Britain’s highest profile family has just welcomed a new member, and the country and the world are out in the streets cheering and celebrating.
No, I’m not talking about a new royal baby. I’m talking about the new member of family Pig, aka Peppa Pig’s youngest sister — though according to photographic (illustrated?) evidence, the newborn was welcomed in the Lindo Wing maternity ward at St Mary’s Hospital in London, the same place Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales welcomed her little ones!
The news was announced this morning, May 20, on “Good Morning Britain,” with an illustration of the cartoon family that is making kids across the world talk with a British accent. Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, Peppa, George and the new baby all seemed very happy in that hospital wing that has seen many royal births but zero previous pig births, as far as I know.
“I’m feeling fantastic,” Mummy Pig told People. “I’m so thrilled Evie is finally here, happy and healthy! I won’t say it was an easy birth, because I’m not sure such a thing exists — oink! But it was all worth it once she was snug and safe in my arms, and the family got to meet her properly.”
“Good Morning Britain”‘s Richard Arnold, who assured the nation that Mummy Pig is resting, also shared the baby’s name, Evie, and said that she was named after Mummy’s late great aunt of the same name. Not only is naming your baby after a beloved deceased relative an Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, but Evie, of course, is also a Jewish name; it’s the Latin version of Chava, the first biblical woman and the “the mother of all the living.” I mean, this is a very important baby, so she deserves a Very Important Biblical Name.
The “Peppa Pig” team even had a town crier announce the news, royal style. No expense or gravitas were spared when it came to this new animated porcine progeny.
The Pig family is, of course, not Jewish (*insert a joke about pigs not being kosher here*) though there is a truly not very miraculous Peppa Pig Hanukkah book out there (I personally do not recommend it). Still, I can definitely get behind their beautiful Jew-ish name choice. Hasbro, the toy and media company that owns “Peppa Pig” as of 2019, was founded by three Jewish siblings from Rhode Island (the Hassenfeld Brothers, Herman, Hillel and Henry, who the company is named after). And Hasbro is, of course, promoting something with this delightful publicity stunt — “Peppa Meets the Baby Cinema Experience” is coming to theaters on May 30. I fear I will have no choice but to take my kids to see it.
We wish a hearty mazel tov to the Pig family on the arrival of their new bundle of oinking and hope there will be a lot of jumping in muddy puddles as a family of five in their future.
