David Prosser: Where there's muddy puddles, there's brass

Outlook Parents of pre-schoolers will testify that the loyalty of this demographic knows no limits – and also that Entertainment One's Peppa Pig is the proud owner of an awful lot of that loyalty just now (even if fathers might have a thing or two to say about Daddy Pig, who isportrayed as a fat, lazy dimwit).

It seems that American toddlers are no less immune to Peppa's charms. Given the show's ratings success in the US, the suggestion yesterday that merchandising sales might top $1bn a year – three times what is being achieved currently in the UK – do not seem at all outlandish.

Just one word of warning, however. Each pre-school generation has its own favourites, and not too many shows prove enduring. Where now are the stars of In the Night Garden or even the Teletubbies? Peppa's owners are wise to cash in while they can, but the joy of muddy puddles may turn out to be shortlived.