The Late Late Toy Show has become a family tradition in most households, with a lot of our kids dreaming about appearing on the show.
However, one father has sent a warning to parents after his six-year-old daughter received online abuse after her appearance.
Lara Reddy spoke to Ryan Tubridy about My Little Pony dolls, but before she did she recited a poem for the host and the audience - a poem that was being said in playgrounds all across the country well before last Friday.
In it she said: “My Little Pony, skinny and bony, went to the stable, to die on the table”.
Unfortunately, rather than just enjoy the programme and factor in the innocence of childhood, many people jumped on social media, accusing the youngster and her family of animal abuse.
Speaking to The Journal, Lara’s dad, Mark, said: “People were saying I was a bad father and I was teaching animal cruelty.”
“My Little Pony is a cartoon, there was no correlation between real ponies and the song which is sung in all school yards by my little pony fans.”
Giving an insight in the type of abuse the family received, Mark added: “The abuse stemmed from outright hate and racism, paedophilia, and then general negative comments made against a six-year-old following a three minute rehearsed segment in a live show.”
Obviously the family were delighted when Lara was picked to go on the show, but what was meant to be a memorable happy experience has been turned into something more negative.
Thankfully, the youngster is unaware of the abuse and still views it as a positive memory.
“As parents we are responsible for making the world a better place for our children, we model good behaviour and openness, we accept difference of beliefs and opinion and we don’t mind if these opinions don’t match our own, but to take time out to publicly bash a six-year-old is shocking, dangerous and very worrying and so needs addressing and challenging,” he added.
