Cultural References To Pigs - Music, Television and Art

Music, Television and Art

• Arnold Ziffel was a popular recurring character on the CBS television series, Green Acres. He was often portrayed as having exceptional intelligence (watching TV, going to school, engaging in conversation with most Hooterville humans, except Oliver Douglas) and was treated as the real son of townsfolk, Fred and Doris Ziffel.

• Kagura Sohma, from the manga and anime Fruits Basket, transforms in the boar of the Chinese zodiac when she is hugged by a boy or her body is under too much stress.

• Song of Pig is a popular song in China.

• Pigs are featured heavily in the artwork and stage shows of the rock band Pink Floyd. Their 1977 album Animals featured three songs about pigs ("Pigs on the Wing 1", "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Pigs On The Wing 2"), in symbolic, Orwell referencing, form. The pig that appears on the cover of Animals is called Algie.

• "War Pigs" is an anti-war song by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath.

• There are scenes of Marilyn Manson riding a pig in the "Sweet Dreams" video.

• KMFDM contributor Raymond Watts has solo project called PIG.

• Peppermint Pig is an EP by the Scottish rock group Cocteau Twins.

• The industrial-rock band Nine Inch Nails have songs titled "March of the Pigs" and "Piggy", both on the album The Downward Spiral.

• Pigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and Bill Rieflin.

• "Piggies" is a The Beatles song written by George Harrison, comparing people to pigs.

• In the Nightmare on Elm Street series of movies, the character Freddy Krueger often refers to his victims, usually teenagers. as "piggies".

• "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" is an episode of South Park, in which the boys try to cross-breed Cartman's pig with Kyle's elephant. A pig was also referenced in ManBearPig of the same program, where former U.S. Vice President Al Gore warned the public of a "half man, half bear and half pig".

• The fictional character Wizpig is the main villain in Diddy Kong Racing.

• Porco Rosso is a porcine fighter pilot in the comic book of the same name.

• In the 2007 episodes of Doctor Who named Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks the Daleks turn the citizens of 1930's New York into half-pig and half-human creatures referred to as Pig Slaves.

• The video game Angry Birds features green pigs as the antagonist of the birds, who are the protagonists.

• The video game Beyond Good & Evil features an anthropomorphic pig named Pey'j as one of the main characters.

• The video game Hogs of War is based upon World War I but instead features anthropomorphic pigs with human characteristics than actual people.

• In The Legend of Zelda series, the main antagonist, Ganon, has the ability to transform into a pig or boar-like deity, a metaphor for his thirst for power and greed.

• McDull (Chinese: 麥兜) is a cartoon pig character that was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mak and Brian Tse (who also created another cartoon pig called McMug). He's the main character of three comics adapted films: My Life as McDull, McDull, Prince de la Bun, McDull, The Alumni.

• The protagonist of the animated series Hey Arnold! owns a pet pig named Abner, voiced by the show's creator Craig Bartlett

• Mervis, a pig who has various misfortunes, is one of CatDog's best friends in CatDog, voiced by John Kassir.

• Pigs in the City is a public arts initiative in Lexington, North Carolina, U.S., the self-proclaimed Barbecue Capital of the World.

• The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is a 42.28-kilometre (26.27 mi) race run the 1st Sunday of every May in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• In the manga Naruto, Tsunade has a pet pig named Tonton. Tonton has the ability to track other things by her sensitive sense of smell.

• In the video game Mother 3 the primary antagonist Porky Minch is referred to as the Pig King, and leads the Pig Mask Army.

• In the Pokémon Series of video games, the Pokémon Swinub is based on a pig. Its evolved forms Piloswine and Mamoswine have traits based on pigs and wooly mammoths. The Pokémon Spoink and its evolved form Grumpig also resemble pigs. The newly revealed Pokémon Pokabu is also based on a pig.

• The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy from the cartoon series Dave the Barbarian is an evil pig with a high-collared cape (and equally high voice) bent on ruling Udrogoth.

• Lars Umlaut from the Guitar Hero video game series transforms into a pig-like beast in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

• In the popular manga and anime series Ranma 1/2, the character Ryoga Hibiki suffers from a curse which causes him to transform into a black piglet nicknamed "P-chan" when splashed with cold water.