Silly Hasbro—Kids Don’t Want to Eat Animals at Peppa Pig Theme Park! *Snort*

For Immediate Release:
May 13, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Following reports that a new Peppa Pig Theme Park is scheduled to open in North Richland Hills later this year, PETA sent a letter today to Merlin Entertainments CEO Scott M. O’Neil and Hasbro Inc. CEO Chris Cocks asking them to honor Peppa’s friends and family—and her young audience—by offering visitors healthy, humane vegan foods and keeping animal flesh, milk, and eggs off the menu at Miss Rabbit’s Diner.

“Peppa’s young fans would be horrified to learn that Miss Rabbit was serving meat and milk taken from animals who are loving, playful, and affectionate—just like Mrs. Cow and the other the residents of Peppatown,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is calling on the theme park to leave animals in peace, not in pieces, by offering a menu of delicious vegan foods that everyone can enjoy.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to O’Neil and Cocks follows.

May 13, 2024

Chris Cocks, CEO

Hasbro

Scott M. O’Neil, CEO

Merlin Entertainments

Dear Messrs. Cocks and O’Neil:

Greetings from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). As PETA’s senior director of campaigns and a mom to a 5-year-old who loves Peppa Pig, thank you for showing the world that pigs aren’t sources of bacon but individuals with emotions and unique personalities. Just as you decided to leave pig flesh off the menu at your Florida theme park, we expect you’ll do the same in Texas, given that pigs are intelligent, playful, and affectionate beings—just like Peppa herself. You clearly recognize the irony of selling pig meat, so why sell products made from other exploited animals like Carol Cow or Mrs. Cow? Just like pigs, cows and other animals are friends, not food.

None of Peppa’s friends or family should be exploited or eaten, so we urge you to serve only vegan foods at your theme parks. Children have a natural empathy for animals and would be horrified to learn that Miss Rabbit’s Diner simply substitutes pepperoni made from pigs with pepperoni made from gentle cows. Surely, Miss Rabbit would never butcher her chicken friends to serve nuggets or take a mama cow’s milk—meant for her babies—to make cheese pizza.

If you leave animals off the menu, you may well find that visitor numbers skyrocket. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the vegan food industry is projected to hit $162 billion in the next decade. A vegan menu would also be better for your young patrons’ health, since eating meat, eggs, and dairy has been linked to suffering from heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and obesity.

We hope you’ll respect Peppa and her pals by agreeing to serve only vegan foods at your theme parks. PETA would be happy to help you create a menu that’s ethical, delicious, and aligned with the values of your new establishment. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Danielle Katz

Senior Director