“No matter how gangster Peppa Pig is, it cannot be allowed to destroy children’s youth,” declared a People’s Daily editorial.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — First they came for Winnie the Pooh. Now, it appears China’s censors may have their sights on another cuddly cartoon character turned subversive symbol: Peppa Pig.
Over the weekend, more than 30,000 videos of the pink-snouted British character abruptly vanished from Douyin, a popular Chinese app that streams short videos, according to the English-language edition of the state-owned Global Times newspaper. On Tuesday afternoon, searches on the streaming platform for the term “Peppa Pig” yielded no results. The hashtag #PeppaPig also appears to have been banned.
Douyin, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, has not commented on why it decided to ban videos about the seemingly innocuous children’s cartoon. On Tuesday, “Peppa Pig” episodes were still available for viewers to watch on popular streaming websites like Youku and iQiyi.
This has prompted speculation that Douyin’s decision to delete the videos was a case of pre-emptive self-censorship rather than a government-ordered ban. Recently, Chinese state media began to take notice of Peppa Pig’s viral fame. There have been numerous incarnations of the cartoon dubbed in Chinese dialects as well as a craze for everything from Peppa Pig temporary tattoos to candy-dispenser watches and, soon, even theme parks.
Last week, an editorial in the state-run People’s Daily newspaper expressed concern about whether the proliferation of counterfeit Peppa Pig merchandise and the constant chasing of fads would have a negative influence on China’s young generation.
“These are elements that are not conducive to the healthy development of cultural industries and we must be vigilant,” said the People’s Daily editorial .
