The Surprising Reason This Peppa Pig Episode Got Banned From TV
Even adults have to admit there's a certain appeal to the long-running children's show "Peppa Pig." It follows the adventures of the eponymous Peppa Pig, who has loving parents and friends of all different animal species. Together, they go on various misadventures, from learning to whistle to attending playgroup sessions. Usually, each episode ends with an important lesson to impart to the audience, which primarily consists of kids four and under.
It's a fun show that entertains kids and teaches them lessons that will come in handy before entering preschool. It's hard to imagine this kind of property courting any kind of controversy, but surprisingly, that's precisely what the show managed to accomplish with Season 1, Episode 47, "Mister Skinnylegs." In it, Peppa realizes she has a fear of spiders, and over time, she learns there's nothing to be scared of the eight-legged critters. It seems like an innocuous moral to show kids they have no reason to freak out when a spider is around, but the episode was enough to get banned in one country.
Australia banned the episode because everything is terrifying in Australia
You can witness the controversial "Peppa Pig" episode for yourself in its entirety on YouTube or via Amazon Prime if you have that service. If you live in Australia, it might be the first time you're ever watching this particular story. It may not seem like much on the surface, but teaching kids they shouldn't be afraid of spiders is apparently a lesson they don't want to teach in Australia because it's a country where everything wants to kill you.
Australia banned the episode due to the fact the country contains many varieties of spiders, some of which are extremely dangerous (via The Evening Standard). Peppa Pig may have wanted kids not to be afraid, but in Australia, you should be afraid ... very afraid.
Don't believe us? Allow us to introduce you to the redback spider, a.k.a. the Australian black widow, which is extremely venomous, able to cause severe illness and even death. And of course, there's the monstrosity known as the Sydney funnel-web spider, with venom so powerful it attacks the nervous system, resulting in death if antivenom isn't introduced quickly enough.
As such, it's understandable Australia wouldn't want its kids doing tea parties with its array of arachnids.