The family of two-dimensional pink pigs with protruding snouts, dressed in colorful clothes and speaking with English accents, has gone from a humble British TV show to a global staple in homes with young children.
On Friday, the Peppa Pig brand celebrated its 20th anniversary and still remains at the top of the children’s entertainment charts.
Today, his influence extends beyond the television screen. Pepper Pig toys, theme parks and games are available in 180 territories. The franchise’s most recent sales figures stood at $1.7 billion in 2022.
“Peppa Pig has already become a powerful brand with its own line of toys/products and accessories, even theme parks,” said Benjamin Burroughs, associate professor of emerging media at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Fortune. “Peppa Pig differentiated itself by being an original and adorable series.”
The enduring existence of the show and its characters has made it one of Britain’s most important cultural exports. Just ask any of the parents whose children watch the show outside the UK and suddenly the sound British, thanks to Peppa, George, Mum and Dad Pigs. Even former Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke at length about his love of Peppa Pig World in Hampshire, England, and urged people to visit it during this time. a 2021 speech.
Stand out from the herd
THE the creators of the show— Phil Davies, Mark Baker and Neville Astley — were already working in production and animation when they came up with the idea for Peppa Pig 20 years ago. They noticed a lack of family-centered stories in children’s shows. Their response ? A four-year-old pig who tends to jump in mud puddles. Peppa can be bossy but loves her family and friends (some of whom are not the pig type) and embarks on little trips with them and her teddy bear.
The timing of the show’s popularity also helped: it became popular much like personal electronic gadgets, making it much easier for parents to distract their children with them.
“Peppa Pig arrived at a time when parents were using mobile phones to shift their parenting to screens, and children were adapting to using screens as their primary mode of interacting with content,” said Burroughs.
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The episodes of Peppa Pig are not exactly those of Charles Dickens: each lasts only five minutes and the storyline addresses simple themes in a light and humorous way, carefully avoiding villains or the like. sources of conflict. Indeed, the playfulness and interactions between the characters struck a chord, both with the children and their parents.
“Peppa is a great example of animals being real people to children, presenting themselves in a positive family unit, doing ordinary activities that all children love to do, presenting a playful lifestyle brand with great sound effects (sniffle!). This formula helped set it apart from other brands,” said Brenda Bisner, director of content at Canadian streaming platform Kidoodle.TV.
Kidoodle.TV, available in 160 countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, has seen huge success thanks to offering Peppa Pig on its service, Bisner said.
Still so strong
With its strong but simple formula, the show went from an experiment on Britain’s Channel 5 in 2004 to ubiquitous popularity on subscription services and YouTube. This also results in more 40 languages.
In a more improbable example Due to Peppa’s outsized impact, pigs are seen as a sort of counterculture symbol in China, leading to the censorship of thousands of cartoon videos on the social media site Douyin in 2018 But its character and celebration of Chinese holidays continued to garner attention. strong interest there.
As the brand grew in reach and popularity, it attracted the attention of American toymaker Hasbro, who purchased the studio behind the series, Entertainment One (eOne), for a considerable sum. 4 billion dollars in 2019. The deal was aimed at strengthening the distribution of Peppa Pig and other eOne shows on platforms around the world.
Last year, Peppa Pig was the fourth most in-demand children’s show globally, entertainment consultancy Parrot Analytics said. Fortuneand has been most popular in the UK, US and France so far this year.
“Peppa Pig is a unique character that resonates strongly with audiences because her brave and confident personality is allowed to shine. She is preschoolers’ first best friend, encouraging them to strike out together and explore the world around them with confidence,” said Esra Cafer, senior vice president of franchise strategy and management. for preschool and fashion at Hasbro. Fortune. Since purchasing Peppa Pig, it has become one of Hasbro’s major franchise brands.
Peppa Pig, her family and friends from the eponymous series are everywhere, from books to toys to attractions. Hasbro has entered into licensing agreements with other international brands like Reebok and Audible to bring themed products and services to an even wider audience.
The first Peppa Pig theme park opened in Florida inside Legoland in 2022. A second opened in Europe earlier this month in Günzburg, Germany, thanks to a Investment of 30 million euros ($32.7 million). In total, the attractions attracted more than 31 million visitors last year, Cafer said. Fortune.
There’s more to come, including another attraction in Texas and the world’s largest Peppa Pig theme park in Shanghai. in 2027.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda—Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
The next 20 years
Of course, it’s not all flowers and sunshine. The franchise has had its share of problems, as its popularity has led to increased scrutiny.
After the first episodes of the series aired, viewers raised concerns that the characters were not wearing seat belts or bicycle helmets, leading to a change in the next episodes. In 2017, an episode in which Daddy Pig states that spiders “can’t hurt you” was banned in Australia, where encounters with spiders can be deadly.
Concerns around Daddy Pig being constantly humiliated have also swirled over the years.
After the franchise was criticized by viewers for not reflecting the reality of different families other than a four-member unit consisting of a mother and father, in 2022, Peppa Pig introduced a same-sex couple. The pair, comprised of two polar bears named “Mom” and “Doctor”, have garnered a mix of criticism and praise for including LGBTQ+ characters in a preschool show.
Love it or hate it, Peppa Pig isn’t going anywhere. Although it was unintentional, the show has become a British cultural icon. What has captivated audiences all these years will continue to attract new fans for years to come, Cafer said.
“Peppa Pig is still popular. The first 20 years have been incredible, and 2025 marks the first year of the next 20 years – we have big plans coming up,” she said.
