A British cartoon character has become a new cultural icon in China. The hype over Peppa Pig is huge on almost every digital media platform, including Aiqiyi, Tencent and Youku. Why is it so successful? And what can the Chinese animation industry learn from it. CGTN's Cui Hui'ao spoke to Peppa Pig's Operations Director and one cartoon designer to find out. 

Peppa Pig toys, vacuum cups, lunch boxes, and wallets. At this gift shop of the ongoing Hangzhou cartoon and animation festival, people of all ages are raving over this pink, young pig.

LIN YICHEN PEPPA PIG FAN "I watch the Peppa Pig cartoon series with my brother. We started watching it together this year."

JIAO LU PEPPA PIG FAN "CHN-FEMALE It's got funny eyes. I like that it does the muddy puddle jump. I have a Peppa Pig tattoo on my arm."

FAN SHUO PEPPA PIG FAN "I've never watched the show, but it's so popular among my friends. We were trying to catch one of the toys."

On the internet, the Peppa Pig buzz is even bigger. Countless memes, jokes, and videos have gone viral. People dub it in different dialects. Many have coined slang phrases. It's a trendy thing to show off your Peppa Pig merchandise. For Olivier Dumont, Managing Director of EOne Family, the company behind Peppa Pig, such mania has most to do with the success of the show.

OLIVIER DUMONT, PRESIDENT ENTERTAINMENT ONE "It's a show about a family unit, when you look at kids' preschool shows on TV, there aren't that many about the family unit. So it's a world which mirrors the world of preschool kids, same in China. The color is very bright and appealing to young children. There is a lot of humor in it. Kids find it funny, But there is also a lot of humor for the adults. "

On that note, industry insider Trevor Lai says that a successful cartoon character needs to appeal to not only kids, but also their gatekeepers, in order for the character's habits and quotes to become pop culture. He says the main lesson for Chinese animators dig into character design, as opposed to replicating the outside appearance of previous works.

TREVOR LAI, CEO & CREATIVE DIRECTOR UP STUDIOS "Really looking at the essence, the inside of the character, their motivation, personality, their background, where they grew up, what are some of the experiences define them as a character, why did they talk in this way, these are some of the things that you can't see, that are just or even more valuable than what's on the outside."

Trevor says it usually takes years to build and refine a cartoon character. But once it catches an audience's attention, it will likely become the next phenomenon, just like Peppa Pig.

CUI HUI'AO HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE "It's nearly impossible to catch one of these Peppa Pig toys, just like it's hard to tell how long this Peppa Pig mania will last in China. Some say it's just a passing fancy. But it's certainly both a cultural phenomenon, and a business success that can provide some experience to Chinese animators. Cui Hui'ao, CGTN, Hangzhou."