When the first episode of Peppa Pig aired on British television in May 2004, few people would have bet on the kind of impact an "anthropomorphic mealybug" (as Wikipedia describes it) would have on British society at large, with millions of parents and children finding a comparable alternative to Mickey Mouse etc.
Today, Peppa Pig is a big company. A sixth series launched earlier this year, while "Peppa Pig Celebrates Chinese New Year," an 81-minute action movie coinciding with China's Year of the Pig, reported 14 million in 72 hours Entertainment One, the Canadian entertainment company behind the brand, has also seen its share price nearly triple in the past three years, fueled in large part by Peppa's antics. So let's celebrate Peppa Pig's 15th birthday with five facts about one of the country's favorite pastimes (if she's not a real babysitter).
1. She may be famous offline but not online
With just 8,4 million subscribers and just 3,27 billion views, Peppa Pig is a rogue in the world of children's television. Little Baby Bum, another UK phenomenon, has more than doubled its subscribers and 19 billion video views. However, both of them are surpassed by the giant Cocomelon, which has 48 million subscribers and 29 billion page views. This is more views than Rihanna and Ed Sheeran's video channels combined.
2. Some very long credits.
The opening credits of Peppa Pig last 15 seconds and the last one about 25 seconds for a total of 40 seconds. This is a significant (and unusually long) part of the usual 310 seconds of a Peppa Pig episode. At 13%, he's way taller than other kids' favorites like Paw Patrol, Shimmer and Shine, or Blaze and the Monster Machines. Perhaps due to the boring crises of children, the official Peppa Pig YouTube channel now collects the best of Peppa Pig, around specific themes (Halloween or Anniversaries), most for more than an hour, with one exception.
3. The longest episode of all.
At 11am and 55 minutes, "Peppa Pig Full Episodes | Muddy Pig Peppa | Peppa Pig 2017 Peppa Pig Official" is the longest official Peppa Pig video ever.
It ensures that children have fun for much longer than the law allows. Nearly half a day of entertainment with the equivalent of 144 Peppa Pig episodes, an unexpected surprise given that until recently, almost 300 Peppa Pig episodes had aired and a further 117 scheduled by Entertainment One and Astley Baker Davies.
4. December 2015: Peppa's peak on Google.
One might be tempted to believe that the Peppa Pig craze has just hit Planet Earth, but the truth is that Peppa Pig peaked in 2015.; more precisely in December of that year, according to Google Trends, since then the interest has slowly diminished over time, probably because the vast majority of the public went directly to YouTube to be entertained. Surprisingly, it is in South America that Peppa Pig is, historically, the most popular according to Google. In fact, only two English-speaking countries are in the top 10 in the last 12 months. The others are Spanish-speaking countries.
5. Some parents hate Peppa Pig
A July 2017 survey by Childcare revealed that Peppa Pig was the least favorite parenting show. Nearly 2,000 respondents were interviewed and 46% of them mentioned the attitude and behavior of Peppa (child) to explain the negative vote in the series, while 28% indicated that the scenarios their favorite part was simplistic. Max and Ruby arrived a distant second. Parents seem to prefer the big comedy shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom and Jerry, or Scooby Doo.
6. Peppa's official UK currency is...
The motto used in Peppa Pig is none other than "Kregnik" (in the last seconds of the Jumble Sale episode). So while the entire Peppa universe is quintessentially British, the currency used isn't sterling. Why Kregnik? Perhaps because one of the writers is a secret fan of Indiana-based rap artist King Erk, the latter being an anagram of Kregnik.
7. Madame Gazelle can be a vampire.
What a mystery Gigi has Madame Gazelle is the beloved teacher who has taught two generations of children and always looks young. We know from several episodes that she has two sisters who have performed together under the name "Rocking Gazelles". At Madame Gazelle's house, we also saw a framed RAF ring on the wall, as well as a black and white photo of a Gazelle gentleman. She also likes bats which remind her of "the old country" (as we can see in this episode) and she has no reflection when she is standing in front of a mirror (the Halloween episode). "She reminds me of home," she said as she saw Suzy Sheep dressed as a vampire. How many clues do you need?
8. Mrs. Crocodile is the only non-mammal who talks.
In Peppa Pig, mammals (including humans) are said to be superior to other animals. Insects, turtles and birds do not speak and act like wooden animals. Nevertheless,
Mrs. Crocodile is the only non-mammalian who speaks and acts like a human. She works at the zoo, keeping the other animals safe, and even wears a kepi. Interestingly, the hedgehog is the only non-speaking mammal in the series.
Did you know?
Google Assistant can launch a quiz about Peppa Pig. Just ask Google for "Peppa Pig Quiz" to get started.
9. Peppa's little brother George is a genius.
He may not be a learned boy like Edmund Elephant (who can talk), but to many, George is the true genius of the Pig family.. She learned to whistle and honk in the blink of an eye when her sister debated; He mastered ice skating on his first attempt and landed a quadruple axis, something no human has ever been able to do, with a perfect landing. Of course, he can only say a few words (like Dine-saur) but actions sometimes speak louder than words and George is definitely destined for a bright future. Once he's grown, that's it.
10. Even non-carnivores like some fish
Once Daddy Pig had a barbecue with vegetarian friends (Mr. Bull, Mr. Zebra, Mr. Horse, and Mr. Rabbit) and most of the food on the table would be suitable for a vegetarian diet, definitely there was something fishy.
It can be seen by the sardines neatly arranged on a tray, ready to be fried and wrapped. So yes, even herbivorous animals sometimes like meat. Peppa, too, knows that the sardines are packed in a box (like Chloe's Great Friends episode), ready for consumption.