Today it is my great pleasure to share one of my holy grail figures with the blog, the 2014 Schleich pot-bellied pig. This figure was retired in 2018, one year before this blog was launched and I got into extant animal toys. I don’t know how it came across my radar but for a couple years now I’ve been looking at eBay listings for it, in the hopes that I could find one for a decent price. They’re common on eBay but I’m a bargain hunter first and foremost. Finally, this past spring I caught wind of one of these gems listed for $9.50. With shipping it came to $15 but that was better than the $20+ that they usually go for.
The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig is known in its native country as the Lon I, or I, and is regarded as a small breed by pig standards, with an average weight of 110 lbs. (50 kg) but able to reach 220 lbs. (100 kg) with the males being smaller than the females. The breed was imported into North America and Europe in the 1960’s and by the 1980’s it was being sold in the pet trade. Needless to say, even a 100 lb. pig doesn’t make for a great house pet, and to make matters worse most of the “pot-bellied pigs” being sold were breed hybrids capable of reaching even larger sizes. The pot-belly fad didn’t last long but even now there are still pig breeds being marketed as house pets that reach larger sizes than they’re advertised as.
Schleich’s pot-bellied pig measures 3” (7.62 cm) in length and stands 1.5” (3.81 cm) tall at the shoulder, a much more manageable size pig for the home! The actual pig averages about 3’ (91 cm) and has a shoulder height of 15” (38 cm), putting this figure at about 1/12 in scale. The figure isn’t doing much. It just stands there in a static pose, looking slightly leftward and contemplating its existence.
There are two types of pot-bellied pig. The I-pha, or Large I, has a longer snout, longer legs, and larger ears that are held horizontally. The I-mo, or Fatty I, is smaller, with short pointed ears, and a shorter snout. Schleich’s pig represents the I-pha but Papo recently released a pot-bellied pig that represents the I-mo. Be sure to check out bmathison1972’s review of it.
All the hallmarks of the pot-bellied pig are beautifully rendered on this diminutive toy. The head appears proportionally enormous thanks to the thick, wrinkled, sagging jowls. The wrinkled snout is upturned, ears held horizontally, and the miniscule eyes are mostly hidden under a flat heavy brow. A crest of bristles is sculpted along the neck and a portion of the back with finer hair etched in elsewhere. The back dips down thanks to the robust hanging belly that touches the ground, which can occur in life as well.
Twelve nipples are present along the belly and the straight tail (these pigs don’t have curly tails) is sculpted curved up against the right hindlimb. The legs are short and stout and fatty skin folds practically engulf the hindlimbs. All four digits touch the ground which is not the case in most pig breeds. In pot-bellied pigs it is an adaptation that helps the pig navigate the swampy environments of its homeland. The hooves even have little indents on their underside.
The figure is entirely black, which is the breed’s typical color. It is darker along the back and between joints and skin folds. The snout and eyes are black with a glossy coat to make them appear wet.
The Schleich pot-belled pig is a miniature masterpiece, and I absolutely adore it. It is a must have in any collection of pig breeds. And yes, there are other pot-bellied pig figures out there, but this one is clearly the standout amongst them. I will recommend Papo’s though, since it represents the other pot-belly variant and is also good. I still need to get that one. In hunting down this pig be sure you purchase the correct one, since Schleich has an older pot-bellied pig that was in production from 1998-2000. It’s nowhere near as good as this one. The one you want is product number 13747. Happy hog hunting!
It’s adorable!