A 'Peppa Pig' episode has been pulled from Australian television for the second time. The 'Mister Skinnylegs' episode was deemed inappropriate for Australian audiences after it suggested that spiders are not dangerous because of their size.
During the episode, Peppa seeks help from her father when her brother brings a spider into the room. When her father arrives to help, he calms Peppa by saying, "There's no need to be afraid Peppa. Spiders are very, very small and they can't hurt you". Following her father's advice, Peppa proceeds to play with the spider.
This isn't the first time the episode about 'Mister Skinnylegs' has been removed from Australian television. In 2012, the ABC pulled it from its online viewing platform.
According to The Guardian, the episode accidentally aired on Nick Jr in August. The program was only removed after a parent complained to the children's television service about the inappropriate message.
Nick Jr explained the accident to 9Honey in a statement.
"Nick Jr. prides itself in creating a safe environment for its audience and bases all programming decisions upon internal guidelines in accordance with all Australian regulatory and legal obligations."
While some Australian spiders are regarded as harmless, others like the funnel web and redback spider are venomous and therefore, extremely dangerous. According to Australian Geographic, humans are not usually the intended victim of a spider bite, but the wide range of chemicals in the venom can be harmful.
Turns out Daddy Pig got it wrong, again.