Friday, August 29, 2014

Children Learn With Peppa Pig

By Marlene Blevins


Television shows geared towards preschool aged children generally tend to lean towards teaching them social concepts like politeness and proper behaviors. In many of these programs, animals are used as anthropomorphic representations of people. Peppa Pig is a British animated program that utilizes this method to help the little people relate to their personal situations.

Created, produced and directed by Astley Baker Davies, the show was originally aired in May of 2004. In the American market, it premiered as part of Tickle-U's preschool block on Cartoon Network in August of 2005, was added to Noggin in 2007 and is currently part of the Nick Jr branch of Nickelodeon Television programming lineup. The stories in each episode are about five minutes long in order to keep a young child's attention.

A narrator is employed, a common practice in British toddler television, to help the children comprehend what is happening in a particular scene and to emphasize what characters are thinking or feeling. Though they speak throughout the show, kids do not recognize them as a cast member, but interact with them as a friend who is watching along side of them. As this is how a child's mind processes the input, they learn to socialize, observe, recognize and empathize.

The star of the show is a young female of approximately four years of age who is perky, energetic, highly imaginative, naturally curious and full of playfulness and love for all. She lives in a house with her little brother, George and their parents, Mummy and Daddy. They still snort and wallow in mud as is typical of pigs, but they also take on the very human behaviors of dressing, driving cars, holding jobs, shopping, socializing, having extended family and such.

Both children in the core family have friends who are the same age as they are, but who are of different species. These include families of rabbits, zebra, goats, horses and others. While all of the mammals are endowed with very human characteristics, the other animals such as the ducks, frogs and spiders, stay very true to their natural sounds and behaviors.

The segments, though only about five minutes long, invites and encourages the children to participate in the story. When the narrator speaks, making commentary on the situation, it is done directly to the viewers. The episodes are always positive and patient, with a happy, upbeat tone that brings around an end result that elicits snorts, laughter and giggles from cast and audience.

Every day activities are the subject of each episode and the characters are featured doing things that many families do. They may be visiting their grandparents, having a sleepover, going camping, riding bikes or playing with friends. Adults are almost always shown interacting with the children, guiding them while joining in the fun and silliness of the day.

As the primary characters are preschoolers and toddlers, they are always portrayed performing age appropriate activities such as puddle jumping, dressing up and pretending. Unlike some shows, they are never placed in more advanced situations such as babysitting a sibling, cooking unattended or shopping on their own. This program has always remained focused on connecting to the under six crowd and holding their attention long enough to entertain and educate.




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