History Main / MessyPig

-->--'''TheBeatles,''' ''Piggies''

* ''Piggies'' by TheBeatles, as seen in the page quote.

* ''PulpFiction''

* Gouger, Snouter, Rooter, and Tusker, who pull the [[{{Discworld}} Hogfather's]] sleigh.

* Pig from the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''. While he may be messy, or not the sharpest tool in the shed, he's actually one of the ''nicest'' characters in the strip.

## The prohibition is basically inscrutable, because [[BecauseISaidSo believers must obey God no matter what]]. This is a common position among rabbis and some Muslim scholars.

* The Rashberry species in ''VivaPinata''. Their house is covered in mud, and eat rotten food. And when you cross-romance them with their polar opposite -- the perfect, dainty Swanana -- you get [[CueTheFlyingPigs something completely different]].

* Once, {{Rocko|sModernLife}} complains that his house (which has reached TrashOfTheTitans uncleanliness levels) is a pigsty. An angry pig eating pizza responds (in a distinct New Jersey accent) "You got a problem with that?" and is kicked out by Rocko.

[[AC:{{Comic Books}}]]

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* Aphrodite of HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys transformed a pig into a woman. She still think like a pig and dove into the mud in one scene.

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[[AC:{{Newspaper Comics}}]]

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]

* Once, [[RockosModernLife Rocko]] complains that his house (which has reached TrashOfTheTitans uncleanliness levels) is a pigsty. An angry pig eating pizza responds (in a distinct New Jersey accent) "You got a problem with that?" and is kicked out by Rocko.
* The pig-people from the ''InvaderZim'' episode "Gaz, Taster of Pork". [[spoiler: Dib has to be used as their toilet brush...and heaven knows when the last time their communal toilet was scrubbed!]]


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* [[TheLionKing Pumbaa]], though he's only smelly and farts/burps a ''lot''. Then again, he's a [[FullBoarAction warthog]], not a domestic pig.

* [[TheLionKing Pumbaa]], though he's only smelly and farts/burps a ''lot''. Actually, he's a warthog, not a pig.

There's also the so-called ''{{Babe}}'' Syndrome: the tendency of city folk who have never seen a live pig in the flesh to think that pigs are cute and pink and make good pets. While pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to do tricks and such, the average barnyard porker isn't particularly cuddly. They can weigh up to a few hundred pounds and occasionally be quite aggressive.

## The prohibition is basically inscrutable, because believers must obey God no matter what. This is a common position among rabbis and some Muslim scholars.

There's also the so-called Babe Syndrome: the tendency of city folk who have never seen a live pig in the flesh to think that pigs are cute and pink and make good pets. While pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to do tricks and such, the average barnyard porker isn't particularly cuddly. They can weigh up to a few hundred pounds and occasionally be quite aggressive.

* [[TheLionKing Pumbaa]], though he's only smelly and loves to fart/burp. Actually, he's a warthog, not a pig.

For non-porcine characters who are messy as pigs, see ThePigPen. For a trope related to boars, pigs' big and scary cousins, see FullBoarAction.

* [[TheLionKing Pumbaa]], though he's only smelly and loves to fart/burp. Actually, he's a boar, not a pig.

There is also quite a common subversion of this trope: when the pig is obsessively clean, proper and hygienic, in a somewhat exaggerated way. The so-called Babe Syndrome is the tendency of city folk who have never seen a live pig in the flesh to think that pigs are cute and pink and make good pets. While pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to do tricks and such, the average barnyard porker isn't particularly cuddly. They can weigh up to a few hundred pounds and occasionally be quite aggressive.

[[AC:Real Life]]

There's one thing most people know about pigs: they are messy as hell. In times past, in some rural 3rd-world areas, pigs would even [[{{Squick}} consume the waste from the outhouse]].[[hottip:* test:It was FairForItsDay; it solved the problem of eliminating waste (similar to how in other places the pigs were fed not bodily waste but garbage), and the pigs got food and shelter.]] This AnimalStereotype is so prominent, it lead to pigs being almost invariably portrayed as filthy dirt-lovers.

There's one thing most people know about pigs: they are messy as hell. This AnimalStereotype is so prominent, it lead to pigs being almost invariably portrayed as filthy dirt-lovers.

