Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Peppa Pig and My Little Pony children’s cartoons too dangerous and violent, Chinese consumer group claims

The report claimed it found a total of 123 ‘gloomy, thrilling and suspenseful’ scenes and what it called ‘exaggerated facial expressions’

In a scene in the My Little Pony cartoon, a character dips itself in lava, and in Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures there are scenes of characters hanging from a helicopter

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Cartoons such as My Little Pony have been labelled dangerous and too violent for children by a Chinese consumer group. Photo: Handout

Published: 6:15pm, 12 Apr 2021Updated: 11:10pm, 12 Apr 2021

Popular cartoon series such as Barbie, Peppa Pig and My Little Pony are under fire in China after parents complained to a consumer rights watchdog that they contained “inappropriate behaviour”.

The Jiangsu Consumer Council in eastern China has released a list of 21 cartoon series which it said contained behaviour and language it claimed were inappropriate for children after watching the shows and interviewing parents.

Eight of the series are from overseas including Britain’s Peppa Pig, and America’s Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures and My Little Pony, with five others from Japan, such as Detective Conan, according to the council which is a Chinese government-backed organisation set up to protect consumers’ rights.

Peppa Pig character Daddy Pig seen here after opening the door of a plane and falling from the aircraft. Photo: Handout

In one example of a scene described as dangerous in Peppa Pig, the character Daddy Pig opens the door of a plane and falls from the aircraft.

In a scene in the My Little Pony cartoon, a character dips itself in lava. In Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, there are scenes of characters hanging from a helicopter, a basketball hoop, stepping on a person, and falling from the ceiling according to the report.

The report claimed it found a total of 123 “gloomy, thrilling and suspenseful” scenes in the cartoons, and seemed to be particularly preoccupied with scenes that depicted exaggerated facial expressions of characters when frightened.

Boonie Bears, a Chinese animation work, received the highest number of complaints from parents. It is accused of having the main character often hold an electric saw, leading many children to use a saw to hurt others, the report claimed.