Two polar bear mums are Peppa Pig’s first identical relationship. Peppa Pig, the popular children’s program geared at preschoolers, recently debuted its first family featuring parents of the same sexual orientation in its 18-year history.
The watershed event took place during an episode of “Families” that was shown on Tuesday in the UK on Channel 5, and it was titled “Families.”
Peppa’s classmate Penny Polar Bear is featured in the brief vignette, where she discusses her two mothers and the unique qualities that each possesses.
Penny says this as she draws an image of her family, which consists of two polar bears dressed as women: “I’m Penny Polar Bear. I currently reside in the same house as both of my mothers. One of the mommies works as a physician, and the other prepares spaghetti for the family. I love pasta.”
The episode split viewers. Although many people were pleased by the inclusion, others did not agree with the decision to include the same-sex pair.
The British nonprofit for school safety known as Safe Schools Alliance tweeted, “Really great to see an age-appropriate depiction of same-sex couples on @peppapig with Penny and her two mums.” Peppa Pig features Penny and her two mothers.
Another spectator tweeted: “That brings an end to the spectacle that was Peppa Pig. What a terrible shame. Education rather than brainwashing is what’s needed.”
Since it first oinkked its way onto screens in 2004, “Peppa Pig” has become an international phenomenon. Since then, it has been broadcast in 180 countries and translated into 40 languages. Peppa Pig World is a theme park that is part of the franchise, which also produces toys, clothing lines, and other consumer goods.
CNN has reached out to Entertainment One, the production company from Canada that is responsible for the show, for additional comment.
In 2019, activists started a petition demanding that the creators of “Peppa Pig” include a family with parents of the same gender in order to make the show more welcoming for youngsters of various backgrounds.
The petition, which received more than 23,000 signatures, stated that: “Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age, and omitting same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal.” Peppa Pig is not just for amusement; children are invariably learning from it too,” said one parent. “This implies that children of same-sex parents may feel alienated by Peppa Pig and that other children may be more prone to bully them, just out of ignorance.”