'Peppa Pig' Introduces Mandy Mouse, New Recurring Character With a Disability
A new “Peppa Pig” friend has rolled into town and she has a disability. On April 3, the popular British cartoon introduced viewers to Mandy Mouse, a character who uses a wheelchair.
Mandy Mouse made her debut via a teaser on the official “Peppa Pig” Twitter account. It read:
Squeak! Introducing the newest member of the playgroup, Mandy Mouse!
Squeak! Introducing the newest member of the playgroup, Mandy Mouse! ???? pic.twitter.com/cwMy8vFuVS
— Peppa Pig Official (@peppapig) April 3, 2019
Mandy Mouse first appears in episode eight of the show’s sixth season, titled “Mandy Mouse.” She joins Peppa Pig’s playgroup and is really good at playing basketball. When Peppa asks her why she uses a wheelchair, Mandy says it is because her legs don’t work like Peppa’s.
Mandy’s disability is not a central part of the story, but rather she joins the group as just one of the kids. According to the official “Peppa Pig” twitter account, Mandy Mouse will be a recurring character on the series.
Since Mandy Mouse’s introduction, parents of kids with disabilities as well as disabled adults have taken to twitter to express their support of the new character:
Oh this is so good. Well done! With love from a 29 year old wheelchair user who will now be watching Peppa Pig avidly.
— Hollie-Anne Brooks ♿️ (@HollieAnneB) April 3, 2019
My little girl has a wheelchair and she spotted this character in the “Peppa goes to London” book yesterday! Great that she’s going to be a regular character
— Nic (@Shendlegirl) April 3, 2019
I could cry! My daughter loves peppa and has a neuromuscular disorder. This is a game changer. Thank you!!!!!!
— Amanda Julia (@lavieenrose1488) April 3, 2019
This is amazing ???? Thank you for being inclusive. It’s so awesome to see a wheelchair user in any show, but it’s definitely important for children to see disability so it becomes the norm. Also her chair looks like mine ????
— Kimberley ????♿ (@KimmieChan1995) April 7, 2019
“Peppa Pig” is one of the few TV shows for children that features a character with disabilities in a recurring role. Mandy Mouse joins the likes of Julia from “Sesame Street.” Julia is on the autism spectrum and “Sesame Street” recently expanded her storyline to include her family. Through Julia’s interactions with her family, friends and her environment, children learn about autism.
This is also not the first time “Peppa Pig” has been connected to disability. A social media post about a fake Harvard study claiming the show caused autism went viral in 2016. However, no such study was ever conducted. Despite the false study being “debunked,” it still pops up online, mostly recently in 2018.
You can catch episodes of “Peppa Pig” on Nick Jr. in the U.S. and Channel 5 in the U.K.
Header image screenshot via “Peppa Pig”
Ellen Stumbo is the founder of Disability Matters, an organization with the mission to encourage every church to embrace disability. Ellen is a national speaker who focuses on issues pertaining adoption, faith, disability and parenting kids with disabilities. Ellen writes for several online platforms including Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia, Group, The Mighty and the Huffington Post. Her writing also appears in several book anthologies. Ellen blogs at ellenstumbo.com and you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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