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This article is a collaboration between David Song and Henry Ye.
On a Chinese video sharing platform, Douyin, over 30,000 videos related to cartoon character Peppa Pig are now banned from the app. Behind this censorship, it is clear that Peppa Pig has transformed into a current pop culture icon for the young Chinese generation. Douyin has released multiple vague statements surrounding the censorship, and it is widely speculated that they censored Peppa videos due to the fear of them manipulating lives of the young and brainwashing them with street culture such as tattoos.
According to IMDb and Wikipedia, Peppa Pig was created, produced, and directed by Britishmen Mark Baker, Neville Astley, and Phil Davies. Originally, the animated television series was designed to educate children. It was first aired in the UK on May 31, 2004, and introduced to China in 2015. So far, there are over 200 episodes in 5 series. Peppa, the main character, is a four-year-old pig in preschool. She is innocent, optimistic, and enjoys time with her family and friends. The episodes depict Peppa’s everyday life and feature common children activities such as biking, school, and playing. There is no antagonist in the series.
The series received positive feedback from critics, kids, and parents. Due to its popularity in China, Peppa Pig memes were made on the internet. A variety of memes were created: videos, captioned pictures, and tattoos were the most prominent. It is a pure irony that a beloved cartoon character is transformed into a mainstream symbol of pop culture. The strong juxtaposition further made the icon spread like a virus in Chinese media. Henry Ye has seen stores loaded with Peppa pig merchandise (that may not even be genuine). Also, David Song’s Wechat moments was once full with his Chinese friends joking about Peppa or showing off their Peppa Pig merch. It can be easily inferred that on campuses, students will compete about their Peppa watches, tattoos etc. In summary, Peppa pig has seemingly lost its purpose for the Chinese youth.
The evolution from a kid’s favorite into a pop icon was definitely not what the original developers aimed for. The figure is so popular that individuals and corporations are taking this opportunity to make money and receive commercial benefits, sometimes illegally. Taobao users are creating custom items with Peppa Pig’s image on them—for example, this ceramic bowl.
You may ask why other cartoon figures haven’t gained such popularity in China. Famous local television series such as “Happy Sheep and Big Grey Wolf” and “Boonie Bears” made some noise in the country, and imported cartoons such as “Dora the Explorer” also attracted attention. However, the plot of these stories all contain villains and involve fighting in some way. The wolves, the logger, and Swiper are antagonists in these series. In contrast, Peppa Pig is 100% family friendly and suitable for children of any age. There is no villain or villainous behavior in the series, and the unprecedented purity in this children’s show is what sparked its rampant popularity.
It may not be a coincidence that a well-intended character for young children has become a sensation in the most populated country on Earth. The development of the meme is not necessarily a bad thing for the young Chinese. The endorsement of Peppa Pig demonstrates dedication to improving the production quality of China’s own children’s shows, and acts as a nod to the values in the original Peppa Pig cartoon. In addition, if you want to know about absurd Western memes and who and what Americans worship on the internet, please take a look at Robbie’s article.
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