Peppa Pig's Doctor Makes House Calls for a Rash, and a Real GP Says That Breeds Unrealistic Expectations

In the world of Peppa Pig, a child with a rash gets an urgent home visit from the family doctor. A general practitioner in England took a hard look at that cartoon care in a BMJ feature and asked whether Dr. Brown Bear is quietly teaching families to expect service that real medicine cannot deliver.

Catherine Bell, a GP at a practice in Eckington, near Sheffield, published the piece on December 11, 2017, in the BMJ's Christmas issue. Titled "Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources?", it asks whether the show's portrayal of general practice could be contributing to "unrealistic expectations of primary care."