There is also quite a common subversion of this trope: when the pig is obsessively clean, proper and hygienic, in a somewhat exaggerated way. Sometimes we're shown a contrast between a messy pig and a tidy pig, usually with [[{{Anvilicious}} a moral of some sort]].

The so-called Babe Syndrome also deserves a mention. It's the tendency of city folk who have never seen a live pig in the flesh to think that pigs are cute and pink and make good pets. While pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to do tricks and such, the average barnyard porker isn't particularly cuddly. They can weigh up to a few hundred pounds and occasionally be quite aggressive.

'''''Note:''''' ''This trope is about pigs who have "messy" as one of their main defining traits. Not just any de[[IncrediblyLamePun pig]]tions of pigs in fiction. Ditto for subversions: just being a clean pig doesn't count; the pig's "tidiness" should be one the main points of the character.''

* In ''On Utilitarianism'', John Stuart Mill defends the philosophy of utilitarianism from the attack that it is a "doctrine of swine", i.e. maybe it's okay for pigs to live according to pleasure and pain alone, but not human beings.
* Pigs are considered "unclean" animals [for eating] in Judaism and Islam. There are several theories for why:
## The prohibition relates to the propensity of pigs to harbor trichinella worms, which cause painful muscle disease, and can only be killed through thorough cooking, which (goes the theory) was not always possible in ancient times. Whether this is God protecting His people with his timeless wisdom or cultural wisdom being reinforced by (supposed) word of God is entirely a matter of faith. This theory, however, doesn't hold up to more recent archaeological evidence.
## The prohibition relates to the way of life of the Hebrews and Arabs. Both peoples originated in the desert and remained for the most part in arid climates, i.e. places where human vegetable food is scarce. Cattle, sheep, and goats do not eat human vegetable food, but pigs do; therefore, keeping pigs is wasteful, and ought to be avoided. Contemporary scholars favor this theory.
## The prohibition is to set Jews/Muslims apart from their neighbors. While this is likely for Judaism (a common theory goes that the point of ''all'' Kashrut is to keep Jews separated from the Gentiles), it's less likely for Islam (which for one thing is a proselytizing religion, and for another thing allows--even encourages--mixing with the other "Peoples of the Book"/monotheists).
## The prohibition is basically inscrutable, because believers must obey God no matter what. This is a common position among rabbis and some Muslim scholars.
* In times past in some rural 3rd-world areas, a pigsty was sometimes connected to an outhouse. The pigs would [[{{Squick}} consume the waste from the outhouse]]. It was FairForItsDay; it solved the problem of eliminating waste (similar to how in other places the pigs were fed not bodily waste but garbage), and the pigs got food and shelter. This practice is falling out of favor as septic tanks and sewers become more widely available.

For non-porcine characters who are messy as pigs, see PigPen. For a trope related to boars, pigs' big and scary cousins, see FullBoarAction.

There is also quite a common subversion of this trope: when the pig is obsessively clean, proper and hygienic, in a somewhat exaggerated way. Sometimes we're shown a contrast between a messy pig and a tidy pig, usually with [[{{Anvilicious a moral of some sort]].

Have you seen the little piggies
Stirring up the dirt?
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse...
Always having dirt
To play around in!
TheBeatles, ''Piggies''

%%Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1325748520046440100
%%Please see thread to suggest a replacement.

While [[EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys monkeys]], [[CuteKitten kittens]], and [[EverythingIsBetterWithPenguins penguins]] make everything better and [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears bears]] and [[EverythingIsEvenWorseWithSharks sharks]] make everything worse, pigs fall on that thin line where they can be either good or bad. Sometimes pigs are cute {{Non Human Sidekick}}s and sometimes they are a metaphor about how much [[HumansAreBastards humans are like them]] except [[{{Metaphorgotten}} with hooves and snouts]].

There's only one thing in common in almost all depictions of pigs: they are messy as hell.

Note that while pigs are instinctively clean animals, their habit of rooting the ground and rolling in whatever moisture is available creates messy results in confined spaces. They are also more omnivorous than most domestic animals, and like most meat livestock have been bred to put on weight quickly.

Sometimes the misconceptions can go the other way, in what some refer to as Babe Syndrome: the tendency of people who have lived in cities all their lives and never seen a live pig in the flesh to think that pigs are cute and pink and something like a less hairy dog. While pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to do tricks and such, the average barnyard porker isn't particularly cuddly. They can weigh up to a few hundred pounds and occasionally be quite aggressive.

