It’s time for playgroup! Today Peppa and her friends are deciding what they might like to be when they grow up.
Peppa the Pig, a strangely drawn British cartoon, shows small blurbs about a preschool pig and her family. I am not a fan of the show, of course, I am not four years old. My seven-year-old daughter was quite drawn to the colorful pig and other barnyard animals living on steep hills and talking with English accents. Peppa spends her days with family and friends playing and learning life lessons.
In this DVD, “Peppa Pig: When I Grow Up,” your preschooler gains twelve episodes, most of which are just a few minutes long, perfect for the short attention span associated with small children. The main episode talks about what the pigs want to do when they grow up, that is splash in puddles like any self-respecting pig. Other episodes include a helicopter, a pirate party, a fire engine, talent day, visiting the police and a few other agonizingly preschoolish shows. The most amusing episode focuses on a bunch of doctors showing off their skills or lack thereof. Mostly, the episode shows how little common sense remains in the world.
Precocious Pig Peppa spends her days daydreaming about jumping in mud puddles and playing with her brother. Thankfully, the shows gave up allowing Peppa to fat-shame her father which used to be a reoccurring theme. Britain certainly does operate differently than America, but kids are kids and this show becomes less British with each new episode. Only the accents remain, everything else could fit into America. The whole draw of this show was the British aspect.
Beyond this rather glaring discrepancy, children will learn valuable information while watching Peppa play. Eating healthy is encouraged, as is family time, and oddly enough, consideration for others. The simplistic cartoons are less than ascetically pleasing, but the plots seem to be engaging for budding imaginations to look past the coloring book characters. Focus on the imaginative scenarios which will engage your youngster and hope they do not notice how boring and uninspired these newer episodes are compared to the older ones.
Now available on DVD
