The ‘Peppa Pig’ Effect Has Kids Developing British Accents

Kids from the U.S. have been binge-watching so much of the British cartoon Peppa Pig that they’ve started to develop British accents and even using words like “telly.”

The so-called “Peppa Effect” took off during the pandemic, as screen time limits were lifted as parents worked from home. Now, parents say their kids are opting for “Father Christmas” instead of “Santa Claus” and throwing out expressions like “give it a go.”

Per the New York Post, Peppa Pig was the second most in-demand cartoon after Spongebob Squarepants for a 12-month period ending February. It was the 50th most in-demand out of all shows, reportedly moving up from the 103rd spot a year earlier.

“Young Peppa fans see her as a friend .. and, as we do with friends that we admire, pick up some of their characteristics,” Entertainment One Ltd, the show’s owner said in a statement.

Check out how kids adapted Peppa’s lingo below:

“Thanks to peppa pig my name is Mummy,” wrote one Twitter user. “My son describes his summer vacay as summer holiday and the bathroom is the both. Lol there is a ton more but my kids are semi brits now.”

“Bot of my kids watched a lot of Peppa pre pandemic and there are quite a few words that they say that have a British tint to it. ‘Lit-tle’ being one,” wrote another Peppa parent.

Many Twitter moms are now referred to as “mum” now:

One Twitter user wrote, “When my kids were young [they] referred to our yard as the garden.”

This New York uncle said his niece’s British accent is “darn cute.”

One user said their friend had to ban Peppa Pig, as their 3-year-old had a “full on British Lady accent.”

One parent was confused as to why their 5-year-old daughter started to demand things get done “straightaway.”