Friday, 29 August 2014

Children Learn With Peppa Pig

By Marlene Blevins


Television shows geared towards preschool aged children generally tend to lean towards teaching them social concepts like politeness and proper behaviors. In many of these programs, animals are used as anthropomorphic representations of people. Peppa Pig is a British animated program that utilizes this method to help the little people relate to their personal situations.

Astley Baker Davies is the talent behind this show which first aired in 2004, being the creator, director and producer. It got got started in the American market in 2005 as part of Cartoon Network's preschool block, Tickle-U, before moving on to Noggin in 2007 and finally finding its niche with Nickelodeon as a member of the Nick Jr lineup. Every story is told within approximately five minutes as a way to keep the attention of the very young.

As with many British toddler based shows, a narrator is used to help tell the story, set the scene and emphasize the emotions being felt by the characters. They are not part of the cast, rather an observer who seems to be discussing the program with the child. This helps the young ones to understand things such as how a particular situation makes others feel and what would be the best way to handle it.

The star of this particular program is roughly four years old and has a natural sense of curiosity, an active imagination and love of play. She lives with her mother, father and younger brother, George. Though they retain some of their animal specific characteristics, they behave largely as humans, living in a house, driving, wearing clothes and socially interacting with others.

All four members of the family have friends who are their same general age but are not the same species. Other families in the community include zebra, rabbits, horses, goats and others. The mammals are all endowed with human emotions and behaviors but the other animals such as the spiders, ducks and frogs, maintain actions quite typical of their kind.

The segments, though only about five minutes long, invites and encourages the children to participate in the story. When the narrator speaks, making commentary on the situation, it is done directly to the viewers. The episodes are always positive and patient, with a happy, upbeat tone that brings around an end result that elicits snorts, laughter and giggles from cast and audience.

Every day activities are the subject of each episode and the characters are featured doing things that many families do. They may be visiting their grandparents, having a sleepover, going camping, riding bikes or playing with friends. Adults are almost always shown interacting with the children, guiding them while joining in the fun and silliness of the day.

The main characters are below the age of five and are always featured in age appropriate situations and activities like playing pretend, dressing up and jumping in puddles. They are never portrayed in roles that are too old for them like cooking meals on their own, babysitting a younger sibling or being responsible for grocery shopping. This program is quite successful at remaining true to their target audience, grabbing their attention and making learning fun.




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