'Peppa Pig' cheered for inclusion of 1st same-sex couple following petition: 'Given me such happiness'

The children's show Peppa Pig trended on Twitter Wednesday, a day after an episode that introduced the long-running animated series's first same-sex couple aired in Britain.

It happened in a scene in which Penny Polar Bear, a classmate of Peppa, describes her family. She also draws a picture of them. "I'm Penny Polar Bear," the young character said. "I live with my mommy and my other mommy. One mommy is a doctor and one mommy cooks spaghetti. I love spaghetti."

Fans had demanded a same-sex parent family on the pre-school show since at least 2019, when two of them created an online petition that, as of Wednesday afternoon, had garnered 23,900 signatures.

"Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age, and excluding same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal," the petition states. "This means that children of same-sex parents may feel alienated by Peppa Pig, and that other children may be more likely to bully them, simply through ignorance. Peppa Pig is not just for entertainment, children are inevitably learning from it too."

The award-winning show about a "cheeky little pig" who enjoys "playing games, dressing up, days out and jumping in muddy puddles" went on the air in 2004. It's wildly popular worldwide. According to producer Entertainment One, it has been translated into more than 40 languages and broadcast in more than 180 territories, as it "teaches kids about friendship, cooperation and feelings."

On social media, there was a lot of chatter about the development, with GLAAD leading the way. The LGBTQ advocacy group shared a news story and used a hashtag for "representation matters."

Although there was some backlash, many individuals cheered on the show, too. Someone said the storyline has "given me such happiness this morning." Added another, "How cool is this?!"

Video: The unlikely origins of Peppa Pig