It’s impossible to ignore or underestimate the influence Peppa Pig wields over kids.
Since bursting on to our screens in 2004, scores of families in the UK have become all-too familiar with Peppa, George and the rest of the gang.
Kids love her, parents are probably sick to the back teeth of her (come on, admit it…).
But of you think Peppa Fever is bad in the UK, spare a thought for the mums and dads over in the US whose kids have undergone a weird metamorphosis thanks to the smash hit cartoon.
The ‘Peppa Effect’.
Dubbed the ‘Peppa Effect,’ the phenomenon sees kids from the US mimic the UK’s most famous piglet’s British accent in real life.
It’s not just their accents which are changing either, sharing anecdotes under the hashtag #PeppaEffect , parents have also revealed how their kids are using Anglicised words like “petrol” instead of “gas” and “lorry” instead of “truck”.
THE HORROR!
That said, a lot of parents are actually quite charmed by it.
Parenting site Romper spoke with Roberto Rey Agudo, the language program director of the department of Spanish and Portuguese at Dartmouth, about the Peppa Effect.
Agudo pointed out that this sort of mimicry was perfectly normal given how huge Peppa Pig has become.
It’s also likely to be something that they grow out of.
