Long-running children’s cartoon series Peppa Pig has welcomed its first same-sex couple.
The show, which has been running since 2004, features the everyday adventures of young Sus scrofa domesticus Peppa and her friendships with various anthropomorphic animals such as Rebecca Rabbit, Suzy Sheep and Zoe Zebra, reports the Mirror.
Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig are the long-suffering parents of Peppa, and her brother George, but now after 18 years, there has been a lesbian couple introduced. And the news has not gone down well with some fans of the hit Channel 5 programme aimed at pre-school children.
The historic moment came when Peppa, Suzy and Danny Dog, along with others, were drawing pictures of their families, when Penny Polar Bear sketched out two female polar bears in dresses.
Penny says: “I’m Penny Polar Bear. I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti, I love spaghetti.”
While social media wasn’t exactly in meltdown over the news, there were a few dissenting voices, with one Twitter user writing: “You won’t ever see me watching Peppa Pig again.” Another one penned: “Now children are being indoctrinated – leave the kids alone to live their simple innocent lives.”
This comes after fellow children’s TV show Thomas & Friends announced it is introducing its first autistic character. The new role of Bruno the Brake Car will be voiced by nine-year-old autistic actor Elliott Garcia from Reading, who the National Autistic Society helped cast.
Bruno is a “joyful, pun-making brake car” who is detail-orientated and enjoys schedules, routine and knows where all the tracks lead in the area. The character and storylines were developed by Mattel Television in collaboration with US autism organisations including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and Easterseals Southern California as well as autistic writers and spokespeople.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs