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She's been described as an international star who is bigger than Madonna, and has a following in 180 countries. But Peppa Pig has been causing a stir after pulling out of a Labour Party election event. So, just who is she and why is she so popular?She is a global megastar with a following most pop stars, politicians and business leaders would kill for.
Such is her appeal that the Labour Party was hoping Peppa Pig, a diminutive porcine cartoon star, would appear at an election event.
The character has been helping to promote the Sure Start scheme, a government-funded programme which brings a number of early years children's services together under one roof.
But despite her ever present rosy-cheeks, the children's TV character was not about to adopt the red rose of Gordon Brown's party. E1 Entertainment, which licenses the cartoon, said it wanted to avoid controversy and withdrew rights for the character's use.
Even Lord Mandelson couldn't hide his disappointment at not being joined on the platform by the famous pig. Schools secretary Ed Balls, who has appeared alongside her, described Peppa as a "global media star, acclaimed around the world".
Peppa Pig is the eponymous star of a show which first aired in the UK on Channel Five in 2004. Unlike many children's programmes it didn't come from a big budget production house, but from London-based animator Astley Baker Davies.
Bafta winning
Yet with so many children's cartoons on the market, what is it about Peppa which has made it stand out? Animation writer Alan Gilbey says part of the charm is the homespun feel of the animation.
"Their graphic style is not that commercial," explains Mr Gilbey, whose creations include Frankenstein's Cat, and the new Pinky and Perky. "Peppa looks different. It's simple and appealing and it's got a bit of cred to it. It's a nice looking show and doesn't really look like anything else."
While there is no formula when it comes to making a cartoon a runaway success, Mr Gilbey says its connection to ordinary family life grounds much of its appeal. The cartoon centres around a five-year-old half-oinking, half-snorting pig, Peppa, and her family - younger brother George and parents Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig.
The mightn't be human but essentially this is a "a contemporary family getting on with it," says Mr Gilbey. "It reflects a family dynamic, and is done a whimsical way. Parents are very happy to watch it, because there's an extra knowingness about it."
One plot line Mr Gilbey says sums up this sense of satire is when Peppa plays with her Dad's computer and ends up crashing it. It's a scene, which he says illustrates the everyday frustrations of life.
BAFTA winning
Mother-of-three Georgina, from St Leonards-on-Sea, agrees.
"It's a very realistic take on modern life. They feature things like sibling rivalry, mum going to work, relationships between parents - even in-family jokes like the size of Dad's tummy.
"It's very normal and normalises the stuff going on at home for most people."
Peppa has both human and animal characteristics and is depicted as a slightly bossy character. She is often seen jumping into muddy puddles and likes ballet, as well as playing with her friends who include rabbits and dogs. It is the sense of everyday about Peppa which this mother says makes the show so watchable for parents.
"The family is a realistic role model because they have difficulties. It's also humorous for parents because you see all those issues from the point of view of a child," she adds. Peppa Pig's fame stretches well beyond TV screens, with everything from wellies, umbrellas and duvet covers bearing her image. The licence for the product is so huge it netted more than £100m in the UK last year, excluding DVD sales.
There is even a touring stage show and a spin-off magazine, which was one of the top ten most read children's titles of the past year.
This isn't the first time she's made headlines - in January her creators were criticised for showing her in a car without a seatbelt on. They've since apologised and promised to re-animate the offending scenes.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.