Today we’re looking at your classic pink pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), what must be one of the most common toy animals you can think of. But, and I hate to say it, this is some pig. And that’s the second Charlotte’s Web reference I’ve made in too short an amount of time. Specifically, this is the 2018 sow by CollectA. CollectA toys are hard to find in the wild here in the United States but I came across this one, serendipitously enough, at my local county fair where many real pigs were on display. Already having the Safari Berkshire pig in my collection, I didn’t really need another, but I’m a sucker for livestock breeds, so here we are.
What breed is the CollectA sow? Most domestic pig breeds are pink like this toy, but the most common and familiar pig breed is probably the Yorkshire, also called the English large white and the ancestor of the American Yorkshire. The “white” (pink) coloration, erect ears, and long straight back are all hallmarks of the breed that are displayed well here.
The Yorkshire pig can stand 3’ (0.9 meters) tall at the shoulder, measure 6’ (1.8 meters) in length, and weigh up to 750 lbs. (340 kg). The CollectA sow stands 2” to the top of the shoulder and measures 3.75” in length. This puts the CollectA figure at about 1/18 in scale.
The CollectA sow might be the best pig figure I’ve ever seen, and although I don’t profess to be an expert on plastic swine, I feel confident that you would be hard pressed to find one that’s as realistic and detailed as this one. I gave high marks to the Safari Berkshire pig when I reviewed it and this one surpasses it.
The entire body is covered with a coat of fine hair etched into the sculpt. Veins are sculpted within the inside surface of the ears. The coiled tail is tipped with hair. Even the faint hint of tusks can be seen bulging from within the closed mouth. Although pigs are bred for their size you can still make out a faint hint of musculature here, particularly on the limbs. This sow is also quite clearly a sow, with 12 swollen mammaries, and I don’t want to get too graphic but even the genitalia is more detailed than it probably needs to be.
This pig is pink of course, but the body is primarily pale pink with a darker underside, snout, and ears. The hooves and tail tip are brown, and the eyes are shiny black, appearing wet and lifelike. She has a very content and pleasing look to her face, as pigs often do, despite their inevitable fate.
The CollectA sow is a shockingly good figure of an animal most people probably take for granted. It’s one of my favorite figures in my entire collection and although I feel weird saying that, I also like pigs. CollectA also makes what appears to be an equally good boar (male) as well as a piglet. The CollectA sow is still in production and sells for about $5-6. If you’re a domestic livestock aficionado, or specialize in toy pigs, this is not one to overlook.
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Nice! This figure was announced when I started by non-arthropod synoptic collection. I was debating on whether or not to holdout for it. I ended up getting a Mojo pig, which I have since replaced with the breed-specific Large White and Hampshire pigs by Safari Ltd. If one wanted a generic pig, however, this CollectA sow (and/or her boar counterpart) come highly recommended!
P.S…still need to hunt down the Safari Berkshire 🙂
…I say ‘generic’ pig because it wasn’t marketed at the breed level, but I think your assessment is correct 🙂
The pig I need to hunt down is the Schleich 2014 pot-bellied pig, I love that thing. Aside from that I still plan to get the Safari Hampshire and the CollectA Hungarian pig.
that Schleich pot-belly is a classic; it looks like one of the 2023 Papo animals may be one! If so, and decent design, I’ll go for that one!
Yeah, that new Papo pig caught my eye too. But I really like the Schleich one, and it’s not too hard to find on eBay, I just gotta pull the trigger.