Peppa Pig episode banned in Australia due to ‘spiders can’t hurt you’ message
The episode aired on pay TV despite being deemed inappropriate for audiences in Australia, home to many dangerous spiders
An episode of the children’s cartoon Peppa Pig has been banned in Australia after the message “spiders can't hurt you” was deemed inappropriate for Aussie audiences.
The episode, Mister Skinny Legs, written by Alison Snowden, is about a large spider “which an initially fearful Peppa befriends, before picking the giggling arachnid up, feeding him tea and cake and tucking him into bed in her doll house”, says the Daily Telegraph.
The cartoon show ends with Peppa declaring: “We are all going to have tea with Mister Skinny Legs”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
During the episode Peppa’s father tells her: “There’s no need to be afraid. Spiders are very, very small and they can’t hurt you.”
This advice from the British show was deemed to be “inappropriate for Australian audiences” and the Australian Broadcasting Company banned it from future broadcast.
Despite the ban, the episode was accidentally published online before being aired again on Nickelodeon channel Nick Jr on August 25 this year.
According to Australian website Essential Baby, a Sydney mother watching Peppa Pig with her daughter switched the episode off and complained to pay TV provider Foxtel about the programme.
Nick Jr originally defended the decision to air the episode, saying the episode is “light-hearted, friendly and very mild in impact”.
“The context of the way the spider is portrayed in the episode lessens any impact of scariness or danger; the spider does not look real, it has a smiley face and is shown in context of a show with other talking animals,” it said.
But after being contacted by Australian media, Nick Jr said it would remove the episode from programming rotation, despite continuing to maintain that it “does meet our criteria” for broadcast.
“Not all Australian spiders are 'very, very small' and some can hurt you,” warns The Guardian. In fact, Australia is home to some of the most venomous spiders in the world, including the redback and wolf spider.
According to the Australian Museum, around 2,000 people are bitten each year by red back spiders, but fatalities are extremely rare.
A man reportedly died from a redback spider bite in April last year in “the first fatality from a spider bite in more than 30 years”, says the Evening Standard.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Taylor Swift ties Beyoncé record at MTV awards
Speed Read The pop star's acceptance speeches encouraged fans to register to vote and commemorated the victims of 9/11
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US demands answers in Israeli killing of US protester
Speed Read Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was likely killed by IDF soldiers while protesting in the West Bank
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The killing of an American in the West Bank could strain US-Israeli relations
The explainer Is the growing outcry from the Biden administration over the IDF killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi a prelude to changes in US foreign policy in the region?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Zelenskyy says 31,000 troops dead in 2 years of war
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a rare official military death toll
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published