The controversial episode of Peppa Pig is called “Mr Skinny Legs” and it comes from the very first season of the show. In it, Peppa is dealing with a very common anxiety for young children: fear of spiders, sometimes called arachnophobia. In the episode, Daddy Pig, voiced by Richard Ridings, does what any father would do (via IMDb). He soothes his worried young daughter, played by Lily Snowden-Fine, telling her “Spiders can’t hurt you.” Later on in the show, Peppa exclaims, “We are all going to have tea with Mister Skinny Legs,” via The Week.
And what’s wrong with any of that? There are plenty of spiders in the U.K., where Peppa Pig is produced, but though some may bite humans none are particularly dangerous, as Wales Online reports. With this in mind, Daddy Pig’s wisdom imparted in “Mr Skinny Legs” seems sensible enough. The episode’s premise gets controversial for some Australian viewers, however, because the spider situation down under is actually pretty dangerous.
