Peppa Pig-My Birthday Party: creative & fun characters for kids

We don’t have cable.  Because of that we miss out on some shows and networks.  Peppa Pig airs on Nick Jr. and is one that we hadn’t seen until this video.  Each episode is just over 5 minutes, has a very brisk pace and is quite disarming.  Our children, even the 4 year old, loved Peppa Pig.  Our 2 year old liked it too, but his way of showing appreciation consisted of pointing and yelling at the DVD cover.

It’s a very simple premise in Peppa Pig.  George is her younger brother, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig.   Note by the spelling of the mother’s name that the series is voiced by British actors.  Peppa Pig has been the #1 children’s property for the past 3 years in the UK, so it crosses the pond with some wind in the sails.

In addition to Peppa Pig and her family you’ll meet her friends, Suzy Sheep, Pedro Pony, Danny Dog and more.  Even though Peppa is a girl character she’s not modeled in the princess template.  She’s curious, like to jump in muddy puddles, make things-and play dress up.

The animation in Peppa Pig is appropriate for young toddlers, it’s very simple, the pigs have rounded faces and all of the other animals have certain distinguishing characteristics, but have the same core. What surprised me was how much I liked watching Peppa Pig.  Granted the show is in no way intended for adults, but certainly sometimes parents get sucked in, or just need a break with the kids.

In a way Peppa Pig reminded me of Peep and the Big Wide World.  Both shows have moments of silence to deliver laughs.  It is that silence and the way that the shows are written that make it smarter than the average young children’s cartoon.

It’s not laugh out loud funny, but it is very clever and the episodes consistently brought a grin to my face.  They teach lessons about sharing, patience, family, playing, humor and more.  My Birthday Party also comes with 2 never before seen extras, Learn the Alphabet and Learn to Count.   Peppa Pig is geared to children 2-7.

One good thing about Peppa Pig is because the run time of each episode is short you can have them watch more than one if you need more time to cook, tweet or just relax.   If you get the DVD be sure to watch the trailer for Lost and Found, a cartoon based on the worldwide best -selling book.  The animation in that looks stellar also and something that would be an intelligent cartoon for young children too.