The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, known locally as the Lon I, or simply I, pig, is a traditional Vietnamese breed of domestic pic. It originates from the southern Red River Delta in the Nam Định Provence of northern Vietnam. It was originally bred for meat. It is slow growing, but hardy, and is resistant to many diseases and parasites. For years it was the dominant pig breed in northern Vietnam until the 1970s when the Móng Cái, which is more productive and grows faster, began to replace it. In the 1960s, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig was exported to other countries as exhibit animals in zoos. In the mid-1980s, they entered the United States from Canada as a novelty pet. Many of these were not purebred. The ‘pet pot-bellied pig’ craze didn’t last long, as people realized that the pigs, especially the mixed breeds, grew to large sizes not practical for a house pet. In some countries, such as Spain, the pig has become an invasive species. Still, given the mixed breeding during the pet fad and the pig’s replacement in its native Vietnam with the Móng Cái, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which monitors the status of domestic breeds used for food, declared the Vietnamese pot-belly an endangered breed in 2007.
There are two main forms of Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. One is the I-pha, or Large I, which is the larger of the two and is characterized by a longer snout and bigger ears held horizontally. The other is the I-mo, or Fatty, which has a shorter snout, shorter legs, and small upturned ears. Historically, the most popular pot-belly in the toy market was the 2014 rendition by Schleich, which represents I-pha. Today we’ll be looking at the 2023 rendition by Papo, which appears to represent the I-mo. So, for those of you that are completists with pig breeds or livestock breeds in general, the Schleich and Papo models give you the option of two different forms of pot-bellies!
Today’s model has a total figure length of 7.5 cm. It stands approximately 4.0 cm at the shoulder for a scale of 1:9.
Today’s piggie is sculpted with all of the hallmark features: heavily wrinkled skin, small upturned snout, prominent sway back (a bend in the back), drooping belly, and plantigrade feet. An udder is sculpted, indicating the toy represents a female specimen. A lot of detail was given to sculpting fur over most of the body.
The base color is black, as is typical for the traditional form of the breed. There is a white streak on the forehead and white above the hooves, which is more commonly seen in modern variations of the pig (original pot-bellies where all black). The snout is brown. The eyes are black with a simple white spot, possibly to represent a reflection of light rather that part of the eye itself (it actually looks kind of eerie, giving the toy almost a ‘possessed’ look to it).
Overall, the Papo 2023 Vietnamese pot-bellied pig gives collectors a novel take on a familiar breed, and complements the earlier figure by Schleich. Recommended for general collectors and collectors of farm animals and domestic breeds. Available from Happy Hen Toys in the United States or wherever Papo products are sold. Speaking of which, I would again like to thank our good friends at Happy Hen Toys for providing this review sample. It is much appreciated.
My small but growing domestic pig pen. I have one to go to the market. I have one who can stay home. I have who can have roast beef, and one to have none. But I need one more to go we we we all the way home!
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I was not originally interested in this figure because I’ve been on the lookout for Schleich’s but I think you’ve convinced me that I need both.