The "Peppa Pig Effect" is a hilarious, but real phenomenon. If you're not familiar, Peppa Pig is a popular British cartoon about a preschooler pig and her family. Being stuck inside so much over the last year, American children have watched so much of the show that they're picking up the accent and even some British slang terms that don't get much use here in the states. Both The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post have covered the situation. The Wall Street Journal reports that Peppa Pig was the second most-watched cartoon (second only to Spongebob Squarepants) February 2020 through February 2021.
This already happened on a smaller scale (I remember both of my kids doing this with Peppa Pig and other shows), but the increased screen time and heavy repeat viewing happening during this strange COVID year has led to many American preschoolers picking up the accent in a very real way. Parents also report their children are saying "telly" instead of "TV", talking about going on "holiday" instead of "vacation", and being excited for "Father Christmas" to come in December. Also, elevators are lifts, bathrooms are water closets, and training wheels are stabilizers.
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