In 2012 a Peppa Pig episode was banned in Australia. This is a one hundred percent confirmed incident, but why was a Peppa Pig episode banned in Australia? After all, the show is designed for children.
Peppa Pig has become one of the most favored shows for preschoolers on television today. The show is designed for children predominately under 5 years of age. It’s aim is to be both entertaining and educational at the same time. I’m sure that you will agree with me that that is a great philosophy to have. But, for all its good it managed to get on the wrong side of the censors in Australia, with one episode of Peppa Pig being banned from being broadcast in Australia. Not only is it banned from television screens, but it has also been removed from all internet streaming services in the country. So what was the big controversy that saw it fall foul of the Aussie authorities?
No, someone didn’t sneak in a crude wiener or a set of breasts somewhere in the clip. The problem with the episode was the subject matter. The message that it was conveying to the Australian children was considered dangerous by the censors.
As many people are aware, Australia appears to be full of every kind of exotic animal that just wants to kill you. From the giant man eating crocodiles to the deadliest snakes in the world, the country seems like it is a tinderbox of death. Among the deadly and dangerous animals that grace the land down under are of course spiders, which just like their snakes, are extremely toxic. This is where the writers of one Peppa Pig episode didn’t take into consideration.
Following the airing of a Peppa Pig episode in Australia in 2012 that explained to children that spiders shouldn’t be feared, a viewer made a complaint about the context of the episode. After careful consideration it was deemed that it was not appropriate for Australian audiences due to the dangers such a message could pose. As many spiders in Australia are extremely venomous, it was decided that telling children not to be fearful of a deadly arachnid was just dangerous. Following the decision the episode was removed from the internet and has not been approved to be aired in Australia again.
Before anyone thinks that this is an over reaction by the Australian authorities it must be remembered how dangerous some of the spiders actually are. The Sydney Funnel Web spider is the second deadliest spider in the world, and is aggressive and will attack. This is in stark contrast to the North American Funnel Web spider which is harmless. There is also the small redback spider that rarely attacks unless provoked, but has an extremely potent venom, and the white tailed spider which are just a few of the many venomous spiders in the country. Encouraging children not to fear them could result in possible deaths, or serious injury.
