Who is Peppa Pig?
Peppa is a 4 year old pig who lives with Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, George and her new baby sister Evie Pig. She loves to play with her friends, attend playgroup and jump up and down in muddy puddles with her family. Peppa is a very energetic pig who can easily get excited and is seen as cheeky in her fiery red dress.
The Beginning
Peppa Pig was created by Neville Astley, Mark Baker and Phil Davis. They wanted to create a show that was reminiscent of The Magic Roundabout, where episodes focused on everyday stories about families. The idea of the show being focused on a family was first, then a fiery female protagonist, snorts led to a pig, and the rest was history. Peppa Pig was born.
The trailer was sent to executives who disliked the idea. There were concerns about her 2D face, as this would be a challenge to create merchandise for. Finally, a Nickelodeon managing director picked up the trailer and loved it.
The show went into production with animators going without months of pay due to the lack of funding. To gain inspiration for the episode plots, they would resort to listening to stories from a friend's child who came up with themes such as ‘Hide and Seek’ or ‘Pancakes’. She also ended up being the first voice of Peppa.
The first episode of Peppa Pig aired on May 31st 2004, and was an instant hit. Astley, Baker and Davis secured a second series.
The show has gone on to win awards, including BAFTA Children's Awards for both Pre-School Animation and Best Performer, Harley Bird in 2011.
Astley, Baker and Davis have since stepped away from Peppa Pig in 2021 to go on to focus on new projects.
Other Media
Specials
There have been roughly 5 Peppa Pig specials which have been released in cinemas, the first being Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots, which was released on Valentine's Day 2015. This included the 15-minute special and a couple of extra episodes.
The other 4 specials followed a similar structure, a longer episode accompanied by a few Peppa Pig episodes.
Books
There is a collection of books, similar to the series, that show off Peppa’s everyday adventures with her family and friends. One of the books included Peppa meeting Queen Elizabeth for her Jubilee!
Theme Parks
Peppa Pig World opened in 2011 and was the first out of a series of worldwide theme parks to be opened, with nine rides, an indoor play area, a splash park and themed buildings.
Since 2017, there have been similar concepts called Peppa Pig World and Peppa Pig land, which opened in Shanghai, USA, Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
Music
Peppa has released many albums, with the first released in 2019 called My First Album. Since 2019, there have been two other albums released, Peppa’s Adventures: The Album and Peppa’s Party Album, where you can listen to classic songs from the episodes.
Peppa’s latest song includes a collaboration with The Baby Shark Family and Peppa’s Family singing the Baby Shark song with some new Peppa Pig-related lyrics.
Merchandise
There is a lot of merchandise for Peppa and her friends, including teddies, kids' clothing, toys such as playsets or collectables, clothing and Lego sets.
Why not have a look at some of our Peppa Pig range
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Cameos
Postage Stamps
Peppa has appeared in many places, postage stamps being one of them. The collection of postage stamps was released in 2024 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series by Royal Mail.
Morning Television Debut
The news of Peppa’s younger sister, Evie Pig, was released worldwide in the US on a popular podcast and in the UK on This Morning, where Mummy Pig is interviewed by Richard Arnold.
This marketing stunt was then taken to Battersea Power Station to reveal the gender of the little pig.
Mummy Pig finally had Evie in St Mary’s Hospital, the same hospital which the royals tend to go to!
Children in Need
In 2009, Peppa and George featured in Peter Kay’s Official BBC Children in Need Medley, featuring roughly 100 childhood cartoon and stop-motion characters, old and new, in an Animated All Star Band.
The two pigs appear on a monitor while jumping up and down in muddy puddles and the cover. The single has sold over 452,000 copies in the UK.
Peppa reunited with Pudsey in 2024 to help raise money by hosting fundraising parties at nurseries, schools and local communities. The parties included downloading a decoration pack and the opportunity to purchase Pudsey and Peppa merchandise at Asda to raise money for the cause. In 2024, Children in Need managed to raise £39,210,850.
I hope you enjoyed our little deep dive into the history of Peppa Pig. If you enjoyed this blog, why not have a look at some of our previous dives into our licenced characters.