For the first time, a lesbian couple has been added to the cast of children’s TV show Peppa Pig.
Penny the Polar Bear introduced his mother of two in Episode 41 of Season 7, which aired on Channel 5 on Tuesday.
In this scene, Peppa Pig and her classmates are asked by their teacher to sketch a family picture for the classroom wall.
Students take turns introducing the family they have drawn and describing their work and characteristics.
Penny sketches a family portrait and draws two female polar bears in dresses.
While painting, she tells her classmates: I live with her mother and another mother.
“One mummy is a doctor, the other cooks spaghetti. I love spaghetti.”
Teacher Madame Gazelle replies, “A nice penny.”
Later, at the end of the episode, Penny’s mother is shown arriving with the other parents to pick up the child after school.
Many viewers took to social media to applaud the decision to show an LGBT+ family for the first time in cartoon show history.
One Twitter user wrote:
“You don’t have to talk to them about your sexuality. Just show all types of family. When it’s appropriate, they’ll figure out the rest.”
Another user tweeted:
Children’s TV show Thomas & Friends, also airing on Channel 5, will feature the first autistic characters created in collaboration with autistic writers and organizations.
The character, called Bruno the Brakecar, is voiced by nine-year-old autistic actor Elliott Garcia and will appear in an upcoming episode of Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! From 7:00 a.m. on September 21st.
Peppa Pig first aired on Channel 5 Milkshake and Nick Jr in 2004 and has since been available in over 180 territories.
