How Peppa Pig took over the world

How Peppa(e) Pig took over the world

By John(jän) Meagher

As any parent of pre-school children will surely know, Peppa Pig is more than just a cartoon.

The cute(kyo͞ot) porcine(ˈpôrˌsīn) creature(ˈkrēCHər) in the red dress is also a babysitter, a temper-tantrum(ˈtantrəm) alleviator(əˈlēvēˌāt) and the two-dimensional(diˈmenCHən) friend who makes teething(ˈtēT͟HiNG) stop temporarily(ˈtempəˌrerē). Her appeal(əˈpēl) to toddlers(ˈtädlər) is quite(kwīt) extraordinary(ikˈstrôrdnˌerē,ˌekstrəˈôrdn-).

Peppa Pig is also one of the must lucrative(ˈlo͞okrətiv) creations in the entertainment world, with the distribution company behind the animated(ˈanəˌmātid) series(ˈsi(ə)rēz), Entertainment One, posting a four-fold increase in profits(ˈpräfit) this.month(mənTH)

Not only is the five-minute cartoon a staple(ˈstāpəl) of one of the world’s biggest kids TV channels Nick(nik) Jr(junior ˈjo͞onyər) – the under-fives’ offshoot of the Nickelodeon(ˌnikəˈlōdēən) giant(ˈjīənt) – but it has spawned(spôn) a near endless glut(glət) of merchandise(ˈmərtʃənˌdaɪz,ˈmərtʃənˌdaɪs). There are, of course, Peppa Pig books and DVDs – the latter(ˈlatər) sell by the truckload(ˈtrəkˌlōd) – but also crockery(ˈkräkərē), houses and spectacles(ˈspektəkəl).

Few could have imagined(iˈmajən) just how enormous(iˈnôrməs) the cartoon would be when it first aired in Britain(ˈbritn) 10 years ago this weekend. But thanks to its combination(ˌkämbəˈnāSHən) of superb(so͞oˈpərb,sə-) animation(ˌanəˈmāSHən), clever(ˈklevər) storylines with an empowerment(emˈpou(-ə)r) message and the sort of storylines that appeal to both two-year-olds and their parents, Peppa Pig soon became a classic(ˈklasik) of the genre(ˈZHänrə).

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https://www.independent.ie/life/family/learning/how-peppa-pig-took-over-the-world-30309314.html