So Olivia the Pig has only been around for 20-some years.
And that's a whole generation growing up thinking "This is what storybook pigs are like".
And literary pigs before that were either bewildered pigs [like Wilbur] who knew they were food
[a modern version might be the Diary of a Wimpy Kid unnamed pig who was won at a county fair].
or else they were dirty and messy.
And Falconer is probably right about pigs' awkwardness hiding their intelligence - especially in the eyes of socialised adults.
The Ladybird pigs in the SLAP HAPPY LARRY pictures seem to know they are food.
Except for Piggly who is a good representative of the slovenly and dirty side of pigs/children.
And I like the way that Tom Tom the Piper's Son in the Richard Scarry version was carrying an actual gingerbread pig - very savvy to mythology and folklore.
The Rychlicki pig has a bit of an Olivia-before-Olivia feel. They might recognise each other if they were in the neighbourhood.
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Re: Pigs in art and children's literature
Oh good, I'm glad the first comment on this new forum is about pigs. When I set up the word cloud last week in a widget update I was surprised to find how many times I have mentioned pigs on this blog.
I don't even think Olivia the Pig realises she's a pig, does she? (Let alone food.) I can see some dark fan fic potential there.
I don't even think Olivia the Pig realises she's a pig, does she? (Let alone food.) I can see some dark fan fic potential there.