5 in 2004 to ubiquitous on subscription services and YouTube. It has also been translated into more than 40 languages.
In another unlikely example of Peppa Pig’s huge influence, pigs are viewed as a counterculture symbol in China, which led to the censorship of thousands of cartoon videos on the social media site Douyin in 2018. But its character and its celebration of Chinese festivals continue to generate strong interest there.
As the brand’s influence and popularity continued to grow, it attracted the attention of American toy manufacturer Hasbro, which acquired Entertainment One (eOne), the studio behind the show, for a whopping $4 billion in 2019.
Last year, “Peppa Pig” was the fourth most popular children’s show in the world, according to entertainment consultancy Parrot Analytics wealththe most popular so far this year in the UK, US and France.
“Peppa Pig is a unique character that resonates strongly with audiences as her brave, confident personality shines through. She is a preschooler’s first best friend, encouraging them to jump in and be filled with excitement. Explore the world around you with confidence,” Esra Cafer, senior vice president of franchise strategy and management for preschool and fashion franchises at Hasbro, tells us wealth. Since Peppa Pig was acquired, it has become one of Hasbro’s top franchise brands.
Peppa Pig and her family and friends from the eponymous show are everywhere – from books to toys to attractions. Hasbro has signed licensing agreements with other international brands such as Reebok and Audible to bring themed products and services to a wider audience.
The first Peppa Pig theme park opens in 2022 at Legoland Florida. Overall, the attractions attracted more than 31 million visitors last year, Carver said wealth.
There’s more coming soon, including another attraction in Texas and the world’s largest Peppa Pig theme park, due to open in Shanghai in 2027.
Ricardo Ramirez Buqueceda – Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
next 20 years
Of course, it’s not all flowers and sunshine. The series had its fair share of problems, as popularity brought greater scrutiny.
After the show’s first episode aired, viewers expressed concern that characters were not wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets, prompting changes in subsequent episodes. In 2017, an episode in which Daddy Pig said spiders “can’t hurt you” was banned in Australia, where spider encounters can be fatal.
There have also been concerns over the years about Daddy Pig being constantly fat-shamed.
Peppa Pig introduced a same-sex couple in 2022, after the series was criticized by viewers for not reflecting the reality of diverse families beyond the four-person unit consisting of mother and father. The pair, made up of two female polar bears named Mom and Doc, have attracted both criticism and praise for including LGBTQ+ characters in the preschool show.
Love it or hate it, Peppa Pig isn’t going anywhere. Even if it was unintentional, the show has become a cultural icon in Britain. Carver said what has captivated audiences over the years will continue to attract new fans in the years to come.
“Peppa Pig is as popular as ever. The first 20 years have been incredible and 2025 is the first of the next 20 years – we have big plans coming,” she said.