If you want to make them {{Badass}}, just add tusks for FullBoarAction.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Ryouga Hibiki of ''RanmaOneHalf'' turns into a pig, and his more or less official love interest Akari Unryuu raises sumo pigs--though in both cases they're very clean pigs who only make messes through applied violence.
* Chihiro's parents in ''SpiritedAway'' turn into pigs after gorging themselves on the spirits' food.
* Oolong from ''DragonBall'' is dirty in mind if not in body.

* In ''{{Elfquest}}: Shards'', the tunnel Ekuar creates in an attempt to penetrate the Djun's palace ends up emerging inside a pigsty. When Drub the troll pokes his head out to investigate, the very first thing he spies is a pig's backside at extremely close range.

[[AC:Commercials]]
* The insinuation behind the "Energy Hogs" series of electricity-conservation commercials.

* ''{{Hannibal}}'' took this UpToEleven.
* Jodie, the ''phantom black pig with red eyes'' from ''TheAmityvilleHorror''.
* ''Daddy's Deadly Darlin'' features a serial killer who feeds his victims to pigs.
* [[LondonGangster Bricktop]] from ''{{Snatch}}'' keeps a group of perpetually starved pigs on hand in to eat, and thus dispose of, the bodies of people he kills.

* Squealer and Napoleon from ''AnimalFarm''.
** Of note: Contrarily to popular belief, both Old Major (Marx/Lenin) and Snowball (Trotsky) are actually depicted in quite a positive light, and both are true believers of the animals' cause (Orwell himself was actually a socialist). Napoleon and Squealer are straight examples of evil pigs, Napoleon as the dictator (Stalin) and Squealer as his Minister of Propaganda.
* The dead pig from ''LordOfTheFlies''.
* The Roald Dahl story "Pig" about a young pig who moves to the city...and gets his [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel throat slit and slaughtered for food]].
** I think in this case you mean [[ImAHumanitarian long pig.]]

* ''Literature/BlandingsCastle'': The Empress of Blandings, and her rival, Pride of Matchingham.

* TootAndPuddle - and their niece, Opal.
* WibblyPig and his friends.
* Pig from {{Kipper}}

* Pudgy Pig, pig monster from ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers''.
** Also Piggy, an alien informant in ''PowerRangersSPD''.
* Mr. Wu's pigs in ''{{Deadwood}}'' are used to ''eat dead bodies''.
** Some mobsters use a pig farm for the same thing in LackadaisyCats.
*** Might be TruthInTelevision. The Kray twins allegedly had a man named Frank Mitchell killed and fed to pigs.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has used pigs for both good and evil: in ''The Talons of Weng-Chiang'', the Peking Homunculus was a murderous midget robot made from the cerebral cortex of a pig and several spoonfuls of HighOctaneNightmareFuel. The show has also had one genetically modified pig from "Aliens of London," which it wasn't bad, just scared. And in "Daleks of Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks", the titular aliens create human-pig hybrid slaves.
* Miss Piggy from ''TheMuppetShow'', famous for her fierce temper and mean right hook.
* An episode of {{CSI}} showed how a killer used pigs to get rid of the remains of a woman he killed.

* PinkFloyd's "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" (partially inspired by ''AnimalFarm'', above), comparing pigs to the manipulative people atop the social ladder. The album cover has an inflatable pig floating on a power plant, and the band and its former leader Roger Waters use more of those balloons in their tours.

* Pig from the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''.
** While Pig may be messy, or not the sharpest tool in the shed, he's actually one of the ''nicest'' characters in the strip.

* Piggsy, a sadistic psycho-killer in a mask made from a pig's head from the videogame ''{{Manhunt}}''.
** One of the villains in ''MotelHell'' wears a pig head and carries a chainsaw at the film's climax, possibly providing inspiration for the last one.
* Pey'j, Jade's [[BoisterousBruiser lovably obnoxious]] pig uncle from ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil''. In addition to being the designated fount of lowbrow humor (such as powering his Jet-Boots with farts and eating flies by snorting them through his nose), he's also the butt of several jokes about [[CarnivoreConfusion being eaten]].
* The Rashberry species in ''VivaPinata''. Their house is covered in mud, and in order to romance them, they need to eat items that have gone rotten. If they eat a hunk of cheesecake, they transform into warthogs. And when you cross-romance them with their polar opposite--the perfect, dainty Swanana--you get [[CueTheFlyingPigs something completely different]].
* The villains of ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' are based around pigs. They wear pig suits, their symbol is a pig snout, and their capital is even called "New Pork City". They're dirty because they wreak havok on the flora and fauna. And burp and eat junk food a lot.
* [[LegendOfZelda Ganon]], though his taint is more [[CompleteMonster mental and spiritual]] than it is physical.
* The Evil Pigs from the ''{{Tomba}}'' series. The second game reveals that there are good pigs as well.
* Hoggmeiser from ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness''. He's greedy to the point where the periods in his speech have been replaced with $ marks, he uses his own followers as shields, and at one point compares the main character to a fish bone stuck in his throat. He never shows up in more than one chapter in the game, despite forcing his way onto your team for the rest of the game.
* The Tom-Tom Gang from the Blinx series.
* The pigs from ''AngryBirds''.
* Horkos of ''ShinMegamiTensei'' fame is a demon pig/dragon hybrid wearing a crown and cape and wielding a staff. Oh, and he [[VillainousGlutton loves to]] [[ExtremeOmnivore eat]].

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* Squigley from ''{{Sinfest}}''.

* [[TheSimpsons "Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig, does whatever a Spider-Pig does."]]
* [[TheLionKing Pumbaa]], though he's only smelly and loves to fart/burp.
** You should [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs call him ''Mr.'' Pig]].
* [[ToyStory Hamm the Piggy Bank]], when Andy is playing. ([[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer and according to]] [[TheScrappy/{{OtherMedia}} Armond White]] [[CriticalResearchFailure in his review]])

* Thanks to their omnivorous instinct to probe and explore everything around them for traces of food, pigs love to make a mess by chewing things to bits and rooting around in the pieces. Rotten wood, sofa cushions, or especially straw are bound to wind up in a million tiny fragments when a pig can get at them.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/psychopigs.jpg

* Pey'j, Jade's [[BoisterousBruiser lovably obnoxious]] pig uncle from ''BeyondGoodAndEvil''. In addition to being the designated fount of lowbrow humor (such as powering his Jet-Boots with farts and eating flies by snorting them through his nose), he's also the butt of several jokes about [[CarnivoreConfusion being eaten]].

* [[PGWodehouse The Empress of Blandings,]] and her rival, Pride of Matchingham.

'''''The Sliding Scale of Porcine Cleanliness:'''''

'''Polluted Pigs'''

'''Sanitary Swine'''

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Akane's pet [[InvoluntaryShapeShifting piglet, P-chan]] from ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', is very clean, and enjoys [[TransformationRay hot baths]]. Just ask [[SelectiveObliviousness Akane]]! [[TheMasquerade Or better not]].
* Botan, the little warthog adopted by Kyou in {{Clannad}}.
* Ton-Ton, Tsunade's pet pig. She's always clean and classy, and even wears a strand of pearls!

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''{{Babe}}'' based on ''The Sheep-Pig'' by {{Dick King-Smith}}, is cute, friendly and polite to everyone.
** The book-only sequel, ''Ace'', has his great-grandson Ace, who is also very clean -- after his friend Clarence the cat tells him about how humans appreciate cleanliness, he trains himself to become housebroken -- and has inherited his great-grandfather's friendly, polite nature. He definitely averts the "Babe syndrome," though; the narrative often points out how big and fat Ace has gotten when he's an adult, and at one point he even scares a TV host with his size.
* [[DuelingMovies The above's rival]] film ''Gordy''.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Snowball and Old Major of AnimalFarm are both true believers of the animal cause.
* Wilbur, "some pig," from ''[[CharlottesWeb Charlotte's Web]]''.
* Hen-Wen from LloydAlexander's Prydain novels and ''TheBlackCauldron''. Not only cute, but allows people to ''see the future''.
* Piglet from {{Winnie the Pooh}} is a bit of an in-between case. On one hand, he seems pretty neat and organized, but on the other hand, the one time in the books where he actually (unwillingly) takes a bath, Christopher Robin doesn't recognize him, even stating that "I know Piglet well, and he's ''quite'' a different color." At the end, Piglet has to roll around on the ground a few times to get his "proper comfortable color" back.
* Otis, a pig in the picture book by the same name, written and illustrated by Jamie Bynum. The cover art depicts him taking a bath.
* In ''IShallWearMidnight'', it's mentioned that every family on the Chalk keeps a pig, as these animals provide valuable service as foodstuffs in the winter, and as a garbage can in the summer. By this logic, it's sort of a double-subverted version of this trope: the pig keeps the household clean because ''it's'' eating the mess.
* Lester helps Christopher Brown with his attrocious table manners by setting a good example in ''MrsPiggleWiggle''. Lester is always clean and tidy, and the kids love him. (Just don't hurt his feelings by preparing pork products around him.)

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* Pigby, [[CanineCompanion Dibgy's]] porcine counterpart, from ''PushingDaisies''.
* Arnold from ''GreenAcres'' was treated as a person by everyone but the main character. Despite being live action...
* Bailey's pet pig from ''TheSuiteLifeOnDeck''.

[[AC:{{MMORPG}}s]]
* GaiaOnline's Princess the Pig, also burdened with a transgender name.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* Orson from ''USAcres''.

[[AC:Toys]]
* The BeanieBabies line plays with this. Squealer the Pig is just a class clown, Knuckles makes mud pies, and Stubby would rather eat a big dessert than get dirty.

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]
* As for pig-based {{Pokemon}}, [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Mankey and Primeape]] from the first generation are pig-monkeys, while Swinub from the second generation is a hairy [[FullBoarAction boar]]. Finally, Spoink and Grumpig are... [[PsychicPowers psychic pigs?]]
** Tepig is the latest addition - break out the BBQ, 'cause it's the Fire starter, to boot.

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* Arnold on ''HeyArnold'' had a pet pig Abner who was an inversion of this trope--while he was a pig, he was always portrayed as the most upright, clean, and intelligent of all the many animals living in Arnold's boarding house.
* [[LooneyTunes P-P-Porky P-P-Pig]]
** Hampton from ''TinyToonAdventures'', another neat freak pig.
* In an early episode of ''SouthPark'', when Kyle gripes about the humongous mess made by his pet elephant, Cartman gives that as one reason why he got a pot-bellied pig: Their poop is small. The episode is titled [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "An Elephant Has Sex With a Pig"]].
* Circe turned WonderWoman into a pig in the "This Little Piggy" episode of ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited''.
* The scrofa in ''TheFutureIsWild''. Well, being an example of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_dwarfism island dwarfism]] on a rocky, rather "clean" environment probably helps.
* Mordecai - vessel for the Pig Talisman power - from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''
* [[ToyStory Hamm the Piggy Bank]], while in LivingToy mode.
* [[TheMuppetShow PIIIIIIIIGS IIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE]]! Also Veterinarian Hospital.
* Zooter from ''JungleJunction''.
* Pig from ''WordWorld''.
* Pigs appear as background characters in ''KungFuPanda''.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* TruthInTelevision, actually. Pigs are actually very clean animals, and they only wallow in the mud to cool off. (Give a pig a choice between a mud wallow and a wading pool, and it will choose the latter.)
* Anyone who's kept pigs will tell you that pigs are tidy by nature. They make their own beds, keep them clean, and eliminate only in a far corner of the pen.

-->"That's some pig."\\
-- ''[=~Charlotte's Web~=]'' by E.B. White

-->"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; [[{{Anvilicious}} but already it was impossible to say which was which]]."\\
-- ''AnimalFarm'' by GeorgeOrwell

* The villains of ''{{Mother 3}}'' are based around pigs. They wear pig suits, their symbol is a pig snout, and their capital is even called "New Pork City". They're dirty because they wreak havok on the flora and fauna. And burp and eat junk food a lot.

* Hoggmeiser from ''DisgaeaHourOfDarkness''. He's greedy to the point where the periods in his speech have been replaced with $ marks, he uses his own followers as shields, and at one point compares the main character to a fish bone stuck in his throat. He never shows up in more than one chapter in the game, despite forcing his way onto your team for the rest of the game.

While [[EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys monkeys]], [[EverythingsCuterWithKittens kittens]], and [[EverythingIsBetterWithPenguins penguins]] make everything better and [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears bears]] and [[EverythingIsEvenWorseWithSharks sharks]] make everything worse, pigs fall on that thin line where they can be either good or bad. Sometimes pigs are cute {{Non Human Sidekick}}s and sometimes they are a metaphor about how much [[HumansAreBastards humans are like them]] except [[{{Metaphorgotten}} with hooves and snouts]].