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Peppa Pig Toy Teaches Three-Year-Old Boy To Say The F-Word

The children’s toy, designed to help boost language skills, taught a pre-schooler with learning difficulties to swear

When you buy a toy to boost your child’s vocabulary, you definitely don’t expect it to help your little one learn to say 'f*** you'.

But that’s what the Peppa Pig Fun And Learn tablet taught three-year-old Amari Black.

Amari's parents couldn't believe it when they heard the toy swear [SWNS]
Amari's parents couldn't believe it when they heard the toy swear [SWNS]

Parents Garfield and Marcha bought the £20 educational toy for Amari to help improve his language skills. He was born with rickets and has learning difficulties so they thought it might give his speech a helping hand.

But instead they were dismayed when they heard him drop the F-bomb.

Mr Black, 48, heard the toy say, ‘F*** you? Odd one out’ – instead of ‘Find the odd one out’. That’s a pretty awkward malfunction for a children’s toy.

“I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard him saying ‘f*** you’,” says Mr Black. “I was disgusted, I thought he had learned it at nursery.

“But then when I was playing with him I realised that it was Peppa Pig that was teaching him it – I was very upset.”

Amari's parents have taken the toy away - but the damage is done [SWNS]
Amari's parents have taken the toy away - but the damage is done [SWNS]

He said he was so annoyed that he wanted to 'destroy' the toy, which was bought for Amari as a Christmas present and claimed to be suitable for children aged three and above.

“We want our kids to be happy – so we work hard to buy these things for our kids but they just go and teach them how to swear,” says Mr Black. “He can say ‘mum’, ‘dad’, ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and sadly ‘f*** you’."

Mrs Black, 34, says she’s 'devastated' by the toy’s outcome.

"He got in trouble at my mum’s for saying it and [she] told me off because she thought he was learning it from us at home," she says. "We would never use that language at all, let alone in front of an impressionable child.

"I want to encourage him to talk as much as possible, but it’s hard because whenever I tell him he’s doing well, he responds with ‘f*** you'.”

The family’s complained to the toy’s manufacturers but hasn’t yet heard back.

The toy in question [SWNS]
The toy in question [SWNS]



How To Stop Your Toddler Picking Up Rude Words

When children are learning to talk and expanding their vocabulary, they soak up words like a sponge – sadly the bad ones, too. But it’s never too early to teach your tot that certain words aren’t OK.

“As a child’s vocabulary is expanding, he doesn’t understand the meaning of these words and often is just reacting to the adult’s reactions to them,” says Dr Amanda Gummer.

Click through for more tips and advice on dealing with swear words.


[How To Encourage Reluctant Talkers To Communicate (In Six Simple Steps)]

[How To Stop Your Toddler Picking Up Rude Words]

Do you have any tips for discouraging the use of bad words? Let us know in the comments